We are here in Nanjing after a flight delay leaving Beijing. It's never a good sign when your boarding time comes and there is no plane at the gate. We now understand why people do not recommend flying Hainan Airlines internationally, no matter how attractive the ticket price.
Tomorrow is D-Day, aka "Gotcha Day". We leave to meet Carter and welcome him to our family at 2 pm. Hopefully he will not hate us and try making a run for it.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
3/12/11 - Day 3: Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City
Today was our last full day in Beijing. I can't believe we are packing up and weighing suitcases again, but tommorow we leave for Nanjing!
Even though both Mark and I have been to Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City, they are still awesome and breathtaking. The history is so interesting and so important for to know and try to understand. Unfortunately, our guide Mi Nan "quizzed" us on some of this history and was disapointed that we had forgotten some of the things that she told us a year and a half ago.
The kids did great (considering that to them, it probably sounded like "blah, blah, blah, smile for the picture, blah, blah, blah ...").
There is an important meeting going on now next to Tianamen Square and there was a lot of security, soldiers, and police. Bennett and April were fascinated by the soldiers.
Posing in Tianamen Square
April riding in style through the Forbidden City
4 Star Public Toilet (and it was!)
After the Forbidden City, we headed out for a wonderful lunch. I believe that the restaurant serves Taiwanese food ("Tai Wan" on the side window), though there are also the letters FLK on the sign above the Chinese letters.
We ended up in a private room and enjoyed an eggplant dish, beef satay, sesame chicken, sweet and sour pork (nothing like what we order from our local Chinese restaurant), and tofu in a spicy sauce. Apparenty the medium spicy was lost in translation and the tofu dish came with some firey red peppers.
After over-indulging, a walk was definitely in order. We took a stroll along the Wang Fujing pedestrian mall (every high end shop you could ever imagine) and then turned the corner to the bazaar street (stall after stall of verndors selling food, souvenirs and very scary things on sticks).
Obligatory "bugs on a stick" picture (this is a picture of the prepared stick before it is placed in the deep fryer and yes, the bugs are still moving).
Photo op on the Wang Fujing Shopping street
We spent some time in the hotel room this afternoon so that Bennett and April could work on their homework. Bennett's teacher will be emailing me each week while we are in China with the topics that will be covered in Kindergarten that week as well as what homework will be assigned.
April jumped right in and started plugging away. Bennett on the other hand tried to come up with some good reasons why homework was not a good idea or could not be done. For example:
- we don't have our homework notebooks (they both have brand new notebooks to complete their assignments when they are away)
- This is boring (have to agree with him on some of the stuff)
and my favorite:
- There is no homework in China ... (haha, if he only knew)
Mark, Renee and Al (Grandma & Grandpa) headed out to grab some dinner. Bennett asked to go to sleep @ 7pm (after his dinner of convenience store muffin and drinkable yogurt). April wasn't too far behind after her dinner of ramen noodles ... can't beat Ramen in a pinch!
The countdown to Carter has begun. Only 2 more sleeps until we meet him! That is assuming our Princess is more cooperative and lets us sleep tonight. April is very excited but is getting more and more nervous as we get closer to Nanjing. She is looking forward to seeing her old baby home and Ms. Tang, but is very concerned they will expect her to speak Chinese and she does not remember any Chinese beyond a few words.
Even though both Mark and I have been to Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City, they are still awesome and breathtaking. The history is so interesting and so important for to know and try to understand. Unfortunately, our guide Mi Nan "quizzed" us on some of this history and was disapointed that we had forgotten some of the things that she told us a year and a half ago.
The kids did great (considering that to them, it probably sounded like "blah, blah, blah, smile for the picture, blah, blah, blah ...").
There is an important meeting going on now next to Tianamen Square and there was a lot of security, soldiers, and police. Bennett and April were fascinated by the soldiers.
Posing in Tianamen Square
4 Star Public Toilet (and it was!)
After the Forbidden City, we headed out for a wonderful lunch. I believe that the restaurant serves Taiwanese food ("Tai Wan" on the side window), though there are also the letters FLK on the sign above the Chinese letters.
We ended up in a private room and enjoyed an eggplant dish, beef satay, sesame chicken, sweet and sour pork (nothing like what we order from our local Chinese restaurant), and tofu in a spicy sauce. Apparenty the medium spicy was lost in translation and the tofu dish came with some firey red peppers.
After over-indulging, a walk was definitely in order. We took a stroll along the Wang Fujing pedestrian mall (every high end shop you could ever imagine) and then turned the corner to the bazaar street (stall after stall of verndors selling food, souvenirs and very scary things on sticks).
Photo op on the Wang Fujing Shopping street
We spent some time in the hotel room this afternoon so that Bennett and April could work on their homework. Bennett's teacher will be emailing me each week while we are in China with the topics that will be covered in Kindergarten that week as well as what homework will be assigned.
April jumped right in and started plugging away. Bennett on the other hand tried to come up with some good reasons why homework was not a good idea or could not be done. For example:
- we don't have our homework notebooks (they both have brand new notebooks to complete their assignments when they are away)
- This is boring (have to agree with him on some of the stuff)
and my favorite:
- There is no homework in China ... (haha, if he only knew)
Mark, Renee and Al (Grandma & Grandpa) headed out to grab some dinner. Bennett asked to go to sleep @ 7pm (after his dinner of convenience store muffin and drinkable yogurt). April wasn't too far behind after her dinner of ramen noodles ... can't beat Ramen in a pinch!
The countdown to Carter has begun. Only 2 more sleeps until we meet him! That is assuming our Princess is more cooperative and lets us sleep tonight. April is very excited but is getting more and more nervous as we get closer to Nanjing. She is looking forward to seeing her old baby home and Ms. Tang, but is very concerned they will expect her to speak Chinese and she does not remember any Chinese beyond a few words.
Friday, March 11, 2011
3/11/11 - Day 2: Zoo and Acrobat Show
We appear to be past the jet lag (well most of us, except Grandpa keeps getting woken up at 1 a.m. by Grandma who insists on crashing early). Grandpa deals with this by stocking beer for his late nite dinner.
We have met a couple of families at the hotel who are adopting from Beijing. It appears Gotcha Day in Beijing is on Thursday, unlike the standard Monday we are used to. However, most of these folks have the same CA (consulate appointment) day as us, so the paperwork in Beijing must take longer? The new kids we have met seem to be doing well, and are happily chowing down at the breakfast buffet.
Today we went to the zoo and brought the stroller. Bennett and April took turns riding in the chariot. Trena was on to something when she suggested the double stroller. Carter may have to push his big sister around in his intended stroller.
The zoo was not as impressive as our visit in 2009. Several of the exhibits were empty, there was a lot of construction, and there were a lot less pandas out this time. It was still a nice day - great weather and Bennett did not run screaming from the panda house about how the giant munching sloths were about to attack and eat him through the 4" plate glass window.
For those of you following the Food Channel (including our cat we're sure), we had lunch at the zoo. There was a small restaurant that our guide helped us navigate. We were expecting mediocre food at tourist prices but were pleasantly surprised by great food at reasonable prices. We had tofu in brown sauce, chicken with cashew nuts, snow peas & mushrooms, and fried rice. The beer and sodas were also very cheap instead of the usual fleecing of the captive audience. We are realizing how much the kids love tofu, so we will have to dust off our Moosewood cookbooks.
After the zoo, we headed to the Peking Acrobat show. We barely made it through Beijing traffic but were in time for the show. The acrobats were amazing and Bennett was on the edge of his seat the whole show. The lights, switching from light to dark & back, and the distance to the stage all made April pretty unhappy. Baba (daddy) took April to the lobby and souvenir shop for most of the show and was then relieved by Mama. April fell asleep on Baba's shoulder in the lobby and charmed the souvenir shop clerks, who were asking a lot of questions about adoption and were very supportive and nice.
April returned to slumber in the van only to complain loudly to the management when asked to change into her PJs and visit the potty before getting in bed.
Bennett enjoyed a fine repast of drinkable yogurt and almond muffin before joining April in slumber (luckily without the theatrics).
Tomorrow we visit Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City.
We have met a couple of families at the hotel who are adopting from Beijing. It appears Gotcha Day in Beijing is on Thursday, unlike the standard Monday we are used to. However, most of these folks have the same CA (consulate appointment) day as us, so the paperwork in Beijing must take longer? The new kids we have met seem to be doing well, and are happily chowing down at the breakfast buffet.
Today we went to the zoo and brought the stroller. Bennett and April took turns riding in the chariot. Trena was on to something when she suggested the double stroller. Carter may have to push his big sister around in his intended stroller.
The zoo was not as impressive as our visit in 2009. Several of the exhibits were empty, there was a lot of construction, and there were a lot less pandas out this time. It was still a nice day - great weather and Bennett did not run screaming from the panda house about how the giant munching sloths were about to attack and eat him through the 4" plate glass window.
For those of you following the Food Channel (including our cat we're sure), we had lunch at the zoo. There was a small restaurant that our guide helped us navigate. We were expecting mediocre food at tourist prices but were pleasantly surprised by great food at reasonable prices. We had tofu in brown sauce, chicken with cashew nuts, snow peas & mushrooms, and fried rice. The beer and sodas were also very cheap instead of the usual fleecing of the captive audience. We are realizing how much the kids love tofu, so we will have to dust off our Moosewood cookbooks.
After the zoo, we headed to the Peking Acrobat show. We barely made it through Beijing traffic but were in time for the show. The acrobats were amazing and Bennett was on the edge of his seat the whole show. The lights, switching from light to dark & back, and the distance to the stage all made April pretty unhappy. Baba (daddy) took April to the lobby and souvenir shop for most of the show and was then relieved by Mama. April fell asleep on Baba's shoulder in the lobby and charmed the souvenir shop clerks, who were asking a lot of questions about adoption and were very supportive and nice.
April returned to slumber in the van only to complain loudly to the management when asked to change into her PJs and visit the potty before getting in bed.
Bennett enjoyed a fine repast of drinkable yogurt and almond muffin before joining April in slumber (luckily without the theatrics).
Tomorrow we visit Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
3/10/11 - Day 1: Part 2
What a great day!
Today we went to the Great Wall. Mark was determined to make it to the top of the section we were climbing (and he did!). Renee and Al (Grandma & Grandpa) climbed a short bit but decided to hang out and enjoy the view. They had a fabulous time taking pictures for people, having their picture taken (Westerners are evidently a novelty and in demand for photographs - preferably with the camera owner in the picture) and chatting with people on their way up and down. Bennett was dreading this aspect of the trip from being the center of attention last time, and was very happy to climb away with our guide Mi Nan while Grandma & Grandpa took photo stand in duty. April and Bennett both did a great job and climbed a LOT higher than anyone would have expected.
They were both super tired afterward and almost fell asleep on the way to the lunch restaurant. After a surprisingly great lunch of dumplings, scallion pancakes, noodles and spicy tofu at the Golden Palace restaurant we were off the Summer Palace. Last time we ate at this restaurant it was awful and expensive. This time, we let our guide suggest some dishes and that was definitely the right way to go!
Before we even entered the grounds of the Summer Palace, it was pretty clear that one of us would be carrying April sooner or later ... turned out to be sooner ... and poor Mark had to carry a sleeping, 42lb, almost 7 year old. We took lots of pictures so when she is older and doesn't remember Beijing, we have proof! Mark was happy to carry April down the steep sections of the Great Wall but was not planning on also carrying her for the whole Summer Palace tour.
We talked about possibly bringing our stroller to the zoo, even though we do not have Carter (our intended passenger) with us yet. April overheard us talking about the stroller when she was jostled awake by her mediocre sherpa, and requested we bring it tomorrow so she could ride in it.
It is 7pm here and the kids are fast asleep. Mark and I are trying to force ourselves to stay up until 10pm and try and kick the jet lag..
Tommorow we are off to the zoo to see the (scary) pandas and then to the acrobat show.
Today we went to the Great Wall. Mark was determined to make it to the top of the section we were climbing (and he did!). Renee and Al (Grandma & Grandpa) climbed a short bit but decided to hang out and enjoy the view. They had a fabulous time taking pictures for people, having their picture taken (Westerners are evidently a novelty and in demand for photographs - preferably with the camera owner in the picture) and chatting with people on their way up and down. Bennett was dreading this aspect of the trip from being the center of attention last time, and was very happy to climb away with our guide Mi Nan while Grandma & Grandpa took photo stand in duty. April and Bennett both did a great job and climbed a LOT higher than anyone would have expected.
They were both super tired afterward and almost fell asleep on the way to the lunch restaurant. After a surprisingly great lunch of dumplings, scallion pancakes, noodles and spicy tofu at the Golden Palace restaurant we were off the Summer Palace. Last time we ate at this restaurant it was awful and expensive. This time, we let our guide suggest some dishes and that was definitely the right way to go!
Before we even entered the grounds of the Summer Palace, it was pretty clear that one of us would be carrying April sooner or later ... turned out to be sooner ... and poor Mark had to carry a sleeping, 42lb, almost 7 year old. We took lots of pictures so when she is older and doesn't remember Beijing, we have proof! Mark was happy to carry April down the steep sections of the Great Wall but was not planning on also carrying her for the whole Summer Palace tour.
We talked about possibly bringing our stroller to the zoo, even though we do not have Carter (our intended passenger) with us yet. April overheard us talking about the stroller when she was jostled awake by her mediocre sherpa, and requested we bring it tomorrow so she could ride in it.
It is 7pm here and the kids are fast asleep. Mark and I are trying to force ourselves to stay up until 10pm and try and kick the jet lag..
Tommorow we are off to the zoo to see the (scary) pandas and then to the acrobat show.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Day 1 is about to start
We arrived safely in Beijing - no flight delays and only moderate child complaints on the 2 flights. Wednesday we ventured out to eat dumplings for dinner and then went to sleep. The Wang Fu Jing Grand hotel is good but has the usual rock hard China beds and as usual in China, the A/C has been turned off. No pictures yet, but we will get plenty today.
It is now Thusday morning. We just ate breakfast. We discovered April LOVES Red Bean Dim Sum, which somehow placed higher on the scale then the drinkable yogurts.
We are about to head out to the Badaling (sp?) section of the Great Wall. Then we will tour the Summer Palace - both favorites of ours from our trip in 2009. It will be at least in the 50s today and we packed for much colder weather. A good problem to have except for the extra clothes we carried.
It is now Thusday morning. We just ate breakfast. We discovered April LOVES Red Bean Dim Sum, which somehow placed higher on the scale then the drinkable yogurts.
We are about to head out to the Badaling (sp?) section of the Great Wall. Then we will tour the Summer Palace - both favorites of ours from our trip in 2009. It will be at least in the 50s today and we packed for much colder weather. A good problem to have except for the extra clothes we carried.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Packed up!
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