In Route

Everyone else goes to Beijing via Vancouver or Los Angles. Not me. In an attempt to use my air miles before the system implodes, I have taken another route: Seattle to Vancouver, BC to London to Beijing. Yeah. It takes two days rather than one.

I actually made these reservations in November of '07. I had confidence that Melanie would make the Olympic team.

I am in Heathrow Airport right now. It is really a huge shopping mall. You don't see the cute shops like we have at Sea Tac. This airport has a Herrod's and high end clothing stores, perfume stores, and handbag (Prada) stores. We have really cool "shops".

And, while landing this morning I was struck by the fields defined by centuries old hedgerows. They have no rhyme or reason in their boundaries and, while beautiful, remind one of a badly done quilt. Nobody squared up the pieces. (Score one for property rights.)

Then here we are, actually the more organized cousins after all. It is kind of ironic that when the Brits fly over the United States they see long straight field lines defined by fences. The only curved field lines we have involve a river! Yanks have things pretty organized after all!

I will fly to Beijing in a few hours and then immediately board Philippine Airlines for Manila where I will be visiting with Lakewood residents Dr. Expedita Castro and her husband, Jessie, who made a career here as a lawyer. The Castros are giving back to the very poor people in the country of their birth.