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. 

Pre-China Test Post

 

Testing 123

Fiumicino Finale

June 28 You know what's not good? Being woken at 4:30am by your ringing mobile phone when you have a morning flight to catch. Ugh. I picked it up, only to be hit, half-awake, with a charming recorded message informing me that our 11am departure was now a 2:30pm departure. Crap. I tried hard to get back to sleep and had just pulled it off when at about 6:30 I received another recorded message that it was now an even later departure - 3:15. BUT that this situation could change at any time, so we still needed to appear as if the flight were still 11.

Our car got us there in record time so we entered Fiumicini Airport at about 8:30am. We were greeted with an enormous line at the United counter and lots of disgruntled passengers who were just discovering that their flight was almost five hours behind schedule. While in line, Mr."Never Forgets a Face" Tony sees a guy that he swears he recognizes, but just can't place. I think it was good that the line was long and slow - ditto for the security line - so that by the time we reached the gate we were faced with a mere five and a half additional hours of waiting.



Tony catches a few Zs in the Fiumicino Airport.

We had consoled ourselves with visions of fabulous shopping opportunities at the gate but the reality was that of the approximately 15 shopping establishments in the G concourse, at least ten were super high-end such as Dolce & Gabbana and Prada. The one store we really liked was a food store, where Sam and I made several last-minute purchases of pesto, sauce, and pasta. After spending a good 20 minutes fighting our way through two separate lines for a late breakfast, we settled into a corner to try to find ways to pass the time. Sam and I talked, read books, and people watched while the girls played video games. Tony, who had already demonstrated his uncanny ability to sleep anywhere, any time, stretched out on the airport floor and...slept. Upon awaking, he again spotted the familiar face and it suddenly occurs to him that it's the Ravens' Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron. He decides to go over and chat.

The next seven hours were a blur of wandering, waiting, shopping, and eating. Finally, at about 3:30, our flight was called and we were allowed to board the plane. The flight was long, but fine. Sooo hard to sit on a nine-hour flight after sitting for almost eight hours at the airport. But by then, we were just thrilled to be on our way. Other than some fairly significant turbulence (bad enough for the pilots to make the flight attendants strap in) I can't complain. Upon arrival at Dulles (so happy to be on Virginia soil) we still had to endure the further "herding" involved in the "mobile lounges," passport control, and customs. That took a good half hour. I had texted Joe, who had agreed to pick us up, when we landed and told him that I would text again once we cleared Customs so he would know when to leave home. Right after Customs I texted "now" just as we walked into the International Arrivals area. We moved through the crowd and as the last of our group, I was the only one to notice Joe, who was already in the airport, in the crowd, and holding up a sign that said "de la Paz." I don't know when I've ever been happier to see him. He ushered us out to my car and drove us home in short order. Blissful!

What Do Papal Opulence and Flea Markets Have in Common?

June 27 Answer: we enjoyed both today. Being a bit OCD (what? You hadn't noticed?) I had the troops out the door at 8am sharp to make our 9am reservation at the Vatican Museum. We walked to the Termini Metro stop (down three levels - ugh) for a relatively easy (and air conditioned!!) ride to the Ottoviani stop and then had a ten-minute walk to the museum. It was SO nice to walk past literally hundreds of people waiting in line for tickets. Thanks to Rick Steves we breezed right in the front door to exchange our voucher for tickets.

We loved the Vatican Museum. Really interesting exhibits with English translations. Even the girls were interested. Beautiful surroundings. We took our time, despite the ever-increasing number of annoying tour groups. The Sistine Chapel was something I have looked forward to seeing for more than 30 years and it did not disappoint. Again, thanks to Rick Steves, we avoided the enormous St Peter's Basilica line by using the "shortcut" between the Museum and Basilica - which also saved us a 20-minute walk. The Basilica was just gorgeous. The way it tricks the human eye into thinking it's smaller than it really is is quite remarkable. Upon emerging from the Basilica, we caught sight of the hundreds of people waiting in line in the heat. I felt bad - but also a little superior for doing my homework. Is that bad?

Strolling through St. Peter's Square.

We worked our way through the square and then slowly back to the Metro - stopping for lunch along the way. We decided to take the Metro to San Giorgio, where there is a huge section of old Roman wall as well as a huge flea market. We had SO much fun at the market. Really great finds and the girls had a blast haggling for the best prices for things. Very little cost more than four euros! After shopping we walked back to our apartment via the Colisseum. It happened to be the shortest route, but I didn't mind seeing it again.

Next, we took yet another "siesta" that allowed us to do some packing, clean up the apartment, and buy some fresh bread for another of our famous scavenger dinners. After dinner, we took a ten-minute walk to meet a family whose daughter was adopted at the same time and from the same orphanage as Sydney. Because they live in Georgia, we have not seen them since the girls' adoption in 2005. As Joe pointed out, we have now seen them on two continents and neither one is North America. In any case, Syd and Claire really seemed to enjoy catching up with Sophia as did the parents and the older sisters. It was just really cool to see the girls together and try to wrap our heads around how much (and how beautifully) they have grown since their days in Maonan. Ying-Mei and Ying-Yan have come a very long way indeed.

Meeting up with Sophia in Rome!

As have we, and now, it's time for us to wrap up our adventure and head home. It's been an incredible experience that I feel extraordinarily fortunate to have experienced. Thanks to all who have listened to my ramblings.