Three postings in one.

I'll post pics tomorrow when I figure out how to do so.

Jerry's Dad.

Made In China


We spent our second full day in Beijing touring. Our first stop was a jade factory, while we waited for things to warm up a bit for our Great Wall climb. The Chinese have been carving jade for thousands of years and believe it holds medicinal powers. Like our other shopping trips on the tour, this was a government factory and our guide informed us that prices are slightly higher but you are assured the jade is authentic. It also makes for a slightly less aggressive shopping experience, but I use the word slightly gently. A salesperson shadowed us as we made our way through the store, taking out any item we paused to look at.

Next stop the Great Wall of China. The section of the Wall that we visited was about an hour outside of Beijing. In typical Beijing fashion the skies were gray so visibility was more limited than we would have liked. The wall rises up out of the mountains and goes on as far as the eye can see. It was built around 210 BC and snakes through all types of topography for thousands of miles. Watchtowers and pagodas dot the landscape. Climbing the wall is not for the faint of heart. It's steep uneven stone steps are treacherous on a good day. One step might be 2 feet high, while the next is 4. Steps seem to disappear in front of you in some sections on the way down. Even in light snow and bitter cold, just about everyone in our group made the climb, with the exception of one traveler with an independent streak. I decide to turn back and trail blaze the lower sections of the wall, known to some as the highway overpass.

We thawed out over a traditional Chinese lunch and then back out into the elements with a tour of Olympic Stadium. It is now a major site seeing attraction and the buildings are as impressive as was seen on TV. We shared some laughs reading some of the signage. Throughout our trip we've taken note of the odd or slightly off English translations you see through out China. We ended our day with an acrobatic show, a troop the Chinese take great pride in and who also performed at the opening ceremonies. All I can say is the show was impressive and distinctly Chinese.

While exhausted Jerry and I were finally able to stay up past 6:00 PM and shared a Guinness in an Irish pub with one of our fellow travelers, who coincidentally hails from Lakewood Colorado home to our cousin and her family. Small world!







In The Event of Forced Landing Take of Your High Heels


We said goodbye to our guide George and left Beijing today (Sunday) for Zhengzhou (pronounced Jing-Joe). This was our first Chinese domestic flight and like most things in China, it was distinctively Chinese. In her pre-flight safety instructions, our flight attendant directed us to remove our high heels and any other sharp objects in case of a forced landing. The video that played simultaneously showed Chinese women calmly removing their earrings and jewelry before sliding from the plane. There is no doubt Zhengzhou will be an adventure.

We arrived in Zhengzhou a few hours later. It was an extremely bumpy ride so the gray faces of most of our group perfectly matched the Zhengzhou sky. I have to say Beijing skies were nothing compared to how hazy and overcast Zhengzhou is on first glance. It is cold and wet here, but the grayness seems to start almost at ground level which leads me to guess even a clear day might not be dramatically different.

Gone are the endless high rises and upscale shops of Beijing. The streets in Zhengzhou seem more crowded and less orderly. Single story shops line the streets, almost all are unfamiliar to a western eye. Our guide Yisha is more business like than our Beijing guide. Rightfully so, as we will receive our children tomorrow and process most of our paperwork while we are here. She gives us badges to wear and explains that most Chinese in this province are unfamiliar with international adoption and when they stop to question us we can show them the badges.

We check in and enjoy a relaxing Italian (Chinese) dinner with our group before heading to bed early. There is a sense of nervousness about the group as we prepare to meet our children tomorrow.





Daring to Begin

Our day began like most of others here in China, with a leisurely breakfast with our group. The only difference was that today, Monday, is Gotcha Day. I think everyone was nervous but excited. After a short bus ride to the government registration office, we were told that some of our children might be late due to yesterdays bad weather. When we arrived, there were only two babies in the play area, so two families would need to wait a bit longer for their kids. Of course that included us! We busied ourselves with photographing the families who were uniting with their children and anxiously waited for another 10 minutes before Liam and the last baby showed up. Liam was scared and hide his head in the orphanage workers shoulder and cried when he was handed over to us. It was only after we bribed him with some crackers did he stop. A Dora the Explorer car even elicited some smiles.

About 30 minutes later we piled back into the bus, babies in hand and headed back to the hotel. By this time, tears by both parents and children had ceased and everyone was able to take a deep breathe for the moment. On the way we were told that we would have to allow three babies to be taken to another government office for some formality that wasn't done on their way into town this morning. Unfortunately Liam was in the group so we handed him over again and waited with the other parents anxiously in the lobby for their return. As promised they showed up 15 minutes later none the worse for wear even though we were all terribly worried about it.

W spent the rest of the day slowly getting to know him. He started to warm up to us and smile more freely and seemed to enjoy playing games with us. He seems to be a gentle little boy with a good appetite and is very good at imitating. He also loves to dance and has a great head bob. We managed lunch, a nap, and even a trip out to dinner with some of our group. After nap he seemed a little shell shocked again, but ate a big dinner and even allowed me to give him a bath, brush his teeth and clip his nails. Then off to bed.

Tomorrow is another big day for us. Today was our "get to know you" period and tomorrow Liam becomes ours and our period to legally relinquish him back to the government ends.