Saturday: The Long Journey Home.

As of a couple of hours ago, I realized that I had been going going going for something like 36 hours –a double Saturday of travel.

We left the hotel in Xi’an for our flight to Beijing at about 10:30 am.

Our 3 hour layover in Beijing was NOT NEARLY LONG ENOUGH for us to get from one terminal to the baggage claim, pick up luggage, take it back through customs and then to the ticket counter to get our tickets for our long flight to Seattle.

It didn’t help matters that they thought there was something suspicious in my bag – I assumed it was the power converter, but no – the guard lady kept insisting I had a lighter in my bag.  I don’t.  I don’t smoke.  I have never smoked, and I would not be dumb enough to try to fly with something combustible in the checked luggage.  Phone power banks were with me in my back pack.  I had been so careful.

Lines lines lines lines lines every which way you go.  And when it comes time to FINALLY going through security to run your carryon through the machine – be prepared for a rather lengthy inspection of your self.  EVERY INCH.  As my friend Jill said “Wow, they got really up into my girly parts!”

Now that is not such a problem for me.  Always better safer than not.  But by this measure, our own TSA security here in the USA looks to be a bit on the lazy side!

A post shared by Bonnie K Hunter (@quiltville_bonnie) on Oct 27, 2017 at 11:03pm PDT

Click to play the panorama video from the Beijing airport!

10 hours to Seattle.

We look and feel a bit worse for wear.

Jill transferred her luggage over to her San Diego flight and made it home long before dinner, but as for me – I still had 2 flights to go and it made no sense to hang around the airport for 6 or more hours so that I could catch another red-eye flight to Atlanta.  I needed a shower and a bed so it was arranged ahead of time that I would overnight in Seattle and travel fresh the next morning.

As it is my morning flight LEAVES at 6:15am Pacific Time.  But the body clock is likely to still be somewhere over Russia and I can sleep between Seattle and Atlanta.  The main objective is to get me home.

A beautiful day in Seattle for taking the light rail downtown!

Traveling internationally always has me arriving back stateside with a heart full of gratitude.  Gladness for the things I’ve experienced with others. Total overwhelming knowledge of the things we have here that we tend to take so much for granted  like - clear and fresh blue skies and very breathable air.

While we were in Beijing and Xi’an we had days of smog and haze so bad that you couldn’t see the mountains in the not-so-far-away distance.

A Typical afternoon in Beijing.

Day after day after day, Jill’s smartwatch kept letting us know that the air we were breathing was UNHEALTHY.

Seattle through the train window – trees in glorious color!

Downtown Seattle!

It’s a $6.00 round trip ticket from the airport station to the Westlake station downtown.  I needed some exercise and some fresh air after my 2 hour nap or I wouldn’t be able to sleep last night.

The downtown area was buzzing with residents and tourists alike – October doesn’t always come with a weather-gift like this.  EVERYONE was out in droves and I fell into step with the pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk.

Oh beautiful!

You can hear the sounds of street musicians on every corner, playing to the rhythm of the city. How different from Beijing or Xi’an this felt.  All wonderful in their own way, but I felt so much closer to home.

I was heading here – to the marketplace!

It's a perfect Saturday afternoon in Seattle! Getting some steps in and exploring some fun places with hopes of being able to sleep tonight. Shuttle to the airport at 4:15 a.m.! . . . #Quiltville #bonniekhunter #quiltntravel #Saturday #Seattle #seattlesaturday #pikesplacemarket

A post shared by Bonnie K Hunter (@Quiltville_bonnie) on Oct 28, 2017 at 5:24pm PDT

Such a lively, vibrant and colorful place!

Crowded as always -

Oh, I love the fresh flowers!

Fruits & Veggies!

Fresh sea food!

Colorful tree lined streets -

Yellows & golds, reds and browns.

And even a quilt shop!

Some neutrals for the stash!

There really are NOT quilt shops in China.  Quilting is not popular there.  Cotton is grown outside of Xi’an, but we didn’t find a fabric store or a quilt shop anywhere near where our itinerary lead us.  I asked our guide, Linda if she knew where we would get quilting cotton and though she grew up in the area and cotton was one of the crops her parents grew on their farm while she was growing up, she had no idea where we would go for quilting cotton.

And that is just fine with me because there is plenty of it here where I live, and what I DON’T have at home is what I was wanting to see and experience while in China.  I can always find a quilt shop, but I can’t always find Great Walls, Temples, Terracotta Warriors and cultural events.  Why would we travel around the world to do the same things we’ve always done?

The golden hour of the day!

Check out the gull on the lamp post.

A post shared by Bonnie K Hunter (@Quiltville_bonnie) on Oct 28, 2017 at 5:55pm PDT

Capturing the last of the day.  See if you can spot Mt Rainier and the moon in the video above by clicking it to play.

Look beyond the 2nd bridge arch to the left of the pole!

The mountain was OUT!

And my indulgent meal wish was granted!

For the last 2 days after eating Chinese meals 3 times a day, every day for the past week – I promised myself a guilt-free bacon cheeseburger upon my arrival in Seattle.  There is a Denny’s down the street from the hotel.  They served this to me on a toasted gluten-free English muffin and every bite was beyond delicious.  I’ll get back to my regular diet tomorrow.

Quiltville Quote of the Day!

Wall detail from the inside courtyard around the Great Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an, China.

I’m heading toward my happiness – Home!

I’ll catch you back from North Carolina.

Have a wonderful Sunday, everyone!