Jeff & I are getting ready to go to China. We are leaving next Tuesday for San Francisco and then will go on Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong. We will then connect on Dragon Air to go to Guilin, which is
said to be one of the most beautiful and magical places in China. It
just so happens that Guilin is in the same province as Yulin, where
Kate is from. We will spend 4 nights in the Guilin area and take a Li
River cruise. I will take lots of pictures for everyone, but if you
want to see what Guilin looks like now, here is a photo website that
another traveller posted on the internet.
Guilin
Then, we will take a 40 minute flight from Guilin to Nanning, where
we will meet our babies. We get Kate on March 19, which is her
birthday! We will spend a week in Nanning and then finish the trip in
Guangzhou and finally Hong Kong. We return to the USA on April 2 and
then back home to Miami on April 3. Many of our family and friends
will meet us at the airport!!
The Flight To China - Saturday, March 9, 2002
Today the Fed Ex guy delivered my final travel packet before I leave
on Tuesday. So now I have my airline tickets and Kate's ticket home!
My travel fee was $300.00 less than what I had been told and had
planned for, so I am super happy! That's $300.00 extra I can spend in
China on pearls and silk and stuff! LOL I also worked on Kate's room
today, doing the final things I needed to do before she arrives home.
Now all I have to do is get the car seat in the car and I'm done. By
the way, I am going to post packing pictures, cause I think I might
be able to win some sort of award for this Carry-On Only thing!! Next
time I write it will be from China.
The Flight To China - Tuesday, March 12, 2002
On Tuesday, we finally set out for Miami International Airport at 10:00 am. First, we flew to San Francisco and then connected to our flight into Hong Kong, which departed around midnight. We flew on Cathay Pacific. Jeff & I were both really excited about our trip and finally getting Kate. The flight was great but very long! I slept a little and before we knew it we were flying over Japan and then into Hong Kong. We just could not believe we were almost there!
We Have Arrived! - Thursday, March 14, 2002
Two days later, on Thursday morning at 7:00 am we landed in Hong Kong! We had to connect to a flight into Guilin at 8:30. We had a wonderful journey over to China. All of the plane rides were
wonderful. The airport in Hong Kong is huge and very modern! Hong Kong was completely covered in a mist of pollution but we could still see the beautiful mountains. We flew to Guilin and after passing through customs, we met our guide John. He was wonderful! He had a van waiting for us and he explained many interesting things to us about our upcoming trip in Guilin. He also warned us to be very careful about pickpockets in Guilin. Good thing he did, as my brother went out for a walk and they attempted to pickpocket him 5 times in about an hour. This was the only place we had this problem and nowhere else we travelled to did we encounter this behavior. The crooks never actually got anything from my brother but it made him think, "Hey Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore"!
Guilin - Friday, March 15, , 2002
It is Friday morning and we are in Guilin at the GuiShan
Hotel. We just finished having breakfast and will meet up with our
guide in about 45 minutes. We will do a lot of sightseeing today,
including a trip to the Pearl Factory, which excites me to no end.
There is a lot of crime in this city. Jeff was almost pickpocketed 5
times in a short period by 4 different people. He did not let them
get a cent though! He has since decided thet he will not walk outside
anymore without our guide. The rest of the places we are visiting are
not like this. We should be able to walk freely without so much
worry. I miss my cats but am very happy to be here. We will be here
one more night and then move on to a beautiful village called
YangShuo. We will get there on a boat down the LiJiang River. I will
ake lots of photos, and video. So, we're off on our adventure for
today. I will write more later.
Guilin - March 15, 2002
On Friday, John saw to it that we were fed very well and he took us to a department store which was fun. We also went to the Pearl Factory, which was awesome! We bought lots of beautiful pearls. It was really fun!
The Li River Cruise- March 16, 2002
We boarded the boat for the Li River cruise headed to YangShao, which is a small town where the boat stops. The scenery on the cruise was beautiful and the food was yummy. We were becoming pros at using chopsticks which were what were always given to us first. In some restaurants you could ask for silverware, but we had more fun eating with the chopsticks. When we got to YangShao, we had to walk quite a long distance to the hotel, but it was through an outdoor market area so it didn't seem so bad. I cannot stress enough to pack light!! You have to carry everything you pack all over the place, not to mention ALL the stuff you buy! Our hotel was rustic. The beds were as hard as rocks and we asked for extra comforters to sleep on, which they gladly supplied. The worst thing about this hotel was that there was a live animal market right outside my window, and I hated hearing all the animals making noise, because my imagination wandered clear out of control.
YangShuo- March 17, 2002
The shopping in this little town is great! We also had the best massages ever! For a two hour massage, one hour for the feet, and one hour for your body, it was all of $6.00, with a dollar tip. Unbelievable! All we wanted to do was get massaged every single day! This is the only time on the 3-week trip that I got sick. I don't know why, but I had a horrible stomach ache. Thank God I had the Cipro antibiotic. After only one dose, and as much bottled water as I could drink, I was much better. If you get this bad diarrhea, do NOT take Immodium or anything like it. You don't want anything holding the sickness inside of you. Take the Cipro and let it and the water drive the "intruder" out of your body!
Nanning- March 18, 2002
We took a 45-minute flight from Guilin to Nanning and arrived in the city around 9:00 pm. We had a guide meet us and drive us to The Majestic Hotel. We made arrangements to arrive at The Majestic one day early so we could rest and fix up the room for when we got the babies. This is where we encountered our one and only huge problem in China. Apparently, the travel agency in China overbooked the rooms at The Majestic or something like that and we were told at the time of check-in that our group could not be accomodated past tonight and that we would be relocated to another hotel a few miles away. Well, I pitched a huge fit and told them to find us a room for the week as promised and finally, they did. We spoke to the manager who was really wonderful and felt really bad for us. Anyway, after much stress and upset we were insured our rooms throughout the week.
Nanning- March 19, 2002
Today, we had the famous Majestic breakfast, which was great! Then, we set eveything up in the room for the babies and went to get our hair washed at The Majestic Salon, which was in itself, a religious experience! We were to meet our daughters today in just a few hours. We were so happy and then the floor fell out from under us again. Our agency rep in China, a very nice young woman, called to say that our rooms at the other hotel had already been paid for by the travel agency and we had no choice but to move. I was so mad I cried for about an hour. I had a literal temper tantrum, which did nothing for my disposition, my situation, or the fact that now I only had about two hours to pack up the entire room and move 3 miles away before we were to meet our babies. It was awful, but everything turned out fine. They gave us suites but the hotel was run down and we were the only english speaking people there. No one spoke english so it wasn't easy. This hotel had great food, but ordering it was really difficult! Once we got the babies, my whole outlook on life changed drastically! I was so happy! In fact, I've never felt so good in my entire life. Kate was beautiful and she came to me without shedding a tear. She was playful and happy and wonderful. Her nanny, Tiang, Ting cried a lot and so did I, even though I was happy. It was bittersweet. We were told to take the babies to our rooms for about an hour, so I took the opportunity to give Kate a bath and change her to comfie, cotton jammies. It was also Kate's first birthday and the orphanage staff had bought a cake and brought presents for her. I invited them all to my suite and they sang "Happy Birthday" in English.
Kate's 1st Birthday Party in China with the Yulin SWI staff!
We all ate cake and they all admired the baby. This turned out to be the best day of my life! Kate loved her bathtime, and slept wonderfully. She was very happy the next morning when she woke up and she and I spent the majority of the week cooing and cuddling in the room. We played and played and bonded immediately.
Kate and her nanny Ting Ting on Gotcha Day!
Nanning- March 20, 2002
Kate and mommy had a wonderful night! I just could not believe I had this gorgeous baby right here in the crib next to me. What a wonderful feeling! Kate woke up happy and drank her formula bottle. She really enjoyed playing in front of the mirror. I taught her how to brush her teeth today. I gave her a little toothbrush and she copied me and brushed her four little teeth! I was so proud! Kate hasn't cried. She seems very happy and energetic. She is ready for the world! Thank you God! Vicky, our facilitator, walked us to the Nanning Dept. Store today to buy strollers. Let me tell you, all I can say is THANK GOD for strollers! I certainly wasn't accusomed to carrying an 18.5 lb. baby around, and after about an hour I was dying! The stroller was awesome and Kate liked it very much! She was happy to be outside but cried whenever we went in the hotel elevator!
Nanning- March 18-20, 2002
I apologize for not writing sooner but we lost electricity in the
little village and I couldn't post until we got to Nanning. Well, we
arrived at the Majestic one night early and were told after we
checked in that our group was moved to another hotel. I was
absolutely furious as this hotel is not the best. Anyway, we were
told to meet in the lobby at 6:30 to get our babies and that's what
we did. But when we got to the lobby, our guide told us to go back to
our room until she called, as the babies were late. Talk about labor
pains! LOL Anyway, we rec'd the call at about 6:50 pm and we all went
running to our guide's hotel room, video cameras ready and aimed. All
the babies were in our guide's room so it was very small and crowded.
I saw Ceci, Marie's baby first, then I saw Kate the Great in the back
of the room. I rushed over to her and she was so happy!!!! BUT...her
nanny started to cry when she handed her to me and then I started
crying a lot. Meanwhile, the beautiful one was smiling and playing.
The nanny had filled out my entire list of questions that Billy's
uncle did for me and also returned her little pink blanket doll and
the camera. They also gave me pictures of her with her nanny, and
presents, and they brought a beautiful pink heart birthday cake that
said Happy Birthday Xiao Qiao on it and candles for her bday. Later
we celebrated in the room and I invited all the nannys and the
orphanage director and we had a great time. They really love her a
lot and have taken excellent care of her! She is more beautiful and
charming in person. Hag & Martha- She NEVER cried once. Still hasn't.
She played and played and cooed and charmed the pants off of
everyone. She is a gem. I have yet to hear her cry ad we are on day
2. She went to all the appointments with us and has been playful and
happy. She took to me immediately and follows me with her eyes
whereever I go. She loves the bath and playing in the water and she
loves to look at herself in the mirror and play. She is constantly
holding her little stcaking cups, one in each hand and she puts tyhem
in her mouth and makes us all laugh a lot! She is a very funny baby!
Now she is sitting on Jeff's lap very nicely playing. I absolutely
adore her and so will you. She is perfect, even naked! She has a
light Mongolian Spot on the top of her butt but you can barely see
it. These are typical birthmarks on asian children that resemble
bruises. They are harmless and will fade in time. She is just
beginning to sip her bottle and Baci is sure to have some competition
with BaBas! LOL She coos and cuddles with me and is very strong and
good with her hands. She is not at all developmentally delayed! She
is perfect and you willsee when I get home. so, all is well in china
but we are ready to come HOME!! I miss you all and my bad boy! He
crossed the street?? I have presents for everyone and cannot wait to
see you and more importantly for you to meet the Great One! Love and
Kisses. We are going to play in the tub with toys and take a nap. By
the way, Martha & Hag and all you other doubting Thomases, she slept
without making a peep all night long until 7:30 this morning. She
sucks both thumbs and her first finger interchangeably. She is an
equal opportunity thumb sucker! LOL Everyone here in China loves her
and wants to hold her wherever we go. Its lots of fun! Bye for now!
Wendy, Kate, & Jeff
Nanning- March 21, 2002
Well last night she cried, but only because I walked out of the room into the bathroom. It was so cute. As soon as I came back in she stopped. As long as Jeff is in the room she doesn't cry when I leave but God forbid I leave her alone for a second! So that's her new thing...she cries when she cant see me. Such a charming child! She loves music and she moves her body a lot. We are still waiting for a poop. LOL I taught her how to give kisses last night and she does it sometimes! She is doing great, sleeping well, eating some and just happy as a clam. I am going to try and send pictures if I can. Anyway, we are going up for a bath and a nap. See ya soon and miss you all! Today we went to a really pretty park where a show was put on by the many different minority groups representing Guangxi. The babies loved it because there was music and lots of bright colors. We also went into a neat museum where we met three young girls who were visiting the museum for fun. They spoke very little English and were quite excited to try it out on us. They loved the babies and wanted to hold them. We took pictures of all of them. It was a very happy day! We also spent a lot of time inside getting used to our babies! That was my favorite part. Kate and I played a lot! We went down to the business center and emailed everyone at home. We tried to do this once a day and it wasn't that expensive and well worth it!
Nanning- March 22, 2002
Today is Friday in Nanning and Kate is bonding with me more and more each day. This city is very polluted and crowded. Nanning has the most motorbikes and scooters out of any city in the whole world! It is just a sea of motor scooters! Unbelievable! We went to a mountain today and many Chinese people wanted to have a picture taken with me and Kate. She has learned to drink from her bottles really well and continues to be an exceedingly happy baby! Jeff and I just cannot believe how cute and how good she is. We had four babies in our travel group all together. They are all adjusting well and seem happy. Today one of the other babies was standing up holding onto my leg and Kate got jealous. She got a big frown on her face and stretched both of her little arms up towards me and needed me to pick her up immediately. When I did, she was all smiles. Wait til you guys see the smile on this one. She is so cute! We are one more day closer to being home with everyone! Can't wait to see you all (and my baby Baci)!
Love,
Wendy
Nanning- March 23, 2002
Today is Saturday and we are doing great. Kate is a super traveller.
She continues to be very agreeable and not opposed to anything but
wearing hats! LOL She finally had a poop and that made me very happy!
Funny what things make a new mommy happy! We went to see a show done
by one of the minority groups and they danced, sang, and played
really cool instruments. Of course, Kate being the musically
inclined baby that she seems to be, danced, sang, and clapped her
hands right along. She kinda stole the show! We are going to The
People's Park tomorrow which should be fun. Then on Monday we will
receive the babies' Chinese passports. We leave for Guangzhou
(Canton) in the very south of China on Tuesday, my birthday. We will
be there until Sunday and then we will fly to Hong Kong for the final
leg of our long journey for Kate. We will be home on Wednesday, April
3rd. I can't wait for all of you to see this charming beauty. She is
really something else and super funny, too. Miss you all!
Love,
Wendy
Nanning- March 24, 2002
At breakfast this morning I got a marriage proposal...I kid you not! There was
a group of people having breakfast next to us and the girls were staring at
Kate and smiling for a while. Finally one of the girls came over and wanted
toplay with Kate and she asked me if Kate was my baby. I said yes and she asked
me if Jeff was my husband, all in broken english. I told her no and she asked
me if I had a husband and I said no.
She then went back to the table. About 15 minutes later, sher eturned and told
me that her friend at the table (a chinese business man) wanted her to ask me
if I would like to stay in China and that he would take care of me and the
baby. I said no that I was leaving back to the USA. She said again that her
freind really wanted me to stay in China so he could take care of us. It was so
funny and of course I am now the weekly joke in our group. I graciously
declined and the man smiled and looked a bit embarrases, but all in all, it was
quite cute! Today, we went to a blind massage parlor, where most of the people
doing massage are blind. I had a blind man called # 9 who was awesome. Best
massage I have ever had in my ENTIRE life! I definitely wanna take # 9 home
with me. It was an hour long and he did a lot of accupressure. The cost?
$3.50!!!! Can't get any better than that! Kate is sitting here next to me
charming the manager of the business center. He knows her by name and talks and
coos with her in Chinese. She of course talks right back! It is milkie baba
time for her so we are going back to the room. Talk to you all soon!
Wendy
Leaving Nanning- March 26, 2002
Well, we woke up at 6 am to go to the airport and catch a flight to Guangzhou
whihc is about an hour and 10 minutes away. It was Kate's first time on an
airplane and she did great! She didn't cry at all and her ears did not hurt.
She played and played the whole time. Then, we made it to the "Baby Depot"
Hotel, the White Swan. The rooms are small but really elegant. Of course we
couldn't get by without some sort of problem which has turned out to be that
The White Swan ran out of baby cribs for the rooms and we had to make a bed on
the floor for Kate. Of course I was not very happy about this but they
promised a crib for tomorrow. Hopefully we will all get some sleep tonight. We
just finished taking the babies to the doctor for their medical exam for their
visas. All of them were sound asleep by the time we got there. They weighed
Kate first and they layed her in that little bucket like thing on her side and
she was sound asleep. She looked so cute that all the doctors and nurses and
people in the waiting room stopped to look at her. She weighs 18 lbs and is 27
inches long. She was very good for the doctors who looked in her ears and throat, checked her heartbeat and breathing and palpated her tummy. She smiled and the doctor loved her. He said she appeared to be very healthy, which I already knew! LOL I of course, have caught a horrendous cold and have already requested 3 extra boxes of tissues from the hotel staff. I hope Kate doesn't get the cold but it might happen. We come home next Wednesday, one week away! Today is my birthday and we are going to have a special dinner with our group at The Hard Rock Cafe in Guangzhou. I miss Baci a lot!! Talk to you all again soon. We have a poopie diaper that needs immediate attention! Love to all-
Guangzhou- March 28, 2002
Well, all the papers are signed, sealed, and delivered, and Kate is completely
and totally a Harrison now! Our travel group left today and we leave day after
tomorrow on Easter Sunday. We will stay in Hong Kong for two days and then head
home. Kate is still doing wonderfully! She is a very happy baby. She's getting
better and better at brushing her teeth with her little baby toothbrush and
blowing kisses by sucking in her cheeks like a fish. It is very funny. She ate
really well last night, broccoli, fish, and rice. I had all my film developed
here in Guangzhou and got some great pics. Can't wait to see everyone. If you
can, meet us at Miami Intn'l on Wednesday Apr. 3 at 3:10pm. Bye for now!
Hong Kong - April 2, 2002
Jeff and I are sitting here in Hong Kong in the Business Class Lounge where
they have a whole room filled with awesome computers and we can use them for
free. Our flight leaves in one hour so we have to go check in at the gate in 30
minutes. Our trip has been wonderful, but we are happy to come home. We arrive
in San Francisco today, Tuesday, April 2 at 1:00 pm. We gain a whole day coming
home. Today when we land, Kate will automatically become an American citizen.
Yippee!! She is sitting here with me being very good, having some rice crackers
and a bottle! What could be better? As long as she stays quiet, I'm happy! All
the businessmen would not appreciate a fussy baby right now, I'm sure! LOL
We arrive on an American Airlines flight into Miami at 3:05 pm. I dont know the
flight # but call Pat if you have questions and want to come meet us. We can't
wait to see all of you. I bought a beautiful dress and shoes for Kate to wear
on her arrival into Miami. See you tomorrow!
Love,
Wendy, Jeff & Kate
San Francisco - April 2, 2002
We arrived in San Frnacisco today and got to the hotel. We are staying at the Hampton Inn Airport and it is really a luxurious room. It is so nice to be home where you can drink water straight from the sink! We hired a driver to take us down to Fisherman's Wharf for a quick visit. We had a great time. It was cold and windy and wonderful! We saw the seals and Kate was quite fascinated by the noise coming out of them. We had dinner at a nice restaurant with a wonderful view of The Golden Gate Bridge. Kate behaved like an angel. She continues to command a great deal of attention from everyone! We are going to be home tomorrow!
Back Home to Miami - April 3, 2002
We woke up at the crack of dawn to get to the airport in time for our flight home. It was a long flight and Kate slept a lot. Did I mention how good she is? LOL When we got off the plane we were completely crazy with excitement at seeing our friends and family! Kate was in her stroller as we walked down the terminal and there they were....our friends and family...waiting with great excitement. I had jet lag so badly, I didnt realize what a big group there was. Pat directed us out to the parking lot where a beautiful stretch limosine was waiting to take us home. We had a glass of champagne and everyone ooed and awed over Kate. It was great. Then the limo pulled up at the school and the entire staff was there to greet us! How magnificent was that? WE had a party and Kate went to everyone. She was happy and tired. She fell asleep in her crib in her room and was very happy! I was even more happy to see her in her own bed, in her own room, in our home! Words just do not do it justice!
For those of you who would like to plan a side trip while in China, click on the picture below to access Lotus Tours, the best agency for China travel!
