Life with Ava

Yes, we JUST arrived in Guangzhou about an hour ago.  Only 3 hours later than expected and VERY tired.  The flight was not so bad even though we were delayed for reasons that we were not ever made aware of.  Ava did wonderful on the ride which is better than I can say for the two of us.

On the good side, we now have Ava's new passport so she can return with us to the states on the 30th.

Ok, sorry for the short  post  but we have to get up early in the morning for Ava's medical clearance appointments.

Wuhan - Day 8

We have a BEAUTIFUL little girl in A's arms right now being fed. She's not cried at all and we've already managed a laugh or two as well as some really good smiles!

We'll upload some pictures as soon as we can get a chance!

Beijing - Day 6

Not a real interesting day for us, folks. The email we received this morning letting us know that our social worker passed away kinda took the wind out of us. We started our day with breakfast downstairs with the rest of our herd group. We chatted with the other couple that also had Christy as their social worker and they were in the same state of disbelief as we were after reading the email. We ate breakfast quietly and got ready to go with the group to The Great Wall.

The Cloisonne Factory

Part of our Beijing sightseeing tour with Bethany included a trip to one of the local factories that produces cloisonne pieces. Everyone that knows me knows that I can't stand tourist crap like this and A was of the same mindset. We both kept wondering when we could just get out of the cold shops and back to the bus. After being shepherded through the tourist setup we were eventually taken from the workstations to the shops to see what we would want to buy. From what we've been told that all guides are given a kickback for the number of people they bring through and a commission on everything sold to the group they are pushing through. A and I opted out of the festivities. We just waited on the bus for the rest of the group after a quick walk through the shop (long enough to get warm). There's not much central heating here so you take advantage of it when you can find it.

The Great Wall - Badaling

We returned to The Great Wall today, heading to the more touristy spot. The amount of people here compared to Mutianyu was astounding. Joy told us that as far as visiting The Great Wall, it's the most popular place because it's the first section of the wall to be restored and opened to tourists. The views here were not as spectacular as our first trip especially since there was litter and trash everywhere. A combination of the number of people and the weather, as well as it being a tourist trap contributed to it being a not so nice place to visit. The climbing here was much more difficult so A and I decided that since we've already seen the wall, we'd return to the bus and just wait for the rest of the group. We really did not have to wait that long since we were only given two hours to take the tram up, climb, hike back, take the tram down and the return to the bus.

Lunch at the Jade shops

Joy told us we were next heading back and along the way we would get lunch. What she did not tell us is that we would be visiting another factory (Jade) and have lunch the the restaurant conveniently attached to it. The food was ok, nothing special. We were told this was "Americanized Chinese food." Apparently what this really means is that it's very bland food. After lunch we headed to the sales areas. A picked up several pieces at decent prices. She even unintentionally worked out a bargain for herself. She told one of the sales people to hold on to a piece so we could look around some more. I guess he took this as we were looking for a better deal. A few minutes after we walked away to look at another item, he comes back to us saying that he will throw in another item if we buy the one he's holding for us. Ok, better deal! A had no problem forking over a few bucks for a family ball, a jade camel for her collection at work, and 3 name chops.

The bus ride home

After we were all herded back onto the bus, we made way for our hotel but not until we had to head by the new Olympic Park. As Joy was telling everyone which way to look, A, Josh, Kathy and I were bemused by the rest of the group and their camera handling skills. It was a beautifully synchronized sea of cameras that went from left, to look right, then to look left again depending on which way Joy was pointing. We arrived back at the hotel and invited the rest of the group to join us for dinner at our new favorite restaurant a little later in the evening.

RIP Donald Duck

I guess that it's the four of us again. Everyone was full from their lunch or maybe they hate us or something - regardless no one else showed up so Josh, Kathy, A and I made our way down the now familiar street to the restaurant. Beijing is well known for it's Peking Duck dishes and we wanted to know what it was like. I for one, can now say I've had duck…it's ok. I don't think I'll be having it again though. Sorry, Donald.

A quick stop at the supermarket for some envelopes and we were back at the hotel in no time. We're getting the various fees sorted out and needed some envelopes to put them in. It's getting real, folks. We'll get Ava in just a short time and we're scared to death.

Beijing - Day 5

Another early morning ladies and gentlemen. For some reason, 4:30ish was the magic number that had us up and about. A decided to finish her blog writing for yesterday while I cleaned up the mess from yesterdays move to our new accommodations. I'll agree with her that this is definitely not the Grand Hyatt, but I don't think it's bad as she made it out to be. It will do for the few remaining days we have left in Beijing.

We made it down to the lobby this morning for the continental breakfast that is included in the hotel package we've paid for. There was a mix of western style and Asian foods to select from. Both of us made a hodge-podge pile of food on our plates and made our way back to the table and met several of the other couples that traveled here for their adoptions with Bethany. Josh and Kathy joined us at our table while we chatted back and forth with the other couples sitting around us. Seeing all of them made our first meeting with Ava seem that much closer. The Bethany guide, Joy, came down from her room and introduced herself since we were the only couple she had not met up with. She told us that as soon as everyone was done with breakfast, she would take us all to the local supermarket so we could pick up anything we needed such as drinks and snacks.

The trek to the store was an interesting one. 13 couples being herded like sheep in a foreign country really sticks out like a sore thumb. The store was just around the corner, right next to the restaurant we had eaten at last night, but it took twice as long to get there due to the size of the group. A and I split off from the group, got some supplies, and then told the group we would meet up with them back at the hotel later. We just decided that it would be easier to get back if we were not trying to wait on everyone. We found out that once we got back we would not be meeting with the group until 3pm and we were free to do what we wanted until then. Josh, Kathy, A, and I decided that a taxi ride to the Temple of Heaven was something that we all wanted to see and the timing was perfect.

After a short $2.75 taxi ride to the Temple, the four of us braved the cold weather to see one of the most beautiful historical landmarks in the city. As we walked in, The Long Corridor was lined with a large selections of locals playing games, selling items, singing, exercising and playing music. We stopped and watched several of the small groups that had formed play everything from homemade instruments all the way up to a chorus singing along to a small brass band. The Hall for Prayer and Good Harvest was our next stop. The colors and the immaculate details were everywhere here. Each structure was a bit different but they all had some common details. From here, we headed to the Imperial Vault & Echo Wall. The Echo Wall is a circular structure completely surrounding the vault that when one is standing directly opposite another facing the wall and speaking at a normal level, can be heard all the way across the compound. Of course everyone that was there figured that if they all shouted, they could be heard better. I even saw someone on their cell phone telling the person they were trying to communicate with that they could not hear their echo and they needed to talk louder. The Altar of Heaven was our final stop here. It's a beautifully polished, three tiered marble structure with a view to die for. Not only can you see almost the entire Temple grounds, but much of Beijing as well.

After the short walk out of the park we had our first bad encounter with a cab driver. One of the things we've heard several times is that a lot of the cabbies try to "take" you for more than the ride is worth. The way they do this is they will not start the meter when they get you in the cab. They will try and set a fixed price that is usually quite higher than what it would/should cost if the meter were running. The first gentleman we came upon immediately quotes us 50 Yuan to take us back. I proclaim that it only cost us 18 to get here. He comes down to 40 and we decide to walk out to the main road to see if we can strike a better deal (Which we did without a problem) At the last intersection before our hotel, the cab driver's personality came out in full force. We had sat at this intersection through 4 full cycles since the drivers just don't care and there's no sharing the road or being courteous here. There was a huge logjam of cars that were crossing our path and our driver kept creeping up trying to wedge his way across, but the other drivers kept coming. He eventually rolls his window down, shouts what we all believe to be some really colorful language and hits the gas. It was amazing to see him squeak his car between the unforgiving cross traffic to get us home.

The four of us decided to return to the same restaurant as last night to get a late lunch before we had to be back at the hotel for a meeting with the Bethany China coordinator, Shiyan. We quickly polished the delicious food off and returned in time to see everyone gathering in the lobby. We told the rest of the group that we'd be right back so we could unload our gear from the afternoon trek and quickly wash up.

The meeting went pretty much as A and I had thought. We were all handed a basic itinerary of the who's and what's. We were informed of the monies that we would have to exchange to Yuan for all the legalities, such as for the notary and registration fees. We then listened to all the things to expect when we receive Ava on Monday afternoon (late Sunday night for those in the US). The group traveling to Wuhan was told to expect a little longer to get bonded since the children will be dealing with the loss of their foster parents and that we should be prepared for several days of intense grieving. We were given some food tips and an admonition to dress the kids warmly since it's cold out and we don't want to meet the clothes police. Everything else had been covered in multiple documents and meetings we've been given and  One more layer than we're wearing is a good guideline and wrap them in extra blankets since the Chinese typically wear more clothes we do. Once all the question were asked and answered, we were off as a group for the first time to one of the Chinese Acrobatic Shows.

We took a 15 minute bus ride to the theater with Joy and the group. Joy got on the microphone like the typical tour group does and started chatting about the Chinese currency for those couples that had just gotten here and were still in the post-flight daze. Some more question were asked about a wide range of subjects and all were answered as we pulled up to the theater. We were led to our seats, which were actually pretty good. I found out that they don't care if you take pictures of videotape the show so I decided it was time to break out the new digital video camera. So I was the techno-dork that has his arm up for the entire show trying to tape if for everyone to see upon our return. (No one behind us seemed to mind.) The show was actually fantastic. The teenage boys and girls put on a great show that we really enjoyed. The kids were energetic and rarely missed a stunt and those that were missed were quickly reattempted and made the second time around. After the hour long show, we were corralled back to the bus for our return to the hotel. We were tired and not really hungry enough to go back out anywhere so we decided to call it a night.

A decided it was time for bed a little earlier. She's whupped from all the hiking we've done in the last three days. We'll have to save the pictures from today for another post since our picture host site is one of the ones that are blocked here. A has a way to do it but I'm not sure how she's doing it. I'm pretty sure she'll have some other stuff to say too when she gets up.

Night all!

Beijing - Day 3

Another dual authored post, so please bear with us. I think we are getting into the routine of seeing China one day, sleeping it off and blogging the next morning. I don't think either of us would be of the right state or mind to write about what we just saw and did without really letting it sink in and sleeping on it. The sleep situation is slowly getting better. We woke about 1am but managed to go back to sleep until around 5am.

J: A selected another winner for us here today folks. Lonqing is a village located in the very northern part of Beijing. They are also famous for their gorge, which is somewhat similar (although on a much smaller scale) to the 3 gorges in Hubei. Sophia had never been there but had done a little research before we left this morning for a 2 hour drive.

Lonqingxia and the Ice Sculptures

I know that A is not a fan of cold weather so I was pleasantly surprised when she chose this as a place to go and see. I was not really sure of what to expect but when we finally got there, the sights are amazing. We pulled up to this gorge that has a man-made reservoir. At the base of this dam are several small ice and snow sculptures, many that are still being worked on and prepared for next weeks winter festivities.

Boy is it cold here. I even broke out the hat and gloves. Sophia had to touch each and every ice sculpture proclaiming how cool they were, literally. As you travel further into the base of the gorge, the sculptures get more and more elaborate. We were even interviewed (via translation) by a local news crew. Look for us on the news at 7, I guess! After our interview, we pressed on finding some really large rooms of ice. They were absolutely massive and had elaborate, colored fluorescent lights dropped down between the thick layers of ice. It was breathtaking to see and the pictures don't do it justice.

Once we finished with the ice festival, we proceeded into the dragons mouth, literally. They have this metal sculpture of a dragon on the side of the gorge that has about 7 escalators to take you to the top of the gorge.

From here, you have a choice to take a toboggan or a zip line to the bottom (no thank you, it's way too cold) or you can walk across the dam and then down the other side of the gorge where they have carved out a cave and have decorated with scenes from each of the provinces of China. It was a little cheesy with the fake flora and fauna but it was neat to see anyway.

I did take a few snapshots until I realized we were being followed by a worker and there were signs all over saying no photography and no somking.

The Sacred Way

On our way back, we stopped to walk along the Sacred Way. It's a pathway lined with stone animals to protect the imperial family and lead you to the Ming tombs. The sculptures are incredible and I was even able to get another GeoCache as well. The winds are bone chilling though, so returning to the car was very much welcomed at this point, not to mention we were pretty hungry.

Lunch time - Traditional Chinese restaurant style

Sophia asked our driver to drop us off near a shopping center that she was going to take us to after lunch. He suggested this place and it turned out to be a good choice. Sophia asked us what we would like off the menu. We eventually ordered a spicy beef noodle dish, a hot pepper and chicken dish, green beans and garlic as well as some beef and egg soup. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the food. I was taken a bit back seeing the beef noodles come out though. I thought it was beef AND noodles. Nope, the beef looked like really thick spaghetti! Getting over the looks, the taste was amazing! Once again, we ordered too much food and some of the beans and soup were left over. (A did really try to consume every bit of the soup though - still not handling the chopsticks very well.)

Hey Lady!!!!!

With lunch over, we asked Sophia to take us to the Silk Market. It's like a street vendors dream gone wild. You want jade? Got it! Electronics, sure. Clothing? Yep. Knock off handbags of every name? Got them too. As soon as you walk in the place, you are overwhelmed in the sense that you are a foreigner and they will try to exploit you in every way. Hey lady!!!! shouts across the place, thinking that they will get your attention. We just kept our heads down and ignored most of the catcalls heading for what A had already told Sophia we were looking for.

Now it's A's turn.

A: J has pretty much covered all of the specifics so you'll get some general impressions from me and maybe a few more details from my perspective.

Foreigners are pretty common here in Beijing so the Chinese people don't pay too much attention to us, however once you venture out of the city then it's a whole different story. According to Sophia, she once took one of her tourists to her hometown and he was the first foreigner that had ever visited there. It's the same with Longqing. Longqing is about 90 km northwest of the city so they don't have a lot of Westerners visiting there. We attracted a fair bit of attention, to include a local TV crew who was filming a spot about the Longqingxia ice and snow festival. They interviewed us (J is a camera hog, by the way, and wouldn't let me talk) and then they filmed me as I walked around oohing and ahhing at all of the ice sculptures. I think that was probably our 15 minutes of fame. We should be on TV this weekend, I think. That was pretty cool and the camera crew bought us a souvenir book (in Chinese as they didn't have any English ones) and told us that we should come back in the summer when it's greener.

J already told you about the Sacred Way - very nifty. The stone animals are over 600 years old.

I was so excited to see the camels and had my picture taken by them. The pictures are useless though, since I'm bundled up like an Eskimo in 5 layers of clothing and have on a fur lined hood. You'd never know it was me unless I told you so I won't even bother posting that picture.

Lunch was great. Especially if you like soup, since that seems to be what I can manage to consume the most of. It was made of beef, egg white, carrots, spring onions, and something else that made it spicy. No idea what, but I do know now that Chinese food in the US isn't nearly as good as Chinese food here. If only I could eat more of it…

The Silk Market was awful. It's a huge flea market type building with about 8 floors packed full of stuff and is a complete tourist trap. The bottom floor is mostly fake designer bags, luggage, and shoes and we did one walk thru there before J and I both had enough. You have no idea how aggressive these sellers are. Not only are they yelling, "Lady, you want purse?," they're also physically trying to pull you into their stalls. Shopping in China is not for the faint of heart nor for those unable to say no. Since I did not need a Louis Vuitton or Chloe knockoff we got out of there as quickly as possible and headed upstairs for the jewelry and souvenir type stuff. Same old, same old there - J bargained for one piece of jade (with Sophia's help) and after walking off twice he got it for about 1/10th of the original asking price. He ended up paying 30 yuan or about $4. That experience ended up with Sophia and the vendor yelling at each other - the vendor telling her that she should be helping the Chinese and not us and Sophia telling her that she worked for us. As Sophia said, they still made money or they wouldn't have sold it to us. I'll finish with this about shopping. I don't like it in the States and I like it even less here. I would rather pay a little more and shop in the government and/or fixed price shops to save the hassle and drama of bargaining. I know some people love it, but not me. Sophia really advised that we not shop there if we're looking for anything of quality.

We came back to the hotel after the Silk Market and said goodbye to Sophia. I truly cannot recommend her highly enough so if anyone wants to use her then please let me know and I'll give you her contact information.

We walked out to Wangfujiang Street last night, which is also called the Golden Street due to the type of shops located here. They're very high end shops - Burberry, Chanel, Rolex, etc. so we mostly window shopped, although we did pick up a few Olympics souvenirs from one of the official stores. The Beijing mascots are way cute and the government has shops for souvenirs everywhere. We picked up a limited edition BeiBei mascot (all bejeweled and bedazzled) for Ava's 1st birthday gift. We paid a small fortune for it, but it's very nice. Since her name is Bei and we're bringing her into our family in 2008, it seemed appropriate.

Last, but not least, we ventured down to the Donghuamen Night Market. Food vendors set up shop on the street with red stalls and lanterns everywhere. It's so busy and noisy with the sellers yelling and trying to convince people that their food is the best.

You can find everything from roasted corn and potatoes to skewers of centipedes, scorpions, and snakes. There were plenty of people partaking, but we opted out. The smell is horrendous and would have killed any appetite I might have had prior to walking down there.

Something I noticed today is that, while I don't really notice being the minority most of the time, there is a comfort in being around other Westerners when you run across them. It's funny that these are people I'd probably never speak to any other time, but running across them here you'd think we'd found our long lost best friend. I'm probably not describing this feeling/impression very well, but it made me realize that it may be hard for Ava being the 'different' one sometimes and we need to make the effort to ensure that she has a circle of Asian friends and acquaintances, to include other children that have been adopted from China. She'll need people like her to understand, and for her to feel the comfort of 'sameness'.

Another tip or two for those adoptive parents (or anybody) coming to Beijing: Bring plastic tableware if you're not an expert with chopsticks. I would have killed for a plastic spork yesterday. Seriously. And bring plenty of kleenex. Napkins are nonexistent in most restaurants. And most importantly - don't EVER use public toilets. They reek and are filthy. I wouldn't even go in once I got a whiff and saw how unsanitary they are. It's amazing how long you can hold out with the right motivation.