Charlie writes:
After spending nine days with our good friend, guide and newest member of the AACE, Li Peng, otherwise known to us as Leo, it was really hard to say goodbye to our colleague because we had created such a strong bond with him. In Kunming, we also had to say goodbye to the coordinator of our arrangements in Yunnan who was another good friend, Wu Sicong.

We then boarded the flight to Beijing, which was most interesting. About two thirds of the way through our trip we had in-flight exercise, or what I referred to as airplane jazzercise. In-flight exercise is one of the best ideas I have experienced because for the entire flight I am sitting down, in this case for three hours, and all my muscles are usually cramped up. When we did neck, arm and leg stretches, they got me energized.

After landing, we met up with more friends of ours, Hu Jia, our Beijing coordinator and Wendy, our guide. They took us to our hotel for a quick rest and then we walked to the Red Door for dinner with Wendy. Many of us were very hungry because we didn’t find the airplane food appetizing. We were glad to finally come back to the hotel after a long day of travel to get a good night’s rest.

AACE students have gotten very good at waiting patiently in airports.

Kunming is famous all over the world for its teas.

Lunch in Kunming had the round middle "serving table" which is found in most restaurants in China. Etiquette says one does not move the turning table while someone else is choosing food from it. It is also considered polite to serve your neighbor, especially if there is a delicacy.

We've accumulated a lot of luggage buying a few extra bags along the way for our purchases and gifts.

Left: The stewardess and the video monitor above her head lead us through seated exercises half way through the flight and everyone joined in.