Bye bye Beijing

Wednesday, June 22nd

We all love Beijing. And while the sights have been remarkable, we also just really enjoyed being part of this city for a few days. There's just this cool vibe in the city and the people are super eclectic and proud. I could people watch here all day. Every time we ride the bus around the city I just lean my head against the window and take in people going about their daily lives. It's endlessly entertaining for me. 

This morning we did a whirlwind tour of Tiananmen Square before moving on to tackle the Forbidden City. Again, one of those deja vu moments when you encounter something in person that you have read about or seen photos of for your entire life. Unreal. 

The day started out a bit overcast, which made for our most comfortable day of sightseeing this week - but after the sun popped out the full heat and humidity returned. Regardless, nothing could take away from the grandeur and incredible history of the Forbidden City. When I get home I can't wait to watch "The Last Emperor" again. The only movie ever allowed to film in the Forbidden City. 

The downside of today is that the other families are already on the bullet train to Xi'an so we had to say goodbye to them for a few days - and have already said goodbye to two families who are wrapping up and heading home. Originally we were scheduled to go to Xi'an today but had to shift things around because Spring Flower's orphanage won't allow us to visit on a weekend. So - we will be hopping a flight to Fuzhou at 8 tonight instead. I think it will be a late night as we don't land in Fuzhou until close to 11pm and I recall the drive to the hotel taking about an hour. So if we are lucky, we will be in bed by 1am. And we are still having trouble staying awake past 8! 

Tomorrow morning we hope to have a few minutes to visit the 12th floor of our hotel, which is the exact spot where Spring Flower was placed in our arms nearly 14 years ago. Then we will hop on a bullet train to visit her orphanage and hometown in Nanping. I'm not sure I'm ready for the inevitable wave of emotions but I need to get it together to be on hand for anything Spring Flower needs tomorrow - whether it's helping her deal with her own emotions or just letting her act like it's no big deal. She gets to call the shots. 

That's it for today - just spending a few quiet hours in our hotel before going back on the move. We hope our other travel families are having a blast on the train to Xi'an and maybe Henry is regaling them again with his version of Chinese rap! 

 

Bucket List

Ever since I was a kid who fell profoundly in love with books I have imagined what it would be like to visit certain landmarks. I have been incredibly fortunate to be able to visit several of what I'll call my "Top 5," which includes places such as Notre Dame in Paris and the Colosseum and the Sistine Chapel in Rome. One that has eluded me, until today, is the Great Wall of China. 

I woke up a bit grumpy at just after 3am this morning. The problem is that there isn't much you can really DO for two or more hours in the dark while the rest of your family slumbers. My saving graces have been my iPod nano (books on tape) and my iPad (ebooks and social media). The upside of 3am in China is that all your friends at home are wide awake and I was able to chime in on a chat with Carol and Xiomara at about 4:30 about Madeline's first pair of pointe shoes! So excited for her! The little glimpses into life at home make us feel like halfway around the world isn't quite so far.

Even the rest of my family manages to roll it out pretty early and we had breakfast at about 6:15 again. Amusing solely because that IS a normal breakfast time for the girls and me but T - not so much. 

Our fabulous bus and driver appeared as if by magic again - this time at 8am to take us out of Beijing and to the northwest. Because it's China, first we stopped at a jade market, which included the perfunctory history lesson and the mandatory sales pitch. Fortunately for us, we were actually in the market for jade. My original jade bracelet, purchased 14 years ago, broke about two years ago (demonstrating its poor quality). Meanwhile, the higher quality bracelets we bought for the girls in China in 2005 were stolen from our house a few years ago. Yes, we were definitely in the market. T helped me pick out a new bangle, all the while the salesgirl kept telling me "you have a good husband," to which I kept replying, "yes, I know!" We let Spring Flower and Flying Sparrow make their own choices and they each selected a jade pendant and jade earrings. They are both proudly wearing their earrings and it makes the Chinese part of my heart very happy!

Next stop, Great Wall!

According to TripAdvisor, our guides picked a great spot for our climb - not crowded, not too far away, and great views. They delivered! It was virtually deserted today. We had The Great Wall of China to ourselves! : )

We were told repeatedly that there was an "easy side" and a "hard side." Those of who know me - would you care to guess which side I chose? Okay, so I kind of assumed that they meant that the "hard side" was named by spoiled Americans who get no exercise. Boy was I wrong. The hard side was HARD! Here is what I will call Phase 2:

 

This was after an already "heart-rate raising" climb. Of course we pressed on. Note the building at the top - it plays a role in Phase 3.

 

Welcome to Phase 3! We are now standing next to the building that was visible from Phase 2. This seemed like the perfect time to pay homage to our fearless leader of Herndon, VA, Madame Merkel. So I donned my 

Merkel Mayor 2016 shirt and got this photo. I think she is pleased with my efforts to support her candidacy. 

More about Phase 3 - see the building I am pointing to? The insanely high one? That was our final destination. Flying Sparrow was having some panic attacks about the heights - the steps are insanely steep and uneven - so T decided to stay behind with her while I forged ahead with Spring Flower and two of the other girls with our group. I won't lie - I wanted to die at several points during the ridiculously steep climb. I had to sit on the steps at least 10 times to catch my breath. But guess what my friends: I did it! Out of 26 people in our group only 3 girls and 2 adults made it to the top and Spring Flower and I were among them and here is the photo to prove it, which I think only goes to prove the point that it's true what they say about ballerinas and OCD people: they can both make it to the top of The Great Wall!

 

To be honest, I was a bit concerned about the descent since the railing (oh, how I loved the railing!) seemed too low to offer much help on the way down. Regardless, and despite ridiculously shaking legs, we managed to get back down in less than half the time it took us to get to the top. Time for selfies!

 

On the way back to our hotel we got a look at some of the trademark 2008 Olympic venues including the Bird's Next, the Olympic Village, and the Water Cube. We just had time to shower off half the dirt of The Great Wall before jumping back onto the bus for a very impressive acrobatics show. The girls LOVED it. 

Tomorrow morning it's Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City before most of the families head off to Xi'an, while we fly to Fuzhou in anticipation of Spring Flower's orphanage visit on Thursday. It's our last night in Beijing and I still cannot believe I'm even here in the first place!

Forgot one photo

Pre rickshaw race. Love this.

 

Rickshaw Racing in Beijing

Monday, June 20.

We just wrapped up our first tour day in Beijing and are, quite simply, having a blast!

I started a bit earlier than planned this morning - it is a tricky adjustment to swap day and night and my circadian rhythm just wasn't having it. I woke up every hour and finally, at about 3:45am, gave it up and got out of bed. Those of you who know Flying Sparrow will be shocked to learn that she was wide awake before 5. At 6:15 the girls and I woke up the only person who never seems to have an issue sleeping (T), and made him take us to breakfast.

The hotel has an amazing breakfast spread - both American and Chinese cuisine and we happily mixed the two. It was such a great moment when Spring Flowr decided to try the congee - it was her absolute favorite thing when we adopted her at nine months old. And she still loves it! We also spent breakfast scoping out some of the other travel families - who are just as conspicuous as we are. 

 

At 8am we all officially met one another before boarding the ever-present mode of transportation for foreigners in China - the minibus. To be honest, it's really nice to able to surrender all control on this trip. We are told when and where to be and the fabulous guides in Beijing take care of everything else. 

So after a worry-free drive through downtown Beijing rush hour, we arrived at Temple of Heaven Park. As advertised, Beijing in late June is hot and humid but I think we fared much better than most of our other group members who are from places like Seattle and Chicago. This heat and humidity feels just like home! We even had some limited sunshine as well - a rarity. 

Temple of Heaven park is immense, beautiful, and steeped in incredible history. There are quiet breezy, shady walkways where people gather to do tai chi or play hackysack or dance - and then there are the main tourist areas with iconic structures like the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, which we were fortunate enough to photograph ourselves in front of this morning.

 

After the tour wrapped up we hopped back on our bus and were taken to a fabulous restaurant for a banquet style lunch that included, of course, Peking Duck. The food was amazing and we all tried everything. One of the best things about the lunch was that the girls (there were 12) all decided to have a "kids' table" to themselves. It was so darned cool to see them all getting to know each other a little. And while they have something fairly significant in common, they are all pretty typical teenagers who have to work at "putting themselves out there."

 

Our next stop was a silk production facility where we got a really great look at how silk is produced - complete with real live silkworms doing their work and with machinery that subsequently spun the thin cocoon fibers into silk. The only downside - and this is fairly typical in China - is that after the great tour, they basically dump you into a big showroom where you are encouraged (not by the guides but by the silk folks) to purchase merchandise. Though now that I think about it, it's not unlike Busch Gardens where the best rides make you exit through the gift shop. For the record, the girls and I bought nothing while T purchased a snazzy new shirt. 

Next it was back onto the bus to head to the north side of the side and the Hutong area. Historically Beijing neighborhoods were set up as Hutongs - networks of crowded lanes and alleys that open into family courtyards and so forth. Now there aren't many Hutongs left but those that are are protected as historical sights. The families who live there allow tourists to basically wander in and out of the courtyards. Super cool. 

I forgot to mention that going back and forth from the Hutongs involved a fairly fabulous rickshaw ride. It may sound corny and the girls were concerned about someone pedaling them around (they felt bad) but the rickshaw drivers were hilarious and seemed to have fun racing each other. As a passenger you have zero control over your speed, but it was fun to pass others from the group as your driver dodged cars, mopeds, and other rickshaws to try to take the lead. The girls LOVED it and honestly T and I did too. We got to see some gorgeous areas of the city, including Qianhai Lake. 

Afterwards our hermetically sealed bus drove right back to the entrance of our hotel. Again - as much as I like to plan trips, there is definitely something to be said for this method. Now we are all fighting off the temptation to nap and about to head back to the shopping area to look for bargains and stay awake. 

Tomorrow is a big day - the Great Wall! Other than the girls' orphanage visits, this is what I have most looked forward to. 

Forks All Week

Sunday, June 19

First things first - we are safely here in Beijing. And for the first time in I don't know how many trips we've taken, not a single aspect went awry. We left for Dulles at 9:15 Saturday morning, thanks to our personal Über driver, Joe. I found it telling that both Joe and Tony independently referred to it as "Juber." 

At Dulles, our business class seats granted us entre to the United Club, my first - but hopefully not last experience there. We loved the cozy quiet area to relax and snack while waiting for our flight - which was 100% on time. Next we found our ridiculously nice business class seats and were treated like rock stars for the next 14 hours.

 

 Smooth flight - great food (as great as it can get on a plane in any case) - and a comfortable seat. What more could you possibly ask for? Oh - and I did get the answer to my hypothesis about it staying light during out entire flight - it did indeed. Here's a photo from above Baffin Sea - which does not look especially hospitable at this, or probably any other, time of year, So cool (pun intended).

 

We landed in Beijing at about 2:00pm (2am at home). It was just a completely different experience than our first two trips. Traveling for 14 rather than 24 hours makes a big difference. Beijing's airport is enormous and, for the most part, grossly under air conditioned. 96 degrees and we felt every bit of it as we stood in lines lasting over an hour. No big deal in the grand scheme. 

The girls' favorite moment came in the customs area when I was singled out from our family to have my suitcase xrayed. The girls asked why and T told them it was random. But then I told them that I had been the victim of racial profiling. They almost couldn't walk from laughing. Then they made the funniest connect of all, "they are going to hand you forks all week!" This is in reference to the countless times we have gone to Asian restaurants and everyone gets chopsticks except me. Unfair since I believe myself the most proficient of the four of us. 

 Outside the international arrivals were throngs of I am guessing 500 people, all trying to find their fares or loved ones. Lucky for us, our first guide in China, Henry, is very tall and we were easily able to spot our name on his sign. He got us situated and popped us into a car while he waited for two other families. The ride into Bejing proper was crowded but very smooth.

Our hotel is great and I'm stunned to discover we are just a few blocks from the Forbidden City. As tempted as I was to go take a peek, we restricted our late afternoon stroll to the amazing shopping area nearby. There are high end American stores adjacent to tiny Chinese market alleys. So cool. More hilarity ensued when a Chinese family pantomimed by pointing to their camera and then to me. I assumed they wanted me to take a photo of them Nope. They wanted a photo OF me with daughter. I made sure to make the classic Asian peace sign in the photo. The girls were dying. 

And while I encouraged them to sample some of the local fare (see one delicious example here)

 they instead opted for some Chinese candy and bubble tea. FYI - though not evident in the photo, those scorpions were still moving. : /

 

Finally we made our way back to our hotel and located an awesome dumpling shop recommended by Henry. As we stood in line, trying to choose our food, who walked up but the only person we currently know in Beijing - Henry himself - who was helping another heritage family get acclimated. There are eight families on this heritage tour with us - though people will be popping on and off the tour to do their orphanage visits based on location.

 

So now we are happily ensconced in our hotel room and trying to stay awake for a bit in order to get acclimated to the 12-hour time difference. Tomorrow we are off to the Temple of Heaven and then to visit a hutong. Hopefully we'll still have a shot at those scorpions if we change our minds.

I Really Should Be Packing...

Twelve short hours from now we will be well on our to China. This the third trip for T and me and the first (fingers crossed) without a major family crisis at its beginning. On our first trip, T's mother passed suddenly away just days before our departure. We attended her funeral in the morning and flew to China in the afternoon to adopt her first grandchild. Trip 2 was initially challenging when we learned that T could not fly with me because of a staph infection that required emergency surgery. He did catch up - on crutches - but it was not a good way to start a trip halfway around the world. 

Strangely, especially for someone who is a self-admitted OCD control freak, as we prepare for this trip, I am...weirdly calm. I have a theory...

We waited for Spring Flower for a very long time. So long, that I wore out several of the bracelets shown in the photo. When we finally had the chance to go and scoop her up, we were deliriously happy. Then, a few days later, we got on a bus for an hour-long drive back to the Fuzhou airport, from which we would fly to Guangzhou, from which we would ultimately, start our trip back to the U.S. 

On the bus, holding my beautiful new daughter, I was overwhelmed with sadness. Not for the wonderful life that I knew we would have together, but because with every mile that we drove, I took her one mile further away from what should have been her home. We drove for miles and miles and I just recall kissing her sweet head and promising her that someday I would bring her back. 

I may not be able to give her her birth family (though I will die trying), but I can let her touch the soil of her first home. I can show her where she lived for seven months. We can walk among the people who rightfully should have been her neighbors, friends, family. It may not be much, it may never be enough, but it's what I can do. Maybe that's why I feel calm and centered. 

So, tomorrow is the day we begin our journey - for both Spring Flower and Flying Sparrow. Our goal is to let them "touch their soil" but to also experience the extraordinary history and accomplishments of their forebears. I hope they will return home humbled...and proud. The goal for me is to try not to embarrass myself with being overly emotional. : /

Piece of Cake

Because I'm not already obsessing over the Looooong flight to China, my DH sent this thoughtful infographic to me today. What may look daunting to others is actually reassuring to me on several counts. First, our other trips to China required a pit stop on the west coast, equating to total travel time of nearly 24 hours. Second, I thought our current flight would take 15 hours, but WAIT! It's "only" 14! I mean, that's a cakewalk! 

Third, and most importantly, I will NOT be responsible for entertaining a baby or non-English speaking toddler at ANY point during the flight. Fourteen year olds who will most likely make every effort to ignore my existence? Perfect! You have my permission to stare at your devices for the entire flight. Flight attendant? Could I trouble you for a glass of Malbec? I mean, we're crossing 12 times zones so it'll probably be 5 o'clock at least four times during this flight.