China -- Trip of a Lifetime!

Homeless for the Holidays

2011-12-08T22:50:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone,

Our apologies if you received multiple copies of this email. Many people didn't receive the previous announcement, so we wanted to make sure everyone received this one.

We just wanted to update you on the Homeless for the Holidays project. On behalf of the men and women your support allows us to serve, you have our heartfelt thanks.

Here's where we are at this point. We don't yet have everything we need. We're particularly short on blankets, coats, socks, hats and gloves. We need soup, they kind that come with a cup and only requires adding hot water. Donations to cover the costs of some of the things we have to purchase would also be helpful.

As our way of saying thank you to everyone who helped last year, we put together a short presentation. We had to put it on YouTube because it's too large to email as an attachment. Here's the link if you would like to see it.

[http://youtu.be/w-taoii_FEM]

For those of you hearing about this for the first time this year, the presentation will also give you an idea of exactly what the project is all about.

Thanks again for all your help and support. Email or call us (617-513-4619) to arrange pickups. We'd like to try to get everything in by December 19 so we can have enough time to sort and prepare everything that we will be taking to the streets on Christmas Day.

If you'd prefer to make a monetary donation, please mail checks to EASE, 584 Water Street, Framingham, MA 01701.

Remember, EASE is a 501 (c)(3) charity so everything you donate is fully tax deductible.

Thank you. Happy Holidays.

Belinda and Kip

China Blog Has Moved (Temporarily)

2009-06-23T16:33:00.001-04:00

After hours and hours researching, testing, and building, I've found a temporary location to host my China blog:

http://chris-langello.spaces.live.com/

This site, a Windows product, is neither as friendly nor as robust as Blogspot. So, I may move my China blog again during the trip. But for now, my temporary blog at Live Spaces is up and running! Please visit and leave a comment. (Some of the emails I've received would work very well as comments to the blog!)
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Arrived Safely, But Censored!

2009-06-20T20:01:00.001-04:00

We arrived safely in Beijing on Sunday around 3:00 PM, and made it through the many levels of border screening without much difficulty. I must admit, I felt apprehensive during the medical screening. When departing from DC, the airlines warned all passengers that any elevated temperature, even by less than one degree, or any cold or flu symptoms, would result in the passenger being placed in quarantine for seven days upon arrival. When we arrived at the gate in Beijing, the pilot made an announcement that passengers could not leave their seats. Government officials, wearing white lab coats and face masks, came onto the plane and briefly examined each passenger for signs of flu, including using handheld devices to scan for an elevated temperature. More information about the flight in a later posting.

We arrived at our hotel, the Crown Plaza Beijing, at around 5:30 PM. Despite being a Holiday Inn property, the hotel is quite upscale: marble and granite throughout the lobby, indoor pond, glass elevators, and fine dining. The rooms include real wood paneling, a decent-size flat-screen TV, and a down comforter on the bed. More information about the our Beijing hotel in a future posting.

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." Turns out, China blocks a number of blog sites, including Google's Blogspot. So, a monkey wrench in my plans to easily blog from China. I'm working up plans for an alternative. One option includes sending posts by email -- hence, this posting. One problem with this technique -- I won't know if it gets posted. Would someone kindly send me an email letting me know that this message got posted (chris.langello@gsa.gov). Another problem: sending posts by email might not allow me to post photos. Like I mentioned, I'm developing a plan, but I haven't locked in on any alternative yet. If anyone has a suggestion, please let me know (by email, not a posting, because I can't access my blog!).

Until then, thanks for checking in. I hope to have some interesting information soon. Warm regards from China, Chris

Chris Langello
http://www.google.com/profiles/chris.langello
http://chris-langello.blogspot.com/

China in Three Weeks!

2009-06-17T15:41:00.000-04:00

The trip of a lifetime: to visit China for three weeks, with a private tour guide, staying in six cities, plus a taking cruise! Moreover, to do so with my lovely wife and my two very special kids. And, to provide balance, traveling with about a dozen in-laws, too.

Friends have asked me to report on my trip, for a host of reasons, such as planning a trip of their own. And, I guess I'd like to share my fabulous time in China. I've chosen blogging as the format to present my report -- my first attempt at this form of electronic communication. Please feel invited to follow these travels, and post comments, too.

Leaving IAD on June 19, we fly for fourteen hours aboard a Boeing 777-200/300. Riki and Payton haven't flown for this long before, but they've traveled considerably throughout their young lives. The flight will challenge them, for sure, but I don't expect much turbulence. Hopefully, United Airlines' in-flight service will include a strong dose of entertaining movies.

We fly nonstop, arriving at Beijing Capital Airport on Saturday, June 20, at 2:20 PM. Our guide for the trip, Gloria, will greet us at the airport and help us get to the Holiday Inn Crown Plaza Hotel. Hopefully, I'll have access to the Internet soon after arriving, to update this blog. Until then, ...