Another Day

Today we woke up early again to continue our visit in Chendu. Our first stop was the panda reserve. Oh my gosh, was that amazing! Loved it. Beautiful park and those pandas are so darn cute! We got lucky because it rained last night which made things cooler and the pandas were out and about. We saw big ones, little ones and red ones. Some folks even forked over the $220 to take a picture with a real one. We were not those folks.

After the panda preserve, we headed to lunch. More of the same chinese dishes served to us.

Our next excursion was to a local park and tea house. I loved this too. I just think the parks in Asia are amazing.
Bobbys goal was to have us relax and that we did. We had tea to begin the afternoon, then sat around a little. Zeb got a massage and the girls got their ears cleaned. Yep, that is right - they got their ears cleaned. It is a quite a unique procedure but I thought it might help Kearas since they have been hurting and Kailies are just difficult anyway. Needless to say, Kaileis was worth every penny.

We spent some time walking about the park, eating caramelized candy, and taking part in the activities. Chinese people love the park and spend hours there just relaxing and having fun. The girls did some water painting (hard to explain) and a little karaoke. We were quite the spectacle as Americans but it sure was fun. All the girls (Kailei, Catie, and Lily) are left handed writers and some of the elderly folks did not like seeing that and wanted them to use their right hand. Hard to explain to them but fun nonetheless. I'd spend days there to if I lived in Chendu (though I would have really bad hair because the humidity is brutal).

Had dinner in another nice restaurant. I actually ate a few items (noodles, rice etc). This was are final dinner with the Trautmans as they are heading to their orphanage. We will miss them but will see them soon.

On the bus ride to the airport this evening Bobby said his goodbyes but Nacha also convinced to share a story with us. He really is a wonderful guide and has been acknowledged by the chinese government as a hero. He was was on tour with some British tourists when the big earthquake happened a few years ago. They were traveling via bus back to Chendu in a mountainous area when it hit and with some very quick and selfless thinking on his part, he saved many peoples lives. They had to walk together over 10 hours to town but with his encouragement they did it. Bobby walked an additional 2 hours and talked with over 100 bus drivers trying to get one to pick up the tourists he had left. He was truly a hero to everyone.

We will miss Bobby. Kailei grew especially attached to him and he was more than kind in all that he did for us. Yep, I'm a fan of Chendu and now of Bobby.

We are now on an evening flight on our way to Guilan. Best thing is that we have nothing scheduled in the morning so we can sleep.

Tune in later.

Chendu

Yet another place to love in China. It's a little like New York but the pace is like Walsh, CO. Our guide is Bobby and he has a wonderful reputation. He says there are three things to remember about Chendu...pandas, spicy food, and friendly people.

When we arrived we went to the hotel which was pretty fancy. As we traveled through the city, I kept my eye out for a Mcdonalds. We had an hour before we had to meet back down in the lobby for dinner and since Keara and I haven't ate much of substance, we took the opportunity to run to Mcdonalds. Downing a hamburger and fries and chicken nuggets for Keara I felt like we had our first real meal. :)

A dinner sichuan style was then served. Zeb is adventureouse and most of the kids are as well so they filled their stomachs.

Next we headed out to see a Chinese Opera. It was held outside and they served tea. The show was more variety in style with music, opera, puppetry, and mask changing. The hand puppets and the mask changing were pretty darn cool. You could also get a massage during the event and they used these interesting tea kettles whith very long spouts to replenish the water in the tea cups.

Keara has still been running a fever and kept complaining about her ears so it was obvious she wasn't getting better. We decided we needed to see a doctor. Both Nacha and Bobby went out of their way to help us. Bobby called ahead to see if he could get a doctor. Nacha preferred we didn't have to go to the hospital because she said that it would be very different for us. When got to the hotel, the doctor was not available and I explained that we could use some amoxicillian as I suspected strep. Apparently a prescription for this is not needed (which I doubted for a short time). Bobby got the Asst. Manager for the hotel to allow the bellboy to make a run to the pharmacy. Sure enough he showed up at our door with the medicine. Who would have thunk? We did have some other medicine but it was said to conflict with the one she was already on. Anyway, she has been taking it and feeling better as the time passes.

July 6th?

It was an early start but sooooo worth it. We went to the wall that surrounds Xian and got to bike around it. The wall is over 600 years and it was just awesome to be up there so early and toodle around. I loved looking over the wall to see the many events taking place around the city...morning exercises, farmers markets etc.. Keara rode a tandem bike with Zeb as she still isn't feeling well. Kailei rode a bike that was too big for her an took a couple of dives which added a little drama. That said, this was by far my favorite thing to do but I love Xian in general.

After the ride we headed to a terra cotta pottery center where we learned the process of making some of the more genuine replicas. The girls got to actually make some (not to keep but ready to fire. It was an interesting process. And for that hard to shop for person, know that you can have a terra cotta soldier made with your loved ones face.

Our time in Xian came to an end as we headed for the airport. I'm still feeding Keara tylenol and I'll let you know that I've pretty much lived on what I eat for breakfast and ice cream. What I would give for a McDonald's right now!

We are headed to Chendu. Will write later.

July 5th cont.

So we arrived late but our guide Richard decided that we could still go see the terra cotta warriors. In the mean time, Keara is up an down with a fever but doesnt want to miss anything.

After about an hours drive we arrived and it was hot. For some reason I was thinking there would be AC where the warriors are but I was wrong. Despite the heat, this museum never fails to impress.. They continue to discover more and more. We visited a few of the pits. It was hard to tear Zeb away. I knew this would be a favorite for him.
The location and museum are just beautiful, not to mention how fascinating the warriors are.

The last time I was here I mentioned the farmer that made the initial discovery spends some time here signing autographs. The girls wanted a coffee table book so we bought one and had him sign it. I'm not sure how much longer he is for this earth but we now have his signature. :)

Bought the girls ice cream which was my mistake and set events spinning. Kailei dropped her ice cream and boy did she lose it. Her "only fun was getting that ice cream and I just ruined it for her." I was the "worst mom ever". Nothing I tried calmed her down so I sent in reinforcements as she was sitting in a corner and the group was moving on. He managed to get her on track via the method of distraction instead of rationalization (obviously my mistake). It took him a while to find the group but he caught up and all was well. We then sat down while Zeb went to look at the chariot room. I've already seen it so I really just wanted to enjoy the environment.

At this point we were pretty pooped but the schedule continues on.

We were supposed to have a dumpling dinner and show but because we were late there was no time and we headed was 8pm at this point. The show was colorful and thankfully short (1 hr). Keara couldn't stay up any more and curled up on the floor. I would have taken her to our room but we didn't have those assignments yet. Kailei just loved it. Not sure where she got the energy to be up but she did.

So after the show we were finally going to get to eat. I decided instead to take Keara to our room so I hunted down our guide and got the key. Problem was we had no luggage as the hotel lobby was packed with luggage as we came in and there was no room for ours. We were on the 14th floor so I headed back down and was on a mission to find it. In the parking lot they had unloaded some busses so I found my luggage and had a bellboy bring it up. In thte meantime Kailei and Zeb were eating dumplings and I was going back and forth reporting on the happenings as they were going to be in a separate room.

When things were finally settled, I opened the door and Keara had crashed. I was right behind her and we didn't wake up until 5:00am this morning.

July 4th

What a day! I'm having to write as I sit on the plane. Today is actually the 5th but I wanted to recap yesterday.

A great breakfast in the hotel and then we were off to CCWA (Children's Center for Welfare and Adoption). This is where all the paperwork and placement of children takes place. It was very special to see all the files of children in the process of being adopted. Process and procedures were discussed but I was most enamored with the huge sign as you walk in: Everything for the Children.

After visiting the offices, we went up to the 17th floor where they had prepared a cultural lesson for the children.
They watched cute but somewhat in your face videos about the China. Then the led the students in some calligraphy, and some paper cutting. They also presented the children with a nice papercut book. At this point it started to go downhill. Keara was not feeling well and I made a error in judgement with Kailei and she got very angry. We had to remove her from the session and she missed a significant portion because she just could not calm down. Keara was getting very clingy because she started feeling worse and worse.

I was happy to leave CCWA and move into lunch with was a ton of food yet again with the specialty provided being peking duck. They had some yummy vegetables so Keara and I were happy. We were there longer than we needed to be and just when I was in the bathroom they served the duck and cake so I missed both. Naturally I was more unhappy missing the cake.

Kailei finally befriended another little girl on the bus named Grace which was nice. They exchanged information including house and roof color.

Next was the big event at the Hall of the People. We all received special invitations and then headed into the building. Unfortunately we were not permitted to bring cameras which was the biggest bummer. It was a beautiful building. All 400 of us were put in place for a group picture. Some of the short children got to be on the carpet and surrounding the dignitaries. All of the MWCC kids got to be down there as well as Grace. Keara was almost dead center and adults were placed on top of the risers. I was a little claustrophobic and had to straddle an a gap in the riser. I was just hoping I would not faint from the heat of the lights. So Minister Li who is charge of International Adoption came and spoke. Keara actually got to shake his hand. There were a ton of cameras and news crews. I loved when the very formal lady told us to "prepare our smiles." As I looked down at my daughter she was sprawled out on the carpet lying down despite the fact I told her how special this event was, she was slowly making her way out in front along with Grace. Then little Matthew had to go to the bathroom in the middle of this event so some stranger had to help him since we parents could not move a muscle. Then Catie started crying during the event because she said her brother was poking her. It was just special as you can imagine. Anyway, the American Embassy also had a representative there who also shared some special words for all of us. Ironic that this multicultural event happened on the fourth of July. The children were all presented with a stuffed panda bear which was a big hit. We will also receive a copy of the group shot. I forgot to mention that Lily Ni from CCAI was also present for this event. Such a classy lady.

I was hoping that was the end of the day but we made another stop at the silk factory where we learned the process of making many beautiful items. I went to a silk factory last time I was in China and regretted not picking up a silk comforter so I didnt pass it up this time. Kailei had money burning in her pocket so she bought a calligraphy stone and brush. Keara was getting worse and worse as we spent time here so we were happy to be heading home after this stop.

Of course, it takes forever to get anywhere in China and somewhere between the silk factory and hotel I got very sick myself. Very nautious and got a migraine. I was so looking forward to having something other than Chinese food that night but both Keara and I went straight to our room. I'm not to sure what happened but I woke up around 10pm still sick.

Zeb made his way out to find some pizza (which we later discovered could have been ordered from room service). He told me by the time he got back Kailei had already fallen asleep. I thought maybe I needed to try and have something in my stomach so I sent Zeb out for a chocolate shake. He came back and I just couldn't stomach how it was made so I sent asked him if he could return and bring me back some a small scoop of ice cream. He is always such a great caretaker when anyone is sick. Dropping into bed himself we slept a few more hours until Keara came in with a horrible fever, chills and feeling just plain miserable. This proceeded to wake up Kailei who was just interested in having dinner at 2:00am in the morning. We were very worried about Keara and spent some time discussing our plan of action since we were supposed to fly out to Xian in the morning. There was no way she was going to make a plane ride feeling like she was. Kailei was wired and yaking up a storm. I actually started to feel better so I wasn't worried about me. Anyway, we fell asleep and just decided to deal with in the morning.

5:30am came early but Zeb and I still needed to pack. Kailei woke up ready to go. Keara woke up slowly. We gave her some Tylenol and she said she was feeling better. She did not remotely like the idea of staying back and insisted she was fine. She looked a little better which I think was a result of the medicine. We decided to chance it.

The Morning After

It is now the next morning. At 6:30 when we went out for breakfast, we were told that the plane had been delayed. Lucky for us we had not checked out so we could spend a little more time in the room. Sucked that we didn't get to sleep a little later.

Ninety minutes later we left for the airport. Our guide Claire gave quite a heartfelt goodbye so next thing I know I was crying. She was so very genuine in all that she said and I won't forget it.

Got to the airport. Keara's medicine has worn off and now she feels horrible again. Tried to convince her to stay but she just got more upset at the thought of it. Gave her another tylenol. She perked up a little so we just hope to stay ahead of her fever with medicine.

Got on the plane and sat. Apparently a lot of traffic. Not sure how the day is going to go. We leave for Chendu tomorrow afternoon. We are supposed to see the terra cota warriors and attend a show I think. I'll update you later.

Not exactly the trip I had pictured in my mind but it sure will be hard to forget.

Sick and Tired

Literally. Will post more later.

July 3rd

Up bright and early this morning. It came way too soon, especially since Kailei woke up at 2:30 in the morning and was wired. Zeb took her and walked her around the hotel waiting for the melatonin to kick in.

Breakfast was a madhouse but we managed to gulp something down prior to our orientation meeting. I'm not sure if it was much of a meeting but we did get some gifts and met our group guides.

By 8am we wwere off . Our first stop was a jade factory. Who knew there was so much to know about jade? Anyway, Keara spent her entire wad of money here on a bracelet and dragon necklace and was quite happy with her purchases.l Kailei got a jade bracelet as well. I didn't manage to get much shopping done since I was helping the girls. I'm sure there will be other chances.

After the jade factory we headed to the Great Wall. You simply can't imagine being there. It is just amazing. That said, it was hot...VERY HOT. I really wanted to walk more than I did but between the heat and it being past lunch I felt a little qweezy. The girls hung with me as Zeb hiked up to one of the towers. We sat in the shade drinking room temperature water with one of the most awesome views ever.

After our visit to the wall, we headed to a cloisanne factory learning the process of how it all get made and then eating lunch at the restaurant upstairs. Keara and I aren't huge fans of the food so we are thankful for rice. We are never sure exactly what we are eating but a disposal plate seems to appear when the girls find items that they don't like.

At one point Kailei said,, " I think I just burped up tofu."

Tiananmen square was our next visit. Kaieli had a HUG meltdown along he way. I wasn't sure if she would be able to join us but she crashed and fell asleep. We had to borrow the Peterson's stroller because she is heavy and after walking quite a bit, she was getting too heavy for Zeb. We took a picture there and she was sleeping but at least she was in the group shot.

After the square was a rickshaw ride through the Hutong. Everyone really enjoyed that. We were by a lake and it really gave us a peak into the night life. There were tons of bars with velvet couches on the patios and live singers in every one of them.

We rode to a local family's home and enjoyed a home cooked meal.

We were really beat at this point and I had to work hard to keep Kailei awake on the bus. Zeb and Keara crashed but I could only deal with one of them. After we returned to the hotel, Keara and I had some more Baskin Robbins ice cream and I blogged as much as I could before falling asleep.

We all slept great and I'm finishing this while eating breakfast. Im sure we have another big day ahead of us but Keara and I are looking forward to having dinner on our own and not eating Chinese. :)

Our friends the Peterson's and Trautmans are doing well for the most part. Beth is pretty motion sick and that has had its typical side effects. Our guides are very nice. Claire is the main gal, Leo is from CCWA and then we have Nacha (she majored in spanish so has a spanish name).

Gotta run. TTFN