Exquisite Vacations Trip to China
Getting there…
If you are planning a trip to the Far East, be prepared for a long haul flight!
This means try to have everything to your comfort for the flight as much as possible. My flight from Lax to Guangzhou was a little over 14 hours flying time. Look at your world map and track the path you will be flying to get an idea of how long of a flying time you will have. The length of each flight is also noted on your airline ticket for each leg / portion of your flight. This is important as preparation is the key.
Before planning this trip, I went into customer mode of checking the weather at the destination when I will be arriving and getting all the visa requirement that was needed. Base on which state you live, there are various Chinese embassy that you will need to send your valid US passport along with your complete itinerary to apply for your visa. A visa and passport agency in your area can help. I used a visa company located in Miami as I has to send my passport to Houston to have the visa added to my passport. The visa will last for 10 years so I will plan another trip to another city in China!
As this was my second long haul flight (Dubai was my first 14 hours to get there from Orlando nonstop) I was very prepared as much as I can.
If you are able to fly business class, it is worth every penny of comfort. If you are able to fly to the closest international airport to your final destination, that helps too! I flew couch on this trip but I must say, the couch seats on China Southern Airlines was very comfortable for my 5 feet height! My seat reclined and I had enough leg room and a window seat.
For this trip, I departed from Ft . Lauderdale to Lax and connected on China Southern Airlines non stop to Guangzhou, China. I will have one more connection before reaching my final destination of Nanjing, China.
I brought my favorite snacks, iPad, my pillow from home (I would suggest getting a small pillow, as mine was a little too big to get real comfortable), my personal airplane blanket, portable charger to recharge my phone, my personal earphones, toiletries and essentials ( pack your toothbrush and tooth paste) as this airline did not provide any complimentary ) and magazine for reading.
The airline provided blankets and earphones and they offered a few selections of movies and TV Series for your entertainment.
As soon as we took off from Lax, dinner was served. I am not a fan of airplane meals but with such a long flight I needed something warm in my stomach, the choices were meat balls with green peas and boiled mini potatoes or pork and rice. Not a fan of pork, I went with the meat balls, to my surprise it tasted real good for my Jamaican palate.
Then it was off to sleep as best as I could after watching enough TV reruns!
After 7 and a half hours into the flight, warm towels were served to be followed by beverage and meal service and yes, had my second glass of wine to relax myself with another six hours to go for Guangzhou. This time I had chicken breast with vegetables and it tasted real good.
Now it’s back to TV watching for as long as my eyes can stay open!
As we approached Guanzhou an hour away, the crew started preparing the cabin for arrival, I was getting excited even though I have been up for more than 24 hours EST. I could now see the sunset upon the horizon and then we flew through the clouds. This experience was different as I have never seen a blanket of clouds for miles upon miles or flew through thick clouds without turbulence.
The normal rule of thumb is to pick up your bags at your first international stop once you have cleared immigration but on this trip my bag was checked all the way from Fort Lauderdale to Nanjing. China.
Go out there an explore the world, so much to learn and see and immerse yourself in the culture of the country you visit.