Taking care of "Business"

Well, it is currently some time, and I don't know which time, but if I were to look out the window of the plane at this instant, it would be daylight. We're due to land in Beijing in a matter of hours. And I have been thoroughly enjoying myself in "Business Class," in a way that indicates, if this is a harbinger of what this trip will be like, that every moment will be both unforgettable and unimaginable, in the best ways possible.

Ellen and Bob are in the seats in front of me, and right now, business class is dark and most of us are fully laying down, with beds "made" for us by the flight crew. I am also donning very fashionable (and very comfortable, I might add) Hainan Airways pajamas. I get to keep them, along with the slippers I was given upon arrival, and my "Bvlgari" beauty kit (also for us customers).

Why do I think life will never be the same after this trip? And why am I so excited, and unable to sleep, as if I were 7 years old and going to DisneyWorld for the first time? Every turn, every nook, has another surprise and delight.

Take my seat-mate, for instance. He is a Chinese businessman (computer business), and is one of the twenty million people that can claim Beijing as home. (Yes. I said twenty million.). We had the most delightful conversation today about his family, his thoughts on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, and how his wife and daughter BOTH have completed PhDs.

He asked me so many wonderful questions too, such as:

What is the "brand name" of your and Ellen's tour? (Ellen and I had a good giggle about this later, because I posed some pretty funny names ...)

Do you have an agent? (I get asked this question, by the way, more when I am "out" of my country than when I am "in" it).

How do I get tickets to your upcoming performance? (That is very cool, actually! Our first concert is Saturday, Nov. 24th, with master classes preceding it in Beijing, so he will hopefully be able to hear our concert on Saturday with his wife!).

And my favorite:

Are you still moved by music? Do you still tear up by it, at its timelessness, and what it says about the human experience?

I am posting some pictures of the food served in business class. The food would not stop coming. And the menu ... oh my goodness! I had my first Chinese Chardonnay (great!) and also, I have decided that I will taste a little of everything that is put in front of me. My first experiment with this was "Chinese Chile Sauce." I only had a little bit, and it was delicious. It also lived up to the "heat" which the package promised.

I will sign-off in saying that my seat-mate informed me that "I had the best job in the world."

I definitely agree.