More Planes....a Train, Automobiles, Vans, Pedicabs...even a Boat!

We made it to Zhanjiang today and it was no easy task. Deborah, Cat, Mia and I took off from the rest of the group, flew from Chengdu via Guangzhou and on to Zhanjiang. The challenge was we were on two different airlines and had to pick up bags in Guangzhou and recheck them. There were 2 hours between flights so we figured we had plenty of time. Well, flight was late and China Southern is in different terminal from China Air! Now I pride myself in being a seasoned traveler and have done a bit of international travel, however with few English speaking people and poorly signed airport, we barely made the connection. Deb's bags were over the weight limit, so that was a hiccup and while checking in, we were literally mobbed by Chinese people trying to cut in front of us. I had to let my assertive/aggressive side come out and just cut right back and fortunately the ticket counter clerk did not let them get their way! The weight limit in country for a bag is 20 kg's and both of mine were right at 19.8 and 19.6, so I lucked out big time!!!! Girls were starving and begging for us to get them food, but we were so afraid of missing flight we didn't dare. We got on plane 5 minutes before it was to take off, then of course it sat there for 30 minutes before pulling away from gate.

After breathing our huge sigh of relief when it finally took off, we had been in the air about 10 minutes (for our 50 minute flight) when they came on and told us twice to be sure and stay seated with seat belts fastened. I figured that wasn't a good sign. Sure enough, we hit probably the worst turbulence I have ever felt on an airplane. Again, I have flown a lot and it takes a pretty rough flight for me to truly be afraid, but I grabbed Deb's leg and took a pretty good hunk out of it! I immediately looked over at Mia and Cat, who were sitting across the aisle and Mia was looking at me to see if things were OK and I just said "that's why they told us to stay seated and keep seat belts on, it's just turbulence"....but I was still seeing the last part of my life flash before my eyes.....Fortunately the bumpy ride was very brief and it was smooth sailing from there.



We arrived in Zhanjiang after 6 airplanes, 1 train, a boat, 3 vans, a pedicab and countless shuttles. Zhanjiang is known as the "pearl of the south" and is a very nice resort town. It was once ruled by France and is the shortest route from China to Europe. The hotel is very nice and apparently hosts very wealthy Chinese businessmen. The rooms are modest, but there are "villas" on the property that are supposedly very upscale. There is a gorgeous Spa and Pool, which has a Hot Springs. We will be here a total of three nights, so I plan to get another massage, but will better communicate my preferred level of pressure this time.

Tomorrow we go to Gaozhou and we will visit each girl's "finding site", which is a nicer way of saying where they were "abandoned". We will also go to the current welfare institute (orphanage) and hopefully get to visit. It is not the one Mia and Cat stayed when they were babies, but I would like Mia to at least see the current one and we will ask for their "files", which they are supposed to keep, but we do not have high hopes they will still have them since they moved. And even if they do, there is no guarantee there will be a lot of information in the file. Sometimes there is a "finding ad" that is posted when a baby is found and if a note was left (which they often are), a copy or the original note is kept in the file. I would be thrilled to have either one of those, but again, I am not getting my hopes up. I am going to ask to drive by the old welfare institute so Mia can look at it and we can get pictures. I honestly don't know if it will mean anything to her, but we will at least see it and maybe in the future it will.


We will also tour the city and look around and just see the sites of Gaozhou. Today was a long day, but it ended well with the girls having a fun time in the pool. It is a little more challenging as not as many people speak English and we only have our guide during the day. Ordering dinner was lots of pointing at our little dictionary and even drawing. It was pretty funny. But the hotel staff is so nice. I have yet to see another white person though! Not normal to feel like the minority, but probably good to know what it's like for Mia :). Until next time.....m & M (Mia saw me signing something else and said "why don't you ever put me first?"...so...).

Panda Hugs!

This tour is call "Panda Hugs" and I didn't really know what that meant. As you can see from one of the photos, we actually got to have our photo taken with a real, live baby Panda! It almost looks like a stuffed animal, but he really and truly is alive. They kept feeding him honey and fruit to keep him happy during the photo shoots, but he was sooooooooooo cute. He is a few months old and was very calm. We had to wear a plastic glove on the hand in contact with him and were told not to touch the face, back or stomach. We were also specifically told not to wear bright colors like red, royal blue, gold or orange because the Pandas do not like bright colors, but prefer pale colors. It was our lucky day because normally the photo ops are with the "teenager" Panda, which is about 6 years old and larger. She was not feeling well today and because of the good relationship our local guide has with the Reserve, they allowed us to have our photo taken with the baby :).

The entire park was beautiful and full of Pandas and did not disappoint. As promised, we saw one of the week old twin baby Pandas. It was in the incubator and did not even have fur yet! It was about 5 inches long and its eyes were still closed. We were not allowed to take photos but were literally inches away from viewing it......very special! There was also several areas of large Pandas to view, as well as a "Kindergarten" Panda play area. It had four smaller Pandas playing which were a lot of fun to watch while taking pics and video. We also saw "Red Pandas" that looked like a cross between a Racoon and a Lemur. Needless to say, the kids (and adults) thoroughly enjoyed it.

This afternoon we visited a Silk Brocade Shop, where they explained how they produce silk comforters, wall hangings and tapestries. Kind of a let down for the kids after the Panda Reserve :), but it was interesting.

This evening, we will have our last dinner as a group, then in the morning we all disperse to different areas of China to go to our daughters' orphanage cities. Mia and I will head to deep south China, along with Deborah and Cat.

We have really enjoyed getting to know the other families and Mia has already said she doesn't want to split up from the other children. We will miss being with them.

The next few days will be very different, but the truth is, the orphanage and hometown visit is our main purpose of the trip. Mia seems to have no feelings one way or another about it. I'm not sure if that will change over the next few days. More to come.....M & m

A Few More Pic's

Chengdu...Day of Rest?????

They keep saying we are going to have an "easy" day, and I guess today was much more laid back than previous days. However, it was still exhausting! We flew from Xi'an to Chengdu. We had to have our luggage out by 6:30 a.m. and at 6:25, the porter was knocking on our door! They are very strict about times here. Fortunately it was ready, I just hadn't put it out yet.

Yesterday was interesting. We saw the Terracotta Warriors, the main attraction of Xi'an. I had heard about it, but was unfamiliar with the whole story. Too much to write about it, but it is fascinating. It rained most of the day, but that was preferable to the previous days of 100+ degrees and was actually quite pleasant.

In the evening, we saw the "Tang Dynasty Show" which was a dinner theatre. The theatre was beautiful and the girls were all given traditional silk Chinese dresses to wear along with a special jade necklace, pearl bracelet and red fan. They looked so beautiful all dressed "to the teeth", as our local guide Lily called it. The show itself wasn't exactly our "cup of tea", but apparently it is a very famous and popular show. The girls got to go up on stage afterwards and have their pictures taken with some of the performers. It had been such a long day, Mia barely stayed awake for the entire performance (me too!).

After flying to Chengdu this morning, we had lunch, then had our choice of a full body massage or foot massage at the local massage school. Almost everyone chose the full body massage. Now those who know me are aware I LOVE a good massage, but this was not your basic, run-of-the-mill massage! I also like a firm massage and have a high pain threshold. BUT this woman had me in pain a few times. I had to tell her on more than one occasion to lighten it up. I know I was tense and needed my muscles relaxed, but YEEOOOOWW!!! It was Mia's first experience with a professional massage and she must have enjoyed it because she slept through most of it :).

Afterwards we went to a local park and Tea House. In Beijing and Xi'an, we certainly got our fair share of gawks and stares (Caucasians with Chinese girls and one Thai boy). But her in Chengdu, the locals are much more obvious about their fascination with us. They literally come up and gather around us and take pictures. It's more the experience we had when I was here on the adoption trip. When we went out in public with the babies in Guangzhou, oftentimes the locals would crowd around us and ask the babies names and pat them, etc. A couple of people today gave us thumbs up saying they liked us.

At the park, the kids (and one adult, me) got a traditional lollipop made with carmelized sugar. You spin a wheel and whatever sign of the Chinese zodiac it lands on, the vendor makes the lollipop right then for you. The dragon is the largest and "luckiest" one. I said I wanted to get that one and lo and behold I did!!! Our local guide said I was the first adult of any of their groups who had ever spun a dragon :). Of course, Mia begged and begged me to trade her rooster for it. It looked better than it actually tasted.

We didn't check into our hotel until almost 5. The kids swam and Mia and I ended up just ordering room service tonight and taking it easy. She fell asleep early and I won't be long behind her. We are really looking forward to tomorrow. It is the highlight of the trip for the kids. They get to literally "Hug a Panda" (the name of our tour). We are going to a Panda breeding farm where there are about 80 Pandas. The really cool thing is twins were born there just few weeks ago and we should get to see them. They are still in the incubator and pink!
We have to leave the hotel by 8 a.m. So we'll be up early. Talk to you soon!
Zai Jian!
Melinda

All Aboard....off to Xian!

First of all, a big shout out to my brother, Bill, for uploading these posts for me. As expected, I cannot access Facebook, my blog or any type of "public" website while in China. So I am e-mailing him and he is doing it for me....:)

The last few days have been non-stop!!!! Friday we got up early, had our luggage packed and ready first thing, then took off for another day of sightseeing. The highlight was Tianamen Square. It was much larger than I expected and very stark and somber. It was hard not to think of the massacre/protest that occurred in 1989. We attempted to fly kites, but were stopped just as the girls were getting their kites up in the air by the many policeman running through the square. Apparently it is a popular past time, but technically forbidden. However, people do it when they can get away with it. Poor Mia is so afraid of getting in trouble she was worried sick even though our guide kept telling them to go ahead and try and the worst thing that would happen is the police would tell them to stop. Sure enough just as Mia was getting hers up, a big police car came roaring down the square, lights blaring and with a big bull horn telling them to stop. Mia was scared to death! I think she thought they were going to be arrested. I guess it's good she has that much respect for the law, but I felt bad she was so traumatized :).

We also visited a local "Hutong", which is basically a "house/home" where several families live vs. a high rise apartment. Beijing has grown so much (13 million people) they have to build up (much like NYC), so the Hutong's are not very common now and are more valuable. We also saw a Silk Carpet Weaving demonstration and I must say, I REALLY appreciate the work, time and effort that goes into making one of those now. They are worth every penny you pay for them! The children also visited a local day center for developmentally disabled adults and spent time "playing" with some of the residents. It was a good experience and the people there make crafts to raise money. Some of them are very talented. The girls made cards and we all bought some of the jewelry and other items for souvenirs.

Then last night was the long awaited overnight train ride. We took a sleeper train from Beijing to Xi'an which took 11 hours. We stayed in a sleeper car for four. Fortunately we knew everyone in our car, which consisted of two bunk type compartments and a small table in between. There was a bathroom down the hall and we just slept, got up the next morning and went to the hotel. The kids got together for awhile and played and visited, but everyone was so exhausted from the previous few days, we crashed pretty quickly after the train left the station at 9:18 p.m.

We arrived at our hotel in Xi'an about 9 a.m., had breakfast, checked into our rooms, showered and then were off again....today was supposedly an "easy" day, but by the end of it at 5 p.m., we were all wondering what was "easy" about it? We visited an art gallery, a Muslim Mosque, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and had Xi'an Jiaozi dumplings for lunch. This is supposed to be a place that is famous for their dumplings. Unfortunately I can't eat any of them due to my celiac, so they fixed me some "special" dishes. But frankly, I am really getting tired of Chinese food. That's exactly how I felt 10 years ago. It's good, but too much of anything isn't necessarily a good thing. Even Mia said today she hates the smell of China and the food. She said "I dont' like breathing or eating here!". I had to chuckle because that pretty much spoils a lot for you. The fact is, she is enjoying herself and she loves the new friends she is making. But I do not think she has ANY desire to "return to her roots". And the fact is, we haven't even made it to the really rural area that she is from. Beijing was VERY modern and progressive. Xi'an is not as large ("only" 8 million people...considered small by China standards), but her hometown Gaozhou is considered a "rural village" of only 2-3 million.

A few things I had forgotten since last trip. The "BYOTP" rule of many public toilets...."bring your own toilet paper". They live by such a code of scarcity here that most pubic bathrooms have no TP, so you have to bring your own. You are rarely given a napkin in a restaurant and have to ask. In the hotels, they do not replenish things like towels and toiletries unless you request it. However, when we eat we are given SO much food it's ridiculous! We always have way more than we can eat. So it's very dichotomous!

Well, it's late here and we will be up bright and early tomorrow. Mia konked out long ago.....she has been doing great as far as keeping up and doing her fair share of lugging stuff and being a trooper. I am very proud of her :). Until I get a chance to write next time..... M & m

The Road Less Traveled....

Today was probably the day we were most looking forward to....climbing The Great Wall! It is one of the 7 Wonders of the World and it did not disappoint. You can go two different ways....the more crowded, less steep, "easy" path or the less crowded, steeper, more difficult one. Mia, Cat, Deborah and I decided on the latter. The wall is divided by "Watch Towers" which are little gazebo areas, where the guards were posted to watch for the enemy. We made it to four Watch Towers, which let me tell you was no small fete! And in China "less crowded" is definitely a "relative" term. The side we chose was still pretty crowded, however we could see from where we were the more popular path was literally shoulder to shoulder the whole way up and down. So I do think it was worth the extra effort to take the more difficult journey.

I was struck by how many older and less able bodied people than us were climbing the wall too. If I was tired and needed to rest, it never failed that some elderly woman or man with a cane or a limp would come speeding by me and I'd feel like a big Loser!

After yet another Chinese meal for lunch, we went to the Summer Palace (the Emperor and Dowager Epress's) home. It was very beautiful and huge, just like The Forbidden City. Each Dowager Empress (concubine) had her own little pagoda/house and she would reside there just waiting to be called by the Emporer for the pleasure of his company. Doesn't sound like a very exciting life, but a lot of ladies apparently signed up for it quite willingly :).

Tonight we got to see a wonderful acrobatic show. Tomorrow we will go to Tianeman Square to fly kites and to see some local craft making. And tomorrow night is the all night sleeper train ride to Xian. This is something Mia is most excited about. Not sure how I feel about it, but I am trying to see it as an adventure! The cabin sleeps 4, so we'll be with Deborah and Cat.

Off to bed.....We have to have our bags packed in the morning before we leave and I haven't even started on that!
M & m
Melinda

This Picture goes with yesterday's post

We Made It!!!!

After about 24 hours of travel, Mia and I finally arrived!!!! We had a 4 hour delay in Chicago, on top of the 5 hour layover! We were pretty road/air weary once we arrived in Beijing. Mia did sleep most of the flight, which I'm not sure was a good thing or bad thing, since she only slept 3 hours last night! I slept off and on. The "Economy" seats were not nearly as nice as the "Premiere Economy" ones I had on my first trip over to adopt Mia. NO leg room....it felt like the person in front of me was in my lap when she was in reclining position! Once we arrived, we were whisked away by our guide to the hotel and had to immediately go to an Orientation Dinner....no shower, no changing clothes, no nothing. We were 30 minutes late and they are very concerned with staying "on time". We met the other families and it was very nice to finally put names to faces of many people we have been communicating with via e-mail. Mia was particularly excited to meet "Cat". Mia and Catherine were at the Gaozhou Social Welfare Institute and adopted at the same time and are the same age. Her mother, Deborah, and I have kept in touch off and on since then and we saw them a few years ago when our group met for a fifth reunion. Mia and Cat had been e-mailing one another. They met and became fast friends as though they had known each other for years.

After the dinner, we came back to our room and tried to get somewhat organized. Mia fell right to sleep around 9:15 p.m. However, she woke up at midnight and never went back to sleep. I did manage to sleep all night, other than when Mia was pestering me to say she was "bored" and "not able to go back to sleep". I just kept telling her she could read or play her DS Lite. Somehow she made it through the day with only a short nap on the bus.

This morning we went to the "Temple of Heaven", a holy place for the Emporer to visit. This afternoon we saw "The Forbidden City". That was very spectacular, but entailed a LOT of walking. As we expected it is very hot, humid and smoggy here. But we did fine overall. Tonight we had dinner at a local Chinese restaurant and it was very good. Mia and most of the kids are swimming in the hotel pool now (always the highlight of staying at a hotel). They are so cute in their little caps. The hotel requires they wear these.

In one picture are all the kids from the five families in front of the "Temple of Heaven". The girl to the right of Mia is Cat. There are 17 total in our group, which is a good size. There are five girls age 10 1/2 to 12 1/2 and they are all getting along very well.

So far, other than fighting the jet lag, we are really enjoying it. Tomorrow is The Great Wall! M & m

Melinda

All our bags are packs....not quite ready to go....

It's about 10:15 p.m. and we're pretty well packed. Cab is coming at 4 a.m. Mia is actually asleep. She reeeaaaaally wanted to stay up all night and I reeeeaaaaallly told her "not gonna happen". We'll still be zombies in the morning, but hopefully that will mean we can snooze our way to Bejing on the 13 1/2 hour flight over. It's off to Chicago in the morning, then a nice 4 hour layover there, then we pull out at almost 1 p.m. We arrive Bejing time at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, which I believe is roughly that time AM in Tulsa. We then go to our first banquet at 6 p.m. and meet the rest of our group. Many people went a day or two early, but I didn't want to take any more time off than I had to, and knew I'd need the weekend to pack, organize, etc. So.....I think we're ready.

Mia is SUPER excited! She has been very hyped up all weekend and keeps saying "I love you, Mommy", which is her way telling me "thank you" and she's excited. It's starting to hit me that this is going to be exciting and emotional all at the same time. Being at one of the same hotels when I met her over 10 years ago, seeing her "hometown" for the first time....will bring up a lot of emotions. I said to her today, "you know I may get emotional at times on this trip?" and she just said "yeah, I know". I've kinda put my feelings on a shelf about it, but making copies of all her adoption paperwork (which they asked us to do for the orphanage visit) stirred everything up for me. Anyway......this is definitely a much less stressful trip and I can't wait to see so much of China I missed on the first trip! Hopefully I'll get to post pictures along the way......M & m

A little over 24 hours.....

I'm just setting this up and hoping I have the opportunity to actually use it while I'm there. We've been told access to the internet is inconsistent.

The last couple of days have been a blur trying to get ready. As usual it's almost the day before and I haven't even begun to pack....(Diana will appreciate that :-D). But I have a lot of it laid out! The house looks like a tornado ripped through it. Tomorrow will be pack/organize day. I've been doing laundry and running errands and finishing up work stuff all day. Dogs to the vet tomorrow, Cupcake (hamster) to Dory's tomorrow. Oh, we had a semi-emergency tonight with her. We got home late and Mia came out of her bedroom crying, "she got out, Mommy, she climbed up and pushed up her lid and she's GONE!!!!". I knew exactly what and who she meant. I said "well, don't panic" (but inside I was terrified we were going to find a little hamster carcass somewhere). Even though we keep Mia's door closed I figured Cupcake could have escaped underneath and she would've been a good snack or play thing for our other pets. But she was safe and sound sitting over by the window. Crisis averted! We put her back in her cage and piled a couple of heavy items on top.

Tomorrow will be packing, organizing paperwork, passports, cash, etc. I've read the massive amounts of reading material and directions they've sent and hopefully I have everything covered. I keep telling myself it's like when I went on the adoption trip...China isn't another planet, it's just another country. As long as we have our passport, visa's, etc....if we forget anything else, we can get it there.

This trip does feel a whole lot less stressful and a lot more fun that THAT trip! I'm really looking forward to it!!!! More to come.......M & m