China September 2010

     Since my husband and I had already visited Beijing (Forbidden City and Great Wall) and cruised on the Yangtze River in 1997, my MT nurse daughter, Kathy, and I chose to go to Xian, Guillin, Longji Terraces and Chengdu.
     In the interest of expediency, we each took one carry-on bag plus a large satchel (as a purse) for me and a small backpack for Kathy.
     Irin met us at the Xian airport.  Even with 3 people pushing and shoving, I had difficulty leveraging myself into the van with a VERY HIGH step.  Finally, I knelt on the floor and managed to sit sideways on the back seat.  Because the hotel in Xian had overbooked, Kathy and I lucked into a top floor, 2 bedroom suite with all the amenities.