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Tuesday December 14, 2004....Day 12.....
We were all up very early to go
to the Nanning Airport for our flight to Guangzhou, which is the last city of our trip. The flight was'nt bad.
Only about an hour long and Raelin was a dream. She laughed and played and babbled alot. She never cried or got
fussy, actually almost all of the babies traveled beautifully.
As soon as we arrived at the
White Swan Hotel we were not even allowed to check in. We went straight across the street to have the visa photo's taken
and then down the block for the physicals. They do three test's on the babies; a full body check, which the
doctor or nurse will document any abnormalities. The doctor showed us the purple rash on her buttocks which is a Mongolian
birth mark prevalent in Chinese children. When we first got her, she had them on each of her shoulders as well,
but as the week went by they faded somewhat. We also pointed out to the doctor the brown birth mark on the
side of her left temple, which is a Nevus and the doctor documented that too. The other test consisted of
checking their ears, nose and throats, this test is usually the worst for the babies because of the doctor using a tongue
depresser on them. This was the only time Raelin got a little fussy. During this test they also checked their
responses to sound. The last test was for height and weight, Raelin weighed in at 18.6 pounds and 74 cm.
By the time we were done, we were
starving so we went to Lucy's for lunch. It's a place that caters to the non-Chinese adoption families, having things
like hamburgers and french fries and other western dishes. We had cheese enchiladas, tuna salad sandwiches and the best
vegetarian spring rolls we've ever eaten. Our bill would be around 81 CYN (around 10 US) and we just left the 100 CYN.
At Lucy's they are quite used to the western custom of tipping and will even ask for it.
Wednesday December 15, 2004
Day 13
Our guide David took all
of our documents to the Consulate for review which let all the families sleep in, if possible. In the afternoon
we went to the Six Banyan Tree Temple, which was wonderful. At the end of the tour one of the Monks blessed the
babies at the base of the Goddess of Mercy, it was a great experience.
We were going to have an
afternoon of shopping but Raelin really wanted to nap so we went back to the hotel. Since she would be sleeping for
about an hour or so, we decided to order from Danny's Bagels. They are take-out only and have really good western food. By the time we received our food Raelin had already woken up and we were ready to go, so if your short on time, better
eat somewhere else or at least ask how long it will take. Regardless though, the food is well worth the wait,
we had cheese fries, pizza, mac-n-cheese, not all at one sitting, of course!
I think that this was
the evening that the entire group met at Lucy's for dinner. More vegetarian spring rolls, yum!
Thursday December
16, 2004 Day 14
Today was the day that
we went to the U.S. Consulate. We were unable to take photo's of any kind and were told not to bring anything with us.
Anyone who took a diaper bag or anything else had to leave it at the gate to be picked up later. We were the first group
of the day so we didnt have to wait but a few minutes and then the entire ceremony only lasted a couple of minutes.
Later in the day, David picked
up the visa's for all the babies and the rest of the day we were going to spend shopping.
No shopping yet.....we could not
get home by flying stand-by so we had to purchase E-tickets, only problem was, Raelin needed a paper ticket. So,
David took me to the China Hotel where there is a NorthWest ticketing office and we were able to get all of our tickets issued.
This actually turned out to be the wisest thing we did, trying to fly out of Guangzhou at 0700 was a nightmare and I
couldnt have imagined trying to do it stand-by.
By the time we made it back, it
was time for more meetings to pick up more paper work and such. Then dinner, Tony and I finially did our shopping around
2100 that night. David was walking around and saw us sometime before 2300 and just shook his head, he
wondered if we realized we had to be up at 0400.
Just a little advice for shopping
in Guangzhou. First, you'll get your better deals if you shop early, or if you shop late in the trip like we did,
lie. If they ask when you are leaving just say 'in three days' regardless of when your leaving. They know
you have time so they'll try to give you a great deal, but if your like us and are leaving in a few hours, you get what they
ask, which still is a great bargain. Also, not all items that you saw during your trip are you going to find in
Guangzhou, so if you see something you want, buy it, it may not be in Guangzhou and then you'll have to wait until
the next baby!
Friday December
17, 2004 Day 15
What a brutal
day this would end up being!!! We left the White Swan at a disgustinlgy early hour in the morning only to arrive
at the Airport with hundreds of other adoptive families. The airport was insane and we had to wait in huge lines
and by the time we were done with the ticket counter, security and trying to run through the terminal looking for our gate,
we just barely made it on the plane. The morning would not have been so hectic if we had left earlier, but
that didnt happen.
The flight from
Guangzhou to Tokyo was fine, very packed and a bit warm.
We would be in
Tokyo just a short time before leaving for Detroit. We were on purchased tickets so no first-class for us, yuk.
We did manage to have a very good flight anyway. We sat with this young guy who was in the U.S. military and
was heading home for a few weeks of vacation. The flight attendents who really liked us tried to get him to
move but he liked us too and didnt want to leave. It really didnt matter, he and I played and talked and watched movies
while Tony took care of Raelin. He was still her world at that time, so the only time I had her was when
he had to go to the bathroom. I dont think any of us slept the entire 17 hours, it was really starting to take
it's toll by the time we landed in Detroit in the afternoon.
In Detroit it took little to no
time to clear customs and then we had a six hour lay-over. We got a hotel room at the Hampton Inn for a few hours
of sleep and showers which really helped us make it the rest of the way home. We really knew we were back in the
States when we got to the gate to leave for Ft. Lauderdale. I have never seen such rude people before in my life, well
that is until I actually got on the plane and met even more hateful people. These people must really hate their jobs,
they were so rude to the passengers, I was just amazed. Tony and I work for an airline, we do know how it is, but I
had a hard time finding any sympathy. Then when we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale we were greeted by the queen of hateful
and bitchy! We were just glad to be home.
We would be up for the next few hours
with Raelin finally going to sleep at around 0600. Tony and I went to bed only to wake at 1600 and stumble and whine
through my 41st birthday. If we didnt have pictures, I dont think I'd ever think it happend!
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