NiHao From China

Well, Mom, Paige,and I made it safely...what a LONG day!!  My sweetie picked us up at my house at 0730, and drove us thru SF Bay rush hour traffic to the Int'l airport.  Our flight left at 1230- JAL was a great experience!  They offered food and drink every couple of hours the whole trip.  There were options for audio, video, and games (bejeweled!) on each TV...that helped to pass the time.  After flying 11 hours, we landed in Tokya/Norita airport, walked a VERY long way from the arrival terminal to the departure terminal, found expensive but tasty diet pepsi :-) and boarded our next plane.  We landed in Beijing 4 hours later, at 930 p.m. Beijing time.  After walking thru the immigration points, where we handed in 2 different forms, 1 stating we were not ill upon arrival, both telling where we are staying and etc, then we walked thru the temp. reading machines, got our passports scrutinized at the customs desk, then went to baggage claim. We were met by our CCAI guide, George; boy, was he a welcome sight! :-)  We got to the hotel around 1015...the "free" internet won't work in our room, which was disappointing because we wanted to try out Skype.  We called it a night around 1130. 

We met the rest of our group and George in the lobby at 0830 for a day of touring today.  There are 5 other families, the 5th didn't arrive until today. We are all headed to Henan, although different orphanages...and I'm not positive we are all staying in Zhengzhou. It is bitter cold here- the wind was just savage. The HIGH was 32!!!! with winds somewhere between 11mph and tornado-level! :-) We went to the Forbidden City- walked thru. Saw Tianeman (sp?) Square, but couldn't access it since there's some Congress Meeting taking place. There were army and local police EVERYWHERE! Then we went to the Silk Factory- very interesting! Impossible NOT to buy something, and everything was just gorgeous. We had lunch at an authentic Chinese restaurant, Everything was fabulous! From the steamed veggies to the meatballs, the garlic shoots with pork, the chicken and cucumber...all were just wonderful. Then we went to the Hutong district, which is 800 years
old! The buildings were originally to house the members of the Emperor's government, but have become a poor area in more recent times. We rode in rickshaws to this neighborhood, and went into the home of a 73-year old widow, who showed us her cozy little house. It is 1 room, and they have to use the public restroom up the street, and pay to use the bathhouse every few days! She was warm and welcoming; it makes you truly appreciative of how many "creature comforts" we enjoy without realizing it!! Mom, Paige, and I wandered the neighborhood this evening; we bought cashmere scarves and warm hats for tomorrow, wandered thru a 6 story mall, then came back to the hotel and ordered room service. It was a great day! :-) (but my nose is still frozen!)

In approximately 60 hours, my life is going to change forever! It is still surreal, but I'm very excited. :-)

Well, good night from Beijing! We are climbing the Great Wall tomorrow, and it is supposed to be -6 to -2 degrees Celcius (21-28 F)!!! Yikes! Plus, we are touring the jade factory, and seeing an acrobat show...another full, fabulous day. :-)

Baby is off oxygen now; she and I will be taking the new Bullet Train from Wuhan to Guangzhou on Friday. No domestic flights will accept oxygen, and NiNi won't tolerate the altitude without it...so we will detour from Zhengzhou to Wuhan by regular train, then the Bullet train...Pray that everything goes smoothly for us!!