Day 8 - in transit to Guangzhou
Today was a travel day. We received Salem's Chinese passport and her final Hague Convention documents this morning, and that's all we needed to move on to Guangzhou. We said goodbye to our friendly hotel staff (they let us keep the bib from the Galactic Hotel) and our great Bethany field rep, Cabbeen. Cabbeen looks like a villain from a James Bond movie when he looks serious, but he's a great guy with a good sense of humor.
The airport was easy. I had to dump my thermos of hot water before clearing security, but not a problem! They have free boiling water dispensers in the airport. These folks take their tea and noodles seriously, and it makes bottle making easy. We got to visit with a family from New Mexico that we met in town. They'll be at another hotel in Guangzhou but we'd love to meet up again. Salem really enjoys their daughter Paige, though most 2 year olds don't have much interest in babies putting their hands on their faces.
The airplane ride was a little more difficult. We got a snapshot of what the return flight will be like. The seats on China Eastern are more snug than the ones we flew over in. When the cabin pressurized, Salem had a very hard time. She cried for about ten minutes, even screaming at one point, until she fell asleep in Amy's bundle. We were trying to think of anything to get her ears to pop, but she wouldn't take anything to eat or drink. Her exhaustion finally ended her discomfort, and she slept for over 45 minutes of the 90 minute flight. When we got on the ground, we reshuffled our bags and headed out. We were met by a nice lady with my name on a sign. She escorted us and our Pabst Blue Ribbon luggage cart to the road. Normally we are met by our Bethany rep, so when this lady put us in a van, closed the door without saying a word, and left, we were puzzled. As the van driver pulled away, we were left to assume two things. One, we guess this driver knows where we are going, because he speaks no English. We tried to throw him some conversation softballs, but he didn't swing once. Second, we assumed our airport hostess had another ride to wherever she's going. Sure enough, our driver took us right to the China Hotel Marriott.
The transition from Nanchang to Guangzhou is striking. Guangzhou is a much more diverse place, and they are more wired for westerners (and outsiders in general). At first glance, it appears to be a much wealthier city. Of course, our hotel is adoption central. Every week, dozens of folks are here because of the need to visit the US consulate as part of the adoption and immigration process. This week is no different. We've already met four other families in addition to our ragtag Bethany crew. We caught up with Mark & April and Loren & Michelle next door at McDonalds over an all too late dinner. Grilled Chicken sandwich: way below average. Chicken nuggets: better than home. The winning order goes to Amy. All our girls were beautiful and tired, but it was great to meet the newest family members of our newest friends. Everyone was so tired, I didn't bother taking a picture of the group. We'll have a chance to visit and catch up more tomorrow when we travel to get medical reviews and tests for the girls. Please pray that Salem, Quinn and Daifu roll with the punches with as much patience as possible.
Mark and April have bragged about the French toast on the breakfast bar, so we'll meet them downstairs in about seven hours. Salem is tucked into the hotel's pack and play and Amy is fast asleep. Maybe I'll share some of the interesting features of Chinese hotels tomorrow. I know that's the real reason you're reading this blog - obscure travel notes. But who am I kidding? You're here to see pics of Amy holding Salem, and I've got plenty of them. Good night, y'all.
Today was a travel day. We received Salem's Chinese passport and her final Hague Convention documents this morning, and that's all we needed to move on to Guangzhou. We said goodbye to our friendly hotel staff (they let us keep the bib from the Galactic Hotel) and our great Bethany field rep, Cabbeen. Cabbeen looks like a villain from a James Bond movie when he looks serious, but he's a great guy with a good sense of humor. 
The airport was easy. I had to dump my thermos of hot water before clearing security, but not a problem! They have free boiling water dispensers in the airport. These folks take their tea and noodles seriously, and it makes bottle making easy. We got to visit with a family from New Mexico that we met in town. They'll be at another hotel in Guangzhou but we'd love to meet up again. Salem really enjoys their daughter Paige, though most 2 year olds don't have much interest in babies putting their hands on their faces.
The airplane ride was a little more difficult. We got a snapshot of what the return flight will be like. The seats on China Eastern are more snug than the ones we flew over in. When the cabin pressurized, Salem had a very hard time. She cried for about ten minutes, even screaming at one point, until she fell asleep in Amy's bundle. We were trying to think of anything to get her ears to pop, but she wouldn't take anything to eat or drink. Her exhaustion finally ended her discomfort, and she slept for over 45 minutes of the 90 minute flight. When we got on the ground, we reshuffled our bags and headed out. We were met by a nice lady with my name on a sign. She escorted us and our Pabst Blue Ribbon luggage cart to the road. Normally we are met by our Bethany rep, so when this lady put us in a van, closed the door without saying a word, and left, we were puzzled. As the van driver pulled away, we were left to assume two things. One, we guess this driver knows where we are going, because he speaks no English. We tried to throw him some conversation softballs, but he didn't swing once. Second, we assumed our airport hostess had another ride to wherever she's going. Sure enough, our driver took us right to the China Hotel Marriott.
The transition from Nanchang to Guangzhou is striking. Guangzhou is a much more diverse place, and they are more wired for westerners (and outsiders in general). At first glance, it appears to be a much wealthier city. Of course, our hotel is adoption central. Every week, dozens of folks are here because of the need to visit the US consulate as part of the adoption and immigration process. This week is no different. We've already met four other families in addition to our ragtag Bethany crew. We caught up with Mark & April and Loren & Michelle next door at McDonalds over an all too late dinner. Grilled Chicken sandwich: way below average. Chicken nuggets: better than home. The winning order goes to Amy. All our girls were beautiful and tired, but it was great to meet the newest family members of our newest friends. Everyone was so tired, I didn't bother taking a picture of the group. We'll have a chance to visit and catch up more tomorrow when we travel to get medical reviews and tests for the girls. Please pray that Salem, Quinn and Daifu roll with the punches with as much patience as possible.
Mark and April have bragged about the French toast on the breakfast bar, so we'll meet them downstairs in about seven hours. Salem is tucked into the hotel's pack and play and Amy is fast asleep. Maybe I'll share some of the interesting features of Chinese hotels tomorrow. I know that's the real reason you're reading this blog - obscure travel notes. But who am I kidding? You're here to see pics of Amy holding Salem, and I've got plenty of them. Good night, y'all.
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