I know. I know. I try to refrain from these super “here are the exact times of everything” kind of blogs, and actually I kind of informed you about some of our travel getting to China, but I just want to show you the extent of some of our travel experience as we transition countries. Sometimes I think I’m getting too old for this … and then I remember that yep, I really am traveling the World and sharing Jesus and sharing love. Thanks, God.
a. Friday (2/24):
i. 9:30PM – Load up van to leave Center (our ministry site) after attending a birthday party for someone’s nephew at the QQ Easy café with a whole bunch of strangers.
ii. 9:45PM – ” First group (my group) arrives at train station in Gua Musang
iii. 10:40PM – ” Load train going from Gua Musang to Kuala Lumpur Sentral (in seats, not sleeper car … at restaurant style table where we face each other but I can’t see anyone because my big daypack has to ride on the table.)
iv. 10:50PM – ” Train leaves Gua Musang
b. Saturday (2/25):
i. 10:30AM – ” Arrive at KL Sentral (that’s right … almost 12 hours)
ii. 11:00AM – ” Leave KL Sentral to try and find public transportation to Megamall (with our big packs and daypacks … yeah, we were a spectacle)
iii. 11:20AM – ” Get on 1st of 2 buses riding around in a giant circle, ultimately … and sometime after that, don’t know the exact time but we also got on the 2nd bus sometime in this window.
iv. 11:50AM – ” Finally arrive at Megamall (meet nice lady at information who lets us store our big packs in a storage room so we don’t have to take shifts watching the packs, bonus!)
v. 5:30PM – ” Meet to gather packs from mall storage room
vi. 6:00PM – ” Traipse through mall, again a spectacle, to reach train to KL Sentral … proceed to hassle with the machines to get our tickets.
vii. 6:10PM – ” Barely board 7 of us plus big packs and day packs on the overcrowded train.
viii. 6:20PM – ” Arrive at KL Sentral
ix. 6:28PM – ” After power walking/jogging through KL Sentral with the help of a nice local we get tickets and board the bus to KL International Airport (KLIA)
x. 6:35PM – ” Leave KL Sentral headed toward KLIA
xi. 7:30PM – ” Arrive at KLIA
xii. 7:45PM – ” Make it to the KFC camp-out spot where we are meeting the squad.
c. Sunday (2/26):
i. 7:00AM – ” Be packed and ready to go (Yep, another airport sleepover … though I definitely stayed up until 3:00AM talking so … not much sleep for me)
ii. 7:15AM – ” Line up for tickets and check-in
iii. 8:45AM – ” Board plane for Hong Kong (the time doesn’t sound right … maybe we just crossed through the final checkpoint and prepared to board, but whatever)
iv. 10:30AM – ” Plane takes off for Hong Kong
v. 12:45PM – ” Land in Hong Kong
vi. 1:45PM – ” After going through baggage claim/customs/etc … gather to wait for further instructions.
vii. 2:15PM – ” Load “limoâ€� vans to go to “real Chinaâ€� border (okay … limo van is a fancy van thing that doesn’t really feel like a limo when it’s packed with 6 or 7 people and all their crap).
viii. 3:00PM – ” Arrive at border to “real Chinaâ€� ��” two checkpoints … At both we wave and smile when they call the name on our passport as we sit in the car and cruise through the easiest border crossing yet.
ix. 3:20PM – ” Unload “limoâ€� van at Bus station in somewhere China outside of Hong Kong
x. 3:55PM – ” Load bus and leave the station
xi. 5:45PM – ” Arrive at hotel in Guangzhou, China.
d. Monday (2/27):
i. 12:30PM – ” Leave Hotel and walk to Subway station
ii. 12:40PM – ” Arrive at Subway station ��” hassle with the machines to get our transfer token/ticket (this is becoming a habit)
iii. 12:50PM – ” Board 1st Subway
iv. 1:00PM – ” Arrive at transfer station
v. 1:10PM – ” Board 2nd Subway
vi. 1:20PM – ” Arrive at one of the largest Train stations in China
vii. 1:40PM – ” Begin waiting in line at the waiting room for our train (fun fact: My team leader Brandon is given/has 100qai stuffed in his backpack from this weird Chinese man who comes up holding a large picture of himself acting like an American with a American flag sweater on … one of those, you had to be there moments)
viii. 2:15PM – ” Board Sleeper Car of Train heading to our location in China.
ix. 2:30PM – ” Train leaves station
e. Tuesday (2/28):
i. 1:30PM – ” Train arrives at station in our location in China (yes, that’s right … 23 hour train ride … we lost an entire day of our life on a train … but seriously, the sleeper car was one of the best parts of travel I’ve had on any travel day on the Race)
ii. 2:00PM – ” After our contact met us at the station we loaded in a van/SUV thing and finally arrived at our humble abode … an 11th floor gorgeous apartment!)
