Day 2/3

Of course it was confusing! I had no idea what time it was or exactly where we were... 20 hours in all, with a 14 hour flight to NRT, then a layover and 4 hour flight to PEK. So a little nap, a little dinner with Continental and Chinese option and 3 movies, and we land shell shocked for a two hour layover, then onto Beijing. Arrival at Beijing was a surprise, but I'm not sure what I expected. I've read way too many spy novels, good guys vs bad guys stuff. It was very bright, very modern, very clean and huge! Made ready for the Olympics, it was one of the best airports I've been in. We arrived about 10:30 pm, so there weren't huge crowds, and even Immigrations was a pleasant surprise... much easier than entering Russia, and no apparent "minders". It was fantastic to see a gentleman dressed in topcoat and tie from the Peninsula Hotel there to guide and assist us to the car with our luggage. Considering the time of evening, and being close to Chinese New Year,  the traffic was minimal and the drive much faster than we'd expected. I missed the Rolls Royce pick up, though the BMW 700 series was quite acceptable. We were met in the lobby by the Concierge, and check formalities were done in our room; fast, convenient, and professional, making us feel at home. After a few minutes of settling in, we were toast!