Our day started at 4:20am. After checking out, Celia escorted nineteen of us to the airport. The rest of the group were flying back to Montreal in the afternoon. (We had said our goodbyes to each other the night before).
The Radisson Hotel had packed breakfasts to take with us. Included was a hard boiled egg, bun, yoghurt, water and a very stale muffin.
We said goodbye to Celia at the airport. Check in was uneventful and we boarded a flight to Beijing for the first leg of our trip home.
After arriving in Beijing, we collected our luggage and walked inside to the international termInal where we rechecked our bags and waited.
When we started to board, Cole was in the washroom and had left his bag and iPad unattended. Barry picked up Cole’s stuff, boarded the plane and got in his seat. He was approached by the flight attendant who said that Cole wanted to board the plane but couldn’t because Barry had his boarding pass. Barry handed over the pass and Cole arrived shortly after.
After boarding, the flight was delayed for quite awhile. They were checking some passports (Carol and Steve’s included) and checked some kid that was sick.
Finally the flight took off and I slept most of the way, waking only when meals arrived and then going directly back to sleep. It was a wonderful vacation.
Here are some suggestions if going to China on a UTO tour:
- bring Canadian money because you can pay the tour guide in dollars for any extra excursions
- Be aware that some of the included excursions are sales opportunities for the company.
- Always carry toilet paper with you because many washrooms do not supply it.
- Bring hand sanitizer and/or wet wipes because most washrooms do not supply soap either.
We all enjoyed the UTO China trip and felt it gave good value for the money. The flights, hotels and guides far exceeded our expectations.
I just read your whole trip breakdown and really appreciate it! We have just booked and hope our trip is as fun as yours was!