The End of the Line

**Still trying to get caught up on blog posts and pictures here.  I know the blog went all crazy out of order with the MBHOH post not actually publishing for almost a week after it was sent. Weird. Anyway, as you all know (I think), we are home, and settling in slowly to the new "normal."  I began writing the following post during a layover in Chicago on our way home.  I will finish it up now and get crackin on that photo album!**

I haven't written much of anything about our adventures since the MBHOH trip. Things did get a little busier after the kiddos joined us. Plus, we weren't getting very good sleep at night. So, sitting at the computer to update you all took more energy than I could muster. So, I shall now attempt to summarize the whole second half of the trip as we wait in Chicago for our last flight home. (Yay! Home!)
Guangzhou was much different from Beijing and Zhengzhou. Part of that is due to where we were staying, and partly to the weather. Guangzhou is a lot closer to T'ville in climate. So, it was really comfortable outside and we spent a lot of time outdoors, which was lovely!
We stayed at the White Swan hotel, which is on Shamian Island. The island is a really pretty little resort-y area.

You can wander the streets and shop and shop. The streets are clean. The area is calm and secure. I really enjoyed it.

 

Lots of colonial Dutch and British-style buildings, people taking wedding pictures and magazine shoots all over the place every day, and limitless little souvenir shops offering "good quality, hand crafted, one of a kind items. I make good price special just for you!"
Everyone I know who had been to the White Swan made a huge deal about how nice it is. There were several things about it which left me less than impressed, but I did appreciate that it was clean, it didn't smell like cigarettes, it was very kid-friendly, even though it was very fancy-pants, the playroom was great, and breakfast was good.
We were in Guangzhou because that's where the US Consulate is, and we needed to go through there to get Asher's visa to enter the US (since he was still traveling on a Chinese passport).
We flew in Friday evening, and were greeted by Grace, our delightfully sweet and enthusiastic CCAI rep in Guangzhou. Saturday morning, we walked over to the clinic for the babies' medical examinations (required by consulate). It was crowded and chaotic, but Amazing Grace managed to skip us through a line or two, which drastically decreased our wait time. After that, we met up with Paul, Robin, and Lily for lunch at Lucy's, an American-style diner where we ate most of our meals on the island.

Paul & Robin 

Relatively inexpensive, decent food, good variety, and plenty of high chairs. Two thumbs up!

All tired out after our morning check-ups!

After lunch, we wandered the island, peeking into shops and taking pictures of everything and everyone. I was so nice to be outside... without hats, scarves, and big winter coats!
We checked out the hotel's playroom and koi pond before dinner, which was at the Cow and Bridge, a Thai restaurant. We went with basically our whole group, and so did several other large groups of adoptive fams. So, the restaurant was loud and crowded and chaotic. The food wasn't terrible, but we didn't visit there again.

The next day was Sunday, and we joined the group in a tour of some Guangzhou sites.  We visited the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees, a Bhuddist temple built in 537 A.D. 

 

It was very interesting to see, but also left me with a sadness for the people there and a headache from the abundance of incense burning everywhere. 

Next up, we visited the Chen Family House, also known as the Chen Clan Academy, and the Guangzhou Museum of Folk Art. 

 

Basically, it's a huge, ancient house that the Chen family  used to live in.  It also supplied classrooms and boarding for Chen family members from all over the country to come and study for the Emperor's exams, which you had to pass in order to gain social standing and have a life of something other than peasantry.  The government took the house over and now it is a museum.  There are all kinds of folk art exhibits inside, which showcase crafts Guangzhou is noted for, such as porcelain painting, ivory carving, embroidery, and calligraphy.  They had an artisan in each exhibit as well.  So, you could watch them actually working on these pieces of art.  The house itself was ornately carved and decorated.  It was nice to wander through it, enjoying the comfortable weather, and seeing all the pieces of artwork.  After the Chen House, we were taken to a store for "reliably good quality" souvenir shopping.  Maybe we aren't that good at telling the junk from the good stuff, but I didn't think the things offered in this shop were much better than the little souvenirs on the Island, and the prices were much higher.  So, we didn't buy anything there.

We had a late lunch with Paul, Robin, and Lily, ordering Papa John's to the hotel, and shopped around Shamian Island for souvenirs again all afternoon.  I really enjoyed the wandering outside.  Asher either flirted with all the shop attendants, who were VERY, overly attentive, or slept in his stroller.

Sunday was supposed to be the closing of the Asian Para Games, and that was the night we went to watch the boat "parade" mentioned in a previous post.

Monday, December 20th, was our consulate appointment.  It was in the afternoon.  So, we spent the morning following Keith, one of the fathers who was in our group, off the Island to a fish market nearby.  Keith and his wife, Cheryl, run a foster care facility in Beijing called Agape Family Life House.  They were in our group because they officially adopted one of the little girls from their foster care.  Since they actually live in China, it was very handy to have Keith around for translation purposes. 

The Fish Market was really interesting because it was definitely not a CCAI pre-approved location.  It was real China.  Real people, REALLY fresh seafood, and we were watching real lives happen... and they were watching us! 

 

We were stared at everywhere we went, but it got borderline creepy here.  At one point, a very stern police officer asked a few of us "Why are you here? Where are you from?" but once they replied "the USA," the officer just cracked a smile and said "Beautiful country! Look around and enjoy your day!"  It was funny!  I still expected, however, that if we hung around too long, we would somehow end up blindfolded in the back of a truck... don't know why... too many movies about villians with Chinese mafia connections? I don't know.  The only tense moment was when I tried to take a picture of a man hacking apart a gator, and he motioned emphatically that he didn't want me taking pictures.  I managed to get through the whole market without getting covered in fishy water, but some weren't so lucky!  It was neat to see something other than what the itinerary meant for us to see.

After lunch (probably at Lucy's again... we seriously ate there for five meals in a row, not including breakfast, which was at the hotel), and some playtime in the White Swan's playroom, we loaded up the bus to head to the consulate.  We weren't allowed to take cameras into the consulate, but you wouldn't be missing a whole lot there anyway.  It was a government office.  Grey walls.  Large waiting room.  The end.  We waited, along with probably 30 other families, for the consulate lady to come out.  Then, she told us a little about what we needed to do, paperwork-wise, which we pretty much already knew, and then we had to stand up and, as a group, basically swear that the info we had provided was true.  Then we left.  Everyone congratulated each other.  I apparently missed out on understanding the excitement of that moment. All we were doing, as far as I could tell, was saying that we didn't lie on applications we had already submitted over a month before, and then leave to wait two more days for Asher's visa to enter the USA.  He was already legally ours anyway.  This was just another step, but at least it was done. 

Dinner that night... probably at Lucy's. I can't remember (the memory is fading already... yikes!) Nothing eventful must have happened because I didn't take any pictures.  We probably just shopped more.  I should also clarify that by "shopped" what I really mean is that we kept going in the stores, looking at things, getting ideas of what prices they were asking and what we were willing to pay, and then leaving without actually buiyng anything.  We did this for days before actually making any purchases.  We didn't want to get ripped off (which we probably did to some extent anyway... we are tourists, after all) and we also didn't want to leave with a suitcase full of junk we got just because we were there and it was in front of us.  It was fun to see all the wacky souvenir items though. 

Tuesday morning, we went with Grace to the Pearl Market.  Now, I had heard wonders about the Beijing Pearl Market and how you could get oodles of real pearls for absurdly low prices.  So, I was excited about this shopping trip.  However, it wasn't the same here.  Firstly, it was gigantic and really overwhelming.  I didn't know where to go.  Just store after store, most of which seemed to sell nothing more than cheap beads, but some had the real stuff.  For those in Miami, think the Radisson Mart, on steriods, multiplied times 100. 

Crazy big.  Secondly, as I mentioned, it wasn't just pearls.  When we were in Beijing at the Silk Factory/Market, it was all silk.  The Jade Factory was all Jade.  I was expecting the Pearl Market to be at least mostly... well... pearls.  However, there were tons of shops that didn't have any pearls.  Just beads and other jewelry.  Just added to the sensory overload aspect.  Finally, Cheryl just kept saying how overpriced the real pearl items were, in comparison to Beijing.  It was tough because even though I knew the items were still cheaper than they would be in the States, there was no bargaining with the shopkeepers here, and it's hard not to feel foolish for buying when someone over your shoulder tells you what a better deal you could get elsewhere. However, there was no going back to Beijing at this point.  So, we bought a pearl pendant for our moms, and decided to forego any other Pearl Market purchases in favor of more stuff on the Island.  But the moms were the ones I had planned pearls for anyway.  So, I guess it was a success. 

Lunch at Lucy's again with the usual group, this time in the outdoor seating, where we watched a huge group of people play "hackey sack."  Their hackey sack looks more like a large badminton shuttle cock with big, brightly colored feathers.  Fish & chips for me, more chicken congee for the kids.  Happy tummies.

After lunch, we walked over to the playground and let Asher & Lily run around for a while.  Asher had a blast. 

Lily... it depended on the moment, but I got some really cute, smiley pictures that would prove that she did enjoy herself there at least momentarily!

After lunch, we started shopping in earnest for those who we still had to buy stuff.  We went back to the stores we had visited several times already, and they all recognized us by this point, but we had a plan of action, knew what we wanted, and how much we were willing to pay for it.  So, I think we did a pretty good job. 

Wednesday was our last day in Guangzhou.  We finished up shopping in the morning, finished up packing once all items were acquired, and then got Asher dressed up in his outfit from the Silk Market for the Red Couch pictures. 

It's a tradition for families staying at the White Swan to take pictures on the Red Couch while there.  First, each family took a picture on the couch.  Then, we tried for the traditional shot of all the newly adopted kids in our travel group together on the couch.  You can imagine how well that picture always turns out!

 

 Finally, we took a group picture with the whole trave group (minus one family who was sick) in front of the waterfall.  At that point, Grace left to pick up the kids' passports with US visas from the consulate, and we finished packing because as soon as Grace returned, it would be time for us to leave.  We ordered one last Papa John's pizza with Paul & Robin for lunch, and said our official goodbyes.  It was sad to say good-bye... kind of like leaving camp or something, but we were glad to be headed home to our family and our own bed!  We just had a LOT of travel ahead.

Once Grace did return, we got the passports, took one last picture, and said goodbye, boarding a van driven by a crazy man to Hong Kong.  Seriously, this guy probably got his license playing Mario Kart or something.  The Blackburns were in another van, and the drivers were given specific instructions to make every effort to stay together.  If one van stopped, the other was to stop and wait.  But in the first 30 minutes of the drive, when both vans pulled over to gas up, the instructions went out the window, and our guy decided that he was going to win the race.  Remember that traffic signals and rules of the road in China are just suggestions, and then think of us, not wearing seatbelts, Asher in our laps, barrelling down the highway, often on the shoulder of the road (which our driver liked to use as his own lane) at breakneck speeds.  The highest we saw his spedometer was in excess of 96 mph.  Seriously.  We were THRILLED to pull into the Sky City Marriot in Hong Kong if for no other reason than to get out of that van!  We beat the Blackburns by a good solid 15 minutes. Go Team!

By the time the Blackburns arrived and we all got our room keys and luggage, it was way too late, and we were way too hungry.  We had no idea where to eat or how to get there, and so chose to surrender and eat at the hotel's bistro.  Let's just say that, typically, if we spend that much on a meal, it's a VERY special occasion!  But I got Pad Thai and it was better than the one I had at the Cow & Bridge in Guangzhou.  So, at least I enjoyed my dinner.  I could've probably just as happily skipped it at that point, in favor of a Cliff bar and bed.

We slept that one night in Hong Kong, and then left for the airport at 8:30 in the morning.  What followed was a painful amount of hours to travel home.  This post is already a book by itself.  So, I won't give you all the travel details, but just think for yourself about how fun it would be to fly 14 hours with a toddler who chose to make this his fussiest day so far, and who refused to go to daddy at all.  The Blackburns had issues checking in.  My diaper bag (brand new "handmade" from Guangzhou) handles broke off.  Airport security is never fun.  14 hour flight.  Detained at immigration in Chicago for reasons unknown.  Through the security line again.  Josh is informed that he is not allowed to carry on the snowglobes he purchased in Beijing, even though he had already been allowed to carry them on to three other flights, and he had to go back out to the United counter, convince them to give him a box to pack them in and check it without charging us, and go through security AGAIN without them, while I waited on the other side with all the other bags and one severely stinky boy with a poopy diaper.  Airports are fun. The end.

After all that, we made it home, completely exhausted and depleted.  We were so glad to be in our own beds!  I didn't get much sleep in it for the first several days, but that is another story for another post, and at least I was in MY bed... not a ping pong table with a sheet on top! ;)

All in all, China was great!  I really enjoyed the trip.  I didn't enjoy the internet issues or the cigarette smell, but I am so thankful we got to go, and obviously so thankful that Asher is finally home with us!  We saw and experienced so much, and have made friends for life!  Who knows when God will lead us back there? Maybe not until the kids are older, when we plan to take a heritage tour, but maybe before then...  we'll see...