Today was our travel day. Doug left earlier in the morning. For Liz and I, it would be 1½ hrs to Korea, then another 8 to Honolulu. We left Beijing on Monday afternoon and arrived in Hawai’i Monday morning. Tim was able to pick me up.

We had time for breakfast, so we got dim sum from a street vendor near the subway. We couldn’t understand each other, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that a bag of dumplings costs only $1.

These French style bakeries are also popular in Beijing. Quite a contrast of photos.

Here we are at the Incheon Airport in Seoul, Korea. This is the nicest airport that I’ve ever been in. In fact, it’s more like an upscale mall with airplanes outside.

I was able to talk story with Liz a lot, and that made the trip so worthwhile. Without her, it wouldn’t have been as much fun and I would’ve stayed at the hotel more.

It’s been a dream to eat kalbi in Korea, and this is probably the best I’ve had. They say they use real Korean cattle. Hmm….

More photos from the trip.

Final Thoughts:
People freely use the expression “once in a lifetime.” For me, it’s “once in a lifetime…. only if you’re lucky.” I have been so blessed to have had this opportunity. I didn’t deserve it. I just hope that I was able to contribute and represent my team well. This experience has made me rethink what is possible, to re-imagine. Finally, my heart swells up when I think about my friends in Beijing. I will miss them.