First Airplane Ride, Out of Commission, etc. March 5, 2008

February 25, 2008

Day 12 – Third Day in Guangzhou
First Airplane Ride, Out of Commission, Pearl Market, Buddhist Temple, Chien Jia Ci, et al

Greetings from China’s capital city of Guangzhou! Seems like it’s been quite a while since my last chronicle entry. Sorry about that.

Let’s bring you up to date on our activities since Thursday’s venture down the Walking Street and the fireworks celebration.

Friday was a very busy day. It was filled with breakfast, baths, packing, lunch, a bus ride to the airport and then…can I get a drum roll please?…the girls’ first airplane ride.

The flight from Nanchang to Guangzhou was only two hours, but for those flying sans babies, it must have felt like at least four. Imagine being captive with who knows how many babies most of whom are crying at various decibels, tones and lengths of time because their ears hurt? Not a pleasing sound and we had two of the babies.

Ours, thankfully, were not among the crying. Bottles during takeoff and snacks during the last hour seemed to have done the trick. Grace was beginning to get a bit squirmy before landing. Other than that, they were awesome!

An hour bus ride later, we arrived at the Victory Hotel, our home til Wednesday morning. We checked in and carried the now tired, hungry and cranky girls upstairs – to our Japanese style suite. How odd is that? Japanese room in China?

It’s gorgeous, but not exactly baby convenient. The bed is a mattress set directly on the floor…not exactly conducive to using as a diaper changing area even though it is a touch easier on the old knees than using the floor.

So we unpacked a bit, ordered room service – American style sandwiches and French fries for the adults, fried rice for the girls. We ate and promptly crashed. Thus, no chronicle Friday night.

No chronicle the next day either because something I ate didn’t settle well with my system – I’m blaming it on eating Chinese-style American food, aka the turkey sandwich – and, well…let’s just say that it wasn’t pretty, you don’t want the details and I ended up sleeping for 36 hours which is why there was no chronicle entry for Saturday either.

The irony of the whole situation is that I’d promised John all sorts of ill treatment if he succumbed to his culinary adventurous side and ate food from one of the street vendors only to end up sick and leaving me caring for two girls on my own in China. Thankfully, he handled it much better than I probably would have.

By all reports, John was Super Dad. He joined our group for a visit to the American Consulate doctor who gave each girl a medical exam and pronounced them healthy. He fed them. He changed their stinky diapers. He amused them. He took them for walks. All the stuff Super Dads are known to do.

When I could finally stay awake for more than five minutes Saturday night, he asked for a reprieve and went for beer at Lucy’s, which is local establishment that caters to all of the Americans adopting here. The menu includes hamburgers, French fries, onion rings, wrap sandwiches, etc. in addition to a few Chinese dishes. It’s just like any other not-so-good-touristy-restaurant that everyone eats at because it’s close to the hotel.

Upon my awaking Sunday morning, John very strongly declared that our first purchase back in CT will be a playpen. The girls were reaching for everything. Each wants to stand. Forget crawling, they’re skipping that stage and will be running next week.

I’ve apologized profusely for getting sick, but am also glad he got a taste of what my days will be once he returns to work. If memory serves me correctly, I mentioned a playpen several times before the journey began and he kept asking if it was really necessary. Can I get “Yea-yus!” from the congregation, please?

Sunday included visits to a Buddhist Temple and the Chien Jia Ci which was a private temple for the Chien (pronounced chin) Family. Both were lovely, but the Buddhist Temple was my favorite.

Being that I’m finishing this entry Monday night, I totally forget what else we did on Sunday. Today’s events are too fresh at the moment. So enjoy the photos while the next entry is begun.

Jennifer

First Airplane Ride

First Night in Guangzhou

Buddhist Temple

Buddha Statues

John and our guide, Michael

Another view of the temple grounds

Flower Sculpture

Chien Jia Ci

Chien Jia Ci Roof

Ellie peeking over the railing

Fireworks and the Walking Street March 3, 2008

February 21, 2008

Day 8 – Still in Nanchang
The Walking Street, Fireworks

The night is filled with a cacophony of sounds – a baby crying nearby, vehicles on the road below, music faintly heard playing in the hallway, the tone of the elevator doors opening onto our floor, car horns, alarms and fireworks.

Tonight is the last night of the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival. From our vantage point on the 16th floor, we have been enjoying the spectacle for nearly 3 hours now as fireworks explode into the night sky from at least 6 locations – including right outside our window – that we can see and numerous others that are just out of sight, but close enough to hear.

I LOVE FIREWORKS!!! While ooh and aah are not my preferred vocabulary to describe their splendor, it can be said that on occasion my eyes have opened to their widest while my jaws have slackened in wonder and various monosyllable words have escaped.

Tonight, I must admit to experiencing a moment of such pure glee that it was exhibited by my jumping up and down while smiling from ear to ear when the first fireworks went off just above our heads and so close that it seemed all we had to do was stretch a bit to touch a piece of magic. Of course, it would have been necessary to open the window and hope we could fly, but on a night like this, it seems quite possible.

If every city in China is celebrating the end of the Spring Festival as Nanchang is, the view from outer space must be fantastical…as it is here in our room 16 floors up. The Chinese certainly know how to celebrate. And Oh! What a celebration it is!!!

Fireworks lighting the sky seem a wonderful way to celebrate the adoption of Ellie and Grace as well as a fitting end to a rather interesting and amusing day. We took the girls for a stroll.

And just what is so interesting about that? Keep in mind that we’re in China and just adopted twins in a country with a low birth rate for twins. Add that we’re Caucasian, that John is 6 feet tall with hair on his face and, well…let’s just say that we received a good bit of attention.

There’s a street a couple blocks from the hotel that is nicknamed “The Walking Street”. It’s closed to vehicles other than for deliveries and has the air of an outdoor shopping mall. The stores vary in size from your standard retail shop to narrow little passages filled to overflowing with merchandise.

The promenade was very wide and filled with pedestrians. Benches were available for resting or people watching. One set of seats was occupied by a group of knitters who sat happily knitting away.

Old and young alike were out today. Teenagers here with their trendy clothes and haircuts are no different than their counterparts in the States. Young Chinese boys enjoy playing with toys guns too. One in particular enjoyed pointing his little pistol in our direction so we’d fire back.

Everyone was friendly. Most were curious enough when they noticed the girls to walk right up to us and them and look. If we paused, a crowd would begin to gather. Once when I’d stopped to take a photograph, John kept walking but slowed for me to catch up. Within seconds, a gray haired woman and her granddaughter stopped to view the girls. I snapped a photo. In the time that it took the camera to reset, a crowd had gathered. I snapped another photo.

People chatted away in Chinese while we nodded and smiled. Many touched the girls’ hands to ensure that they were warm enough. Many gave us the universal okay signs of the circle made with the thumb and forefinger and the ever poplar, thumbs up.

We’d walk a bit and then someone would amble over. Two little girls of 10 or so followed for a while. Many brought their own little ones over to say hello. We oohed and aahed over their babies as they did over ours.

One grandmother even took off her grandson’s puffy parka after reaching out to touch Grace’s hand, move her puffy, yet unzipped coat aside to view the light jacket, t-shirt, jeans and socks we’d dressed her in, touch Grace’s hand again, turn to me and touch the lapel of my jacket, gesture to the neck of my top, then turn to her own daughter and say something which I can only surmise was chastising the mother for dressing her son so warmly when Grace & I weren’t overburdened with winter wear and were perfectly warm.

Beneath the boy’s puffy parka was a very heavy wool sweater. From the broad smile that followed its removal, it’s a safe bet to say he was happy to be rid of it…especially since the temperature had to be near 60!

The best was when I stopped to look at a raincoat displayed in a store window and decided to go in to try it on. I did so – leaving John and the girls outside. Needless to say, quite a crowd had gathered during the short time I was in the store. While John is visible in the photo, the girls aren’t. They’re there – surrounded by a circle of friendly, curious, forward onlookers. What a sight!

So…you can see why fireworks, which have now being going off for at least 6 hours though not as regularly or in as full force, were the perfect way to end this already memorable day.

Tomorrow we leave Nanchang for Guangzhou. It is a 2 hr flight…with our two adopted babies and countless others. Should prove to be another memorable day. Stay tuned. Same Bat-time. Same Bat-channel.

Jennifer

Babies, Nanchang March 2, 2008

February 20, 2008

Day 7 – Still in Nanchang
Nanchang Street Scenes

Anybody got a spare rocking chair? Preferably the old fashioned kind with the long rockers? Seems Ellie’s nanny must have rocked her to sleep. For the past 2 nights, even after taking a bottle and nodding off while slurping away, she was bright eyed once the bottle ran dry. Tired and cranky, but still relatively full of energy, the only way I could get her to fall asleep was to rock her.

Rocking for any period of time, I’ve recently discovered, isn’t all that easy sans the appropriately named chair. Hence the inquiry. Actually, after finally being able to put Ellie in the crib tonight…which was after rocking her for…oh…10-15 minutes, I told John we’re buying a rocking chair once we get home. Just need to find the right one.

Grace, on the other hand, went down easier. That’s not to say she went without a good fight, but John managed it by talking to her and letting her hold his finger. Even though Grace & I had some quality mother/daughter time today, John is still her person.

If we’d only thought to ask the nannies about naps, the bedtime procedure and the true bedtime, we might have saved ourselves a bit of…well, misery. The info provided by the orphanage said the girls are up at 6:30 am and go to bed at 7:30 pm. Uh-huh. I don’t think so. Absolutely no way those girls were asleep before 9 pm. In bed at 7:30 maybe, but certainly not asleep. So…we’re adjusting.

And speaking of adjusting, thanks to tips from my brother regarding bath time, it was somewhat easier this morning. No screaming banshees. We ran a bit of water in the big tub as advised and splashed a bit – John with Grace and me with Ellie. Grace was fantastic. Ellie wasn’t. She whimpered and shed a tear or two and couldn’t wait to get out while Grace splashed and played. No fair.

Well, sorta fair. John was on the receiving end of the whole bonding thing this afternoon. The dads in our group ventured out to the grocery this afternoon. While John was gone, the girls had 2 bottles each and then played on the bed. Grace only emitted a whimper or two (remember, she & I had some quality time together earlier so, at that point in time at least, I was no longer the big bad mom) when John left.

However, upon John’s return and my going out for a photography walk, Ellie decided to cry the whole time I was gone. I returned to find John looking a slight bit….hmmm…can guys look frazzled or is that strictly a feminine term? Anyway, that’s how he looked. Seems he’d tried everything to console Ellie, but she was having none of it. I walk back into the room, pick her up and voila! no more tears.

Sound familiar? It’s exactly how Grace had been doing any time John left her sight…even to walk into the next room. We’re talking full volume bellow, red face, tears. Simply lovely. NOT!

Enough of babies. We’re in China during the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival. Fireworks are set off in various places each night. We could hear them while in Beijing, but not see them. In Nanchang, they are set off across the river from our hotel numerous times each night. In fact, some are going off now.

Many of the hotels and restaurants have red lanterns with long gold fringe hanging in front of the establishment as a sign of the new year and good wishes.

On my walk today, a bus stopped not too far ahead of me and women dressed in red began disembarking. They were carrying a paper or silk dragon. As I neared and gestured for permission to photograph closer, several nodded ok while others said, “Festival, festival.” It was such an odd and unexpected, yet amazing sight.

Nanchang residents live in apartments. If memory serves correctly, our guide said that people have washers here, but no dryers so the laundry is hung outside to dry. Even on a busy street, if one looks up, chances are laundry will be drying.

Hmmm…..what else? Oh! The local grocery is a veritable sensory feast. I’m hoping to get photos tomorrow. You just have to see it.

That’s all for tonight. It’s late. Tomorrow is our last day in Nanchang and we’re hoping to get out and explore on our own for a bit. Wish us luck.

Jennifer

3:30am Wake-up Call; Tengwang Pavilion March 2, 2008

February 19, 2008

Day 6 – Still in Nanchang
3:30 am wake up, Tengwang Pavilion

Yes, Tuesday started early. Ellie (Elizabeth) awoke crying at 3:30 this morning. Even after a diaper change and a bottle, she continued to cry. Of course, her crying woke Grace who decided she was hungry too and should shed a few empathetic tears.

Ellie was inconsolable. Nothing I did would quiet her or stop the tears. She kept nodding/butting her forehead against my face or chest. This was something her nanny had kept doing with her yesterday at the office of adoptions. The nanny would gently butt her forehead against Ellie’s and then sort of shake her forehead back and forth. Ellie seemed to enjoy it so when she started head butting me, I knew what it meant and what she wanted and repeated the nanny’s actions.

Didn’t work. John took over after a while and I took Grace into the living room in hopes she’d fall back to sleep. For an extra $20 US dollars per night, we got a suite complete with a kitchenette, living room/dining combo and hall bath. Best decision re: the trip we made so far.

Ellie continued to cry. After running thru the inventory of possible things that could be wrong, we decided that she just needed to cry it out. What I didn’t realize was that she’d begun crying out “Ya-Ya” which John said is the word for nanny. Ellie simply wanted her nanny, or in her short life until yesterday morning, the only mother she’d ever known.

I’m not sure which of us cried the most after that. It was bound to happen sooner or later, but it was excruciatingly heart wrenching. Never felt so damn helpless.

John was finally able to put Ellie in her crib without waking her somewhere near 5 am. Grace had fallen asleep with her head on my shoulder, but every time I attempted to lay her in her crib, she woke and started to cry. In the hopes of not re-awaking Ellie, I finally piled the pillows up on the bed and crawled in still holding Grace.

At one point, I heard Ellie wake and let out a cry or two. Grace woke, pushed herself up off my chest, turned her head in Ellie’s direction and babbled something. Then she lay back down. Whatever Grace said to her sister worked because they both immediately fell back to sleep.

It was 8:30-ish before we all awoke again. The day went well for the most part. Grace is very attached to John and cries like a banshee any time he gets out of her sight. His first day back to work is gonna be loads of fun if she doesn’t bond with me before.

Seems none of the babies in our group had such a lovely day today once we compared notes. Guess they’re starting to realize that Sunday’s overnight visit with the new people had been extended indefinitely.

The day wasn’t a total crying fest though. We walked up the street to Tengwang Pavilion and it’s lovely gardens. Even went out for dinner. Grace and Ellie are awesome eaters. They’ll eat congee, steamed eggs, rice, broccoli, watermelon, even Gerber’s carrots. Scarfed those down in no time as an afternoon snack.

Tomorrow morning brings a visit to a porcelain shop possibly followed by a trip to a museum…historical, not art. Personally, I’d be happy to skip the museum in order to go walking on the streets near our hotel. We’ll see how it goes.

Enjoy the photos and keep your fingers crossed that both girls sleep all night.

Jennifer

Adoption Day–In Nanchang Now March 2, 2008

February 18, 2008

Day 5 – In Nanchang Now
Adoption Day

John & I officially became parents today.

Last night we were granted overnight guardianship, but after a visit to the office that handles adoptions, the office that notarizes documents and the police station where we were thumbprinted, interviewed, photographed with the girls, received gifts from the officials and gave gifts in turn, the adoption became official. Break out the champagne!

Yep, we’re parents. I’ve discovered that I even have an inkling of a maternal instinct. Who knew? Still have lots to learn…like how the devil to bathe a baby.

I mean, how much water does one pour in the baby bathtub? An inch? Two? Twelve? And what temperature should the water be? Not scalding certainly but also not freezing. Somewhere in between, but where? Also, how does one go about washing a baby’s hair without getting suds and water in the child’s eyes?

Some of you are laughing again. I can hear it over here. Bad family members! Bad friends! Shame on you!

Well…maybe not. At some point I’ll laugh at how nerve-wracking giving them a bath tonight was. And how quick it was since they each cried hard and loud enough to be heard throughout the entire hotel. And we’re on the 16th floor! Tomorrow I’ll ask our Nanchang/Guangzhou guide, Michael the younger, how the Chinese bathe their babies.

Not as ridiculous a question as it sounds. For instance, the Chinese give their babies much, much hotter bottles than Americans do. They also bundle the kids up in so many layers that they can barely move, but they won’t freeze. The “clothing police” will also tell you when they think you need to put more clothes on the child.

Back to today’s doings. Once we returned to the hotel, John & I took turns going downstairs for lunch. I sat the girls in the middle of our bed with toys and they proceeded to have fun.

Grace Wen has become a daddy’s girl already. When he left for lunch, she cried for a bit. He says Elizabeth Xia cried when I left to eat and again later to go to Walmart – yes, Nanchang has a Walmart – to buy a few things that we needed.

After my return from Walmart, John couldn’t get out of Grace’s sight without her crying. No tears, but she’s already got him trained. Man, she’s good!

And speaking of John…he currently is sound asleep beside me on the couch and has been since about 8:30. We’re experiencing a reversal in roles over here. Normally, I’m the morning person and he’s the night owl. Since we arrived in China, it’s been just the opposite. He’s run out of steam early each night while I’ve been forcing myself to finally quit reading and turn the light out at 11 pm…even 1 am a couple nights ago. Our bodies will probably adjust to the time difference right in time for us to return to CT. Oh joy.

Oh! After all the energy spent dreaming up ways to tell the girls apart, we ended up putting a green dot on the back of Grace’s hand. After about 2 hrs, it wasn’t needed. Grace’s face is square shaped while Elizabeth’s chin is more pointy. Grace’s hair is shorter. Elizabeth is the more outgoing while Grace is the strong silent type.

Tomorrow we’re off to visit a tower of some sort in the afternoon and Michael has a dinner planned for us tomorrow night. Since we have the morning free, I’d like to get out for a walk along the streets. While the area of Beijing that we stayed in was like any big city anywhere, the area of Nanchang that we’re in is what I’d imagined a big city in China to be. Needless to say, I’m itching to get some good photos…better than today’s shot of a man walking a monkey.

Enjoy, Jennifer

They’re Here March 2, 2008

We’re pleased to introduce Grace Ann Wen and Elizabeth Rose Xia. Grace is on the left & Elizabeth is on the right. Officially, we’re their guardians for the night. We go to a government office bright and early tomorrow morning to complete the paperwork and make the adoption official. Then we wait here in Nanchang until Friday for their Chinese passports.

At the moment, they’re snoring away. It was a busy day for them. Elizabeth has a bit of a cold so she was cranky for just a bit during the transition. Grace looked around and touched our faces, held her teddy bear and just went with the flow.

All in all, the transition went remarkably well. No babies screaming at ear splitting decibels for any of the other three couples from our adoption agency either. We all luck out, bet we got the best ones!

It’s late. We’re tired and we’ve got a big morning tomorrow.

Enjoy, Jennifer

Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace March 2, 2008

February 16, 2008

Day 3 in Beijing
Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace

What to say about today?

Saturday began with a stroll across Tiananmen Square. Too massive to adequately photograph, surrounded by monumental and government buildings, bordered by broad avenues, patrolled by soldiers. Mao’s portrait surveys all from across the street where it is hung on the outer wall of Tiananmen Gate, aka the Gate of Heavenly Peace, which is also the outermost wall that surrounds the Forbidden City.

Sounds very grim, but it wasn’t. While soldiers stood guard, visitors laughed and meandered and snapped photos. A tiny boy masterfully flew a long, long, looonnnggg kite. Teddy bears posed with Mao for a photo op.

From the Square, we followed a walkway beneath the avenue to reach Tiananmen Gate and the Forbidden City. By the way, Mao’s portrait is as massive as Tiananmen Square.

The Forbidden City with it numerous courts and gates was next to impossible to photograph as any sort of whole. I tried. I gave up and finally concentrated on what interested me most – the architecture, patterns and colors.

Our guide must have been thrilled when we finally exited the Forbidden City because I’d soon quit listening to his learned/memorized/regurgitated litany of facts about the Forbidden City and kept wandering off to investigate and photograph other things.

Don’t let me give you the wrong idea about Michael. He is a good guide, has excellent command of the English language, has a sense of humor, is patient and very knowledgeable. It’s simply that he’s been a tour guide long enough for his recitation of the information to have become just that – a recitation. Of course, one could say that John and I aren’t really “tour group” people and one would be totally correct.

Michael, however, is amazing at ordering food for lunch. Every inch of our table was covered with dishes filled with pork ribs and greens, spicy cabbage, roast duck, asian mustard greens, wide thick spicy rice noodles, freshly caught (from the giant tanks just inside the restaurant’s front door) fish…so much that I can’t remember it all, but did manage to sample it all and it was wonderful.

Before we leave the restaurant, it is necessary to sink to a bit of potty humor. Those with delicate dispositions should skip this part. Those who wish to enjoy a good laugh at my expense (I know who you are) should continue to the next paragraph.

Before sitting down for our lunchtime feast, I visited the restaurant’s ladies room to use the facilities and wash my hands. Deciding it wise to use the facilities first, I opened the stall door to discover the possibility that I’d hoped not to entertain while in China. Yes, behind stall door number 3 was what amounted to a hole in the floor.

You got it. No toilet. No seat. Nothing. Just a fancy shaped hole in the floor. How lovely. NOT!!!

My first thought was something along the lines of “Oh well. I knew it could happen. Hoped it wouldn’t, but…”

Second thought was, “How the hell do I do this in jeans? Would have been much easier in a skirt. Can’t hike my jeans up around my waist.”

See why I cautioned those with delicate dispositions to skip this part?

Well, you know the saying about what to do when in Rome…

Hmmm…how to phrase this next part even somewhat delicately?

Having settled into a lady-like squat and availed myself of the hole in the floor…I mean, facilities, it was time to stand up. I attempted to stand up…couldn’t stand up…knees wouldn’t cooperate.

Remember what we did yesterday??? Climbed UP those freakishly high steps at the Great Wall?!?!? Climbed back DOWN those freakishly high steps at the Great Wall too?!?!? Remember that???????

Well, my knees certainly did and they’d obviously had enough. They’d had all the mis-treatment they were going take from me and if I couldn’t be nice to them, they weren’t going to be nice to me.

So…they mutinied. Mutinied!!! Of all things!!! Of all times!!! When I’m in a lady-like squat over a hole in the floor in a restaurant somewhere in Beijing, China! My knees were holding me captive!!!

After a colorful word or two…or four, I gave it the old college try and attempted once more to stand. Gotta tell you that it was touch and go there for a few seconds, but once I got some momentum going, it was ok.

Washed my hands and rejoined the party at the table. Declined the offer to use the facilities again before we left. I mean, can you blame me?

After my narrow escape from captivity, the rest of the day seemed somewhat uneventful even though we went to the Summer Palace, a silk factory and a shopping mall of sorts.

Tomorrow, we fly from Beijing to Nanchang. Our flight lands in Nanchang around 2 pm and we’re scheduled to get the girls at 4 pm. Oh my god! We’re gonna be parents!! Still doesn’t seem real.

Stay tuned, J

Ming Tombs and the Great Wall March 1, 2008

February 15, 2008
The Ming Tombs and The Great Wall

Day 2 in Beijing

Total disaster was narrowly averted this morning when I finally managed to unearth the battery recharger for my camera. After doing my little “I found it!” dance, I paused to ponder the wiseness of advertising the unearthing of it.

You see, when we returned to the hotel last night and the battery recharger couldn’t be located no matter how many times I searched the bags while frantically muttering that I KNEW I had packed it, a calm settled over me with the realization that there was bound to be a camera shop in the high end shopping mall we’d passed and that if a battery recharger for my Canon G6 couldn’t be purchased separately, then we’d just have to buy a new camera.

So…I had just victory danced my way out of a new camera. Darn! Not that there’s anything wrong with the old camera, but if camera prices here are as low as food prices…oh well. Next time.

At 8:30 am we met Michael, our guide, in the hotel lobby to begin our day. Michael’s real name is not Michael but Yao, just like Yao Ming. He took Michael as his American name because of his love of the NBA and Michael Jordan. He says that when Michael Jordan retired from the NBA, he did as well…from watching it, that is. Or so the story goes.

Anyway, after meeting Steve and Melissa (another couple working with our adoption agency), we set off for the Ming Tombs with a brief stop at a jade factory which was part museum, part salesroom. Interesting, freezing inside, had very aggressive saleswomen. Nothing to really write home about even though we did buy tiny jade bangles for the girls. Yep, that’s how we’ll tell them apart.

Next stop, the Ming Tombs. As we’re strolling along inside the grounds, admiring the gates and architecture, a Chinese gentleman stopped John and motioned with his camera asking John to take a photo of the gentleman and his friends. John nodded yes and reached for the camera only to have the gentleman pull the camera away and motion from himself to John and then to the camera.

While us silly Americans had assumed he’d wanted John to take his picture with his friends, what he really wanted was to have his picture taken with John. I have to admit that I was somewhat dumbfounded and totally neglected to take a photo of this event myself. It’s shameful, but true.

Michael explained afterward that a lot of Chinese visitors to these sights come from provinces where Americans rarely, if ever go so it’s very possible that we’re the first Americans/Caucasians that some Chinese have ever seen. John & I wondered if his goatee factored into it at all. Haven’t seen any Chinese men with facial hair yet.

To be honest, the most interesting part of the Ming Tombs, since there’s really nothing down there to see, was the signs posted along the way. That and the architecture and carvings. Samples of each have been included.

After an hour’s break for lunch, we were on our way to a section of the Great Wall. A part of me was disappointed that what we walked on was not the original wall, but a reconstructed section on the original site. Unfortunately, the original sections of the Great Wall are in such disrepair that they are crumbling and are unsafe to walk on. Some sections have been reconstructed and those are open to the public.

This small disappointment aside, the Wall is very impressive. I don’t have the words to adequately describe it. The section we visited was a challenge. It began with a sloped ramp that quickly lead to steps. Steps of various depths, widths and heights. My short legs found several especially challenging – they had to be 18 inches in height! The Wall curved, was wide enough for 5 or 6 across, then narrowed down so that only 2 could pass. Some sections had a handrail on one side, some had it on both. It was needed.

While resting at the first tower, John & I were leaning against a section of wall when I noticed that the young Chinese woman across from me was readying to take a photo slightly to my left. I turned to see an older woman next to me and slid a bit to my right to get out of the shot. I looked back toward the younger woman just in time to see her motion for the older woman to slide to her right…closer to me. Seems John wasn’t the only American to be photographed today for the family to see.

Once rested, we climbed on to the second tower. That’s where I quit. My knees were screaming like banshees, felt like jelly and totally dreaded the walk down. Sorry, no elevators or escalators at the Great Wall. Even John, who walked up to two more towers, turned back before reaching the very top. One had to admire those who could climb to top. They are definitely in much better shape than I am at the moment.

As interesting as going up was, so was coming down. I freely admit that it was necessary to use the handrail. The old knees just didn’t appreciate the impact on those 18” steps down.

Truthfully, most people used the rail on the trip down. At one point, an older couple was climbing up the down side and they weren’t giving way for anyone. When they reached me, I stepped into the middle of the step to pass them only to have a Chinese man, who was on his way up, grab my right hand and put it on the rail while saying, “Oh no. Not safe. Need use rail.” Actually thought that was rather nice of him.

There are other things to write about, but at the moment – which is nearing 10:30 pm here, the bed is calling my name. Tomorrow is the Summer Palace and Forbidden City.

Enjoy, Jennifer

First Night in China February 29, 2008

February 14, 2008
The First Night in China

Morning All,
Bet you’re wondering what’s with the little white teddy bears, huh?
Well…we love the commercial where the little girl sneaks her sock
monkey into dad’s briefcase before his trip and he proceeds to take
various shots of it with his cell phone and emails them back home. So I
bought little white teddy bears for us to use as proxies for the girls
while we’re in Beijing and, ultimately, for them. The pink one is for
Elizabeth and the green one is for Grace.

Couldn’t resist the shot of the bears patiently waiting for the car
service to pick us up Wednesday morning. They were very good travelers
on the plane too. In fact, they relegated their spot to me later on so
I could attempt laying down to sleep. Didn’t really work, but the
thought was nice.

Once we arrived at the hotel, the bears enjoyed people and traffic
watching from the window while John & I went exploring at bit. We
walked down the major boulevard in front of the hotel. That alone was
interesting.

Lots of apartment and office buildings. Most of the signs are
bi-lingual – Chinese and English. We passed by a rather large shopping
mall of high end stores. All of the store names were in English. Lots
of traffic. The drivers here are crazy…kinda reminds of the cabbies
in NY who ignore the fact that there really are lanes.

We finally turned right to get off the major street and found ourselves
in Times Square! John enjoyed a good chuckle when I stopped to take the
included photo just like he always enjoys a good chuckle when the
Asians take photos of Times Square. Now we know why they’re doing it -
it’s just like home.

After sauntering back to the hotel, we had dinner and passed out…til
I wake up at 1:30 am wide awake. Took me forever to get back to sleep.
Don’t you find it very annoying when you’re having trouble getting back
to sleep, that your spouse/significant other/whatever is able to roll
over, talk to you, roll back over and promptly begin to snore? Not
fair! All I can say is that I was sleeping really good when the phone
rang with our wake up call.

So we’re off to the Ming Tombs and Great Wall today. Stay tuned,
Jennifer

To the Airport! February 13, 2008

It’s finally here . . . our flight departs in about 5 hours and we’ll be on our way. As you can imagine, not much sleep last night with all the last minute things to do.

3 inches of snow last night, raining like crazy now, slushy, icy and who knows what traffic is like. I imagine that the trip will be exactly like this note. Chaotic, rambling, but incredibly real and stream of consciousness. Talk to everyone soon from the other hemisphere.

John