We love Shamian Island!!
The weather here is great, the buildings are beautiful and of course the people are very nice. Not as much staring here!
We completed all of the paperwork and did the Medical visit was a breeze. Weight,Height and a cursory glance and you are done.... We did realize that we don't have Aric's vaccination record and I would definitely like to have that.
We were given a lot of information from throughout his earlier years with pictures. That is awesome and we will have to have this translated.
We ate at a traditional Cantonese Chinese restaurant a few doors down from the hotel. This was an experience. When you walk in there are several tanks with Lobster, fist, Conch, Snail and at the far end there were 2 snakes in a tank and they were fighting and biting each other.
They seem to use every part of an animal - nothing goes to waste. I am an almost vegetarian as it is. If I think about what it is while/before I eat I can't eat it. Well small pigeons full size on the plate cooked. The whole pig - face and all. Duck whole..... We did try some different items, not to far out there.
Oh and they charge for tea for everyone at the table wether you drink tea or not. They also charge for napkins,which is a wet one indivually wrapped. And they served us a pickled vegetable dish and you get charged for this. Just an FYI for those traveling soon.
Lots of stores to shop at and we did a bit today. They are very nice, I don't like the haggling poriton of this. I was told by another Adoptive parent that if you go over the bridge into Guandong that the prices are cheaper than here. We have a free day tomorrow so we are going over the bridge!
We finished the day with a late dinner at Cow and Bridge - the menu is extensive! I was really enjoying my Spring Roll until I saw an unidentified piece of meat - I know I am a weirdo about it, but I didn't and don't know what it was. Oh well....
Off to bed soon, gotta get the boys down.
Sorry I couldn't post what I got - they are Christmas presents - right kids?? :)
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Guangzhou travel day
Well another Ground Hog day here in Chongqing. Breakfast went better than it has. Aric actually will cry out if you don't get him his food fast enough and he will eat off other's plates - those two things had improved by the end today. Yea!
We got his passport and a picture album from CAB. Had to make a quick run to the grocery store for some more "jellies" a candy that they both love and we are hoping to bring some back for the other kiddos.
We had a quick bite to eat after going thru security. (thomas the tank always requires a second run thru security) We ate at a place called Flavor Tang. We had to point at the pictures cause of course we can't read Chinese and they don't speak English that well. We both chose well!!
The flight was a little turbulent but really not bad. We met our new guide and off to Shamian Island and the Victory. We love this area - it is so beautiful and also love the room. It is big. :)
We walked to Lucy's and ate dinner outside - it was wonderful.
Getting ready to go to meet for the Medical Checkup and Visa.
We got his passport and a picture album from CAB. Had to make a quick run to the grocery store for some more "jellies" a candy that they both love and we are hoping to bring some back for the other kiddos.
We had a quick bite to eat after going thru security. (thomas the tank always requires a second run thru security) We ate at a place called Flavor Tang. We had to point at the pictures cause of course we can't read Chinese and they don't speak English that well. We both chose well!!
The flight was a little turbulent but really not bad. We met our new guide and off to Shamian Island and the Victory. We love this area - it is so beautiful and also love the room. It is big. :)
We walked to Lucy's and ate dinner outside - it was wonderful.
Getting ready to go to meet for the Medical Checkup and Visa.
Chongqing Zoo
Today we went to the zoo. The boys really like this adventure!
Our guide asked Aric if he had ever been before and he said no.
Aric's favorite is the Panda - we learned that thru the guide. I'll have to say the language barrier is difficult. I really wish we could understand all his excited ramblings. It was nice when there was someone to translate for us.
Alex's favorite was the giraffes. It was a unique set up where there was glass and the could go inside and out but you could really see them close up. There was also Hippo's a Mom and baby. Boy those are big animals.
We tried to get the kids back so we can get them on a "schedule" of sorts. Then after they napped we went out and about. It is interesting just to walk around here.
The driving is crazy, traffic signals are next to non-existant, and people just walk in between the moving cars and there is a lot of beeping of horns.
Our room was hot most of the time and this is not even the hot season. We are staying at the Marriott and it is a very nice hotel, but NO air conditioning. UGH! So we opened the window and outside our window they are doing construction and this one machine that is very annoying goes on alllll daaay long and alll night long. Literally it didn't stop until after midnight. There is a lot of smog in this city of 30 million people. This city is the size of Beijing and Shanghai combined. LOTS of people.
So with the window open I had terrible allergies and there is lots of cigarette smoke everywhere. Wah!! I miss clean air for sure.
Looking forward to going to Guangzhou with it's wonderful temperatures and sunshine.
Oh yeah - very little in the way of sunshine here. It is grey.
Our guide asked Aric if he had ever been before and he said no.
Aric's favorite is the Panda - we learned that thru the guide. I'll have to say the language barrier is difficult. I really wish we could understand all his excited ramblings. It was nice when there was someone to translate for us.
Alex's favorite was the giraffes. It was a unique set up where there was glass and the could go inside and out but you could really see them close up. There was also Hippo's a Mom and baby. Boy those are big animals.
We tried to get the kids back so we can get them on a "schedule" of sorts. Then after they napped we went out and about. It is interesting just to walk around here.
The driving is crazy, traffic signals are next to non-existant, and people just walk in between the moving cars and there is a lot of beeping of horns.
Our room was hot most of the time and this is not even the hot season. We are staying at the Marriott and it is a very nice hotel, but NO air conditioning. UGH! So we opened the window and outside our window they are doing construction and this one machine that is very annoying goes on alllll daaay long and alll night long. Literally it didn't stop until after midnight. There is a lot of smog in this city of 30 million people. This city is the size of Beijing and Shanghai combined. LOTS of people.
So with the window open I had terrible allergies and there is lots of cigarette smoke everywhere. Wah!! I miss clean air for sure.
Looking forward to going to Guangzhou with it's wonderful temperatures and sunshine.
Oh yeah - very little in the way of sunshine here. It is grey.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
About the pics
The one picture is just of a guy we saw -which you see a lot of here - carrying something in that manner.
I would have loved to have gotten pictures of the little kids, about 1 - 2 years old with their split pants. They are being potty trained and go potty at the trees and grates. Yeah...
They say that Chongqing has the nickname "Foggy City" it starts gray and ends gray. LOL
The one of the boys in the car.
Then us on the Rope Bridge - if you look closely it has braiding on the sides like a rope. While we were on the bridge our guide tell us the bridge is 300 years old. :)
Also at the park, we didn't get pictures of this, but we heard music and asked about it. There were people singing Karaoke under a shelter in the park. They were playing music with a keyboardist and It wasn't exactly American style Karaoke. There were people dancing while she sang. According to our guide it is really big here!!
I would have loved to have gotten pictures of the little kids, about 1 - 2 years old with their split pants. They are being potty trained and go potty at the trees and grates. Yeah...
They say that Chongqing has the nickname "Foggy City" it starts gray and ends gray. LOL
The one of the boys in the car.
Then us on the Rope Bridge - if you look closely it has braiding on the sides like a rope. While we were on the bridge our guide tell us the bridge is 300 years old. :)
Also at the park, we didn't get pictures of this, but we heard music and asked about it. There were people singing Karaoke under a shelter in the park. They were playing music with a keyboardist and It wasn't exactly American style Karaoke. There were people dancing while she sang. According to our guide it is really big here!!
Elgin Park
Hi all,
Sorry it's been awhile. These 2 guys are a lot to keep up with. :)
Yesterday we went to Elgin Park and I believe it is the highest point in the city. It was fun, there were little cars that the boys could drive and they had a blast. We had some people walk up to us (they stare quite a bit!!!) because our guide was with us. They were very nice and told us how lucky we were to have 2 boys.
We also went to a Tea House and participated in a tea ceremony. We weren't sure how the boys would do but they did well. The lady conducting the Tea Ceremony was very nice and funny and interacted with the boys well. He Jin was really into the Chocolate tea biscuits they served, he grabbed all of those in his hand right away. Everyone there was very nice and just kept serving him more.
We went to McDonalds and I ordered a Chicken Sandwich - it was way too hot to eat. The fries and coke were the same. I ordered Diet but oh well. Aric ate one bite of fry and spit that back out. He didn't like those. Or anything else - of course I think he was full of tea biscuits.
Later we went swimming and Alex and Aric had a blast.
We are off to breakfast soon, it feels a bit like GroundHog Day. While it's nice in some respects we are really tired of being in a hotel room.
Off to post pictures.
Sorry it's been awhile. These 2 guys are a lot to keep up with. :)
Yesterday we went to Elgin Park and I believe it is the highest point in the city. It was fun, there were little cars that the boys could drive and they had a blast. We had some people walk up to us (they stare quite a bit!!!) because our guide was with us. They were very nice and told us how lucky we were to have 2 boys.
We also went to a Tea House and participated in a tea ceremony. We weren't sure how the boys would do but they did well. The lady conducting the Tea Ceremony was very nice and funny and interacted with the boys well. He Jin was really into the Chocolate tea biscuits they served, he grabbed all of those in his hand right away. Everyone there was very nice and just kept serving him more.
We went to McDonalds and I ordered a Chicken Sandwich - it was way too hot to eat. The fries and coke were the same. I ordered Diet but oh well. Aric ate one bite of fry and spit that back out. He didn't like those. Or anything else - of course I think he was full of tea biscuits.
Later we went swimming and Alex and Aric had a blast.
We are off to breakfast soon, it feels a bit like GroundHog Day. While it's nice in some respects we are really tired of being in a hotel room.
Off to post pictures.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Civil Affairs Bureau
Today was spent taking care of the necessary paperwork and going to the CAB to complete our adoption and take our oath.
Dave and our guide went to the bank to exchange money and while they were I called the kids via iChat back home. I knew they wanted to see Aric more. Well he and Alex put on a show for them and it was a lot of sibling rivalry. Not sure what the other kids thought about that!!
Then on to the CAB, it was a 20 minute ride. I don't think Dave and I will stop being amazed at the traffic and how there are not lots more accidents! It would cause serious road rage back home. They don't get upset here, or don't seem too. And you wouldn't want to drive without your horn. Our guide is an excellent driver and I think he takes it easy with us in the car. :)
When we arrived at the CAB, it is a new office and very modern. There was another couple ahead of us. It went fairly quickly, thankfully so cause with no naps the boys were not great "waiters." They did excellent though. Alex had a couple of melt downs cause Aric wanted to sit in my lap. After he noticed it made Di Di cry, he was laughing. He is mischevious.
The Assistant Director from the Orphanage came as part of the process. Aric looked very confused, but not too upset. She wanted to take a picture with him and he was reluctant about that part.
We took a family picture, then we processed the paper work, then another picture of us taking the oath. Aric loved the attention and Baba holding him. We had to do fingerprints and he liked that part a lot too.
We will get his passport on Friday before we leave along with the pictures.
We have some pictures and I will be uploading them soon. :)
Dave and our guide went to the bank to exchange money and while they were I called the kids via iChat back home. I knew they wanted to see Aric more. Well he and Alex put on a show for them and it was a lot of sibling rivalry. Not sure what the other kids thought about that!!
Then on to the CAB, it was a 20 minute ride. I don't think Dave and I will stop being amazed at the traffic and how there are not lots more accidents! It would cause serious road rage back home. They don't get upset here, or don't seem too. And you wouldn't want to drive without your horn. Our guide is an excellent driver and I think he takes it easy with us in the car. :)
When we arrived at the CAB, it is a new office and very modern. There was another couple ahead of us. It went fairly quickly, thankfully so cause with no naps the boys were not great "waiters." They did excellent though. Alex had a couple of melt downs cause Aric wanted to sit in my lap. After he noticed it made Di Di cry, he was laughing. He is mischevious.
The Assistant Director from the Orphanage came as part of the process. Aric looked very confused, but not too upset. She wanted to take a picture with him and he was reluctant about that part.
We took a family picture, then we processed the paper work, then another picture of us taking the oath. Aric loved the attention and Baba holding him. We had to do fingerprints and he liked that part a lot too.
We will get his passport on Friday before we leave along with the pictures.
We have some pictures and I will be uploading them soon. :)
Monday, December 8, 2008
Aric (He Jin) is with us!! :)
Sorry again on not posting pictures I will try again tonight.
We went to the SWI (orphanage) to pick up Aric, It was about a 40 minute drive and we got to see lots of the city which was nice. Alex fell asleep on the way over - he has jet lag and he is not the only one.
The SWI is a large place and very clean. We waited with Michael (our guide) until the Assistant Director came to accompany us inside. She is young and very nice. We went in the door of the building, up one flight of stairs and standing right outside the door with both of his Nannies was Aric. He was not looking very happy either.
We were very surprised to see how big he is! I think a lot had to do with the clothing he had on. Which we really didn't understand until later. His Nannies were talking to him and he had his Photo Book with all of our pictures in it. We knew this wasn't going to be easy. After a bit of cajoling by the nannies to look at us or talk to us - he would have nothing to do with us. And yesterday it seems he fell out of his bed and hurt his arm. :( It seems he likes to crawl out of his bed.
There were lots of other kiddos walking around. And Alex decided to share his Smarties candy with everyone - he was very popular. LOL He made himself right at home and started riding one of the little car toys they had.
We moved into Aric's room right across the hall and his bed was easy to spot because it had the red pillow we sent him.
We gave our gifts and also had brought some snacks for the kids. One of the Nannies got Aric and Alex a bag. That didn't quite soothe Aric either. We had already tried suckers, toys and everything else in his backpack.
When it was time to leave, our poor little (big) boy was grieving and didn't want to go. He cried and said no. The nannies walked us out and put him in the car with us and I got the brunt of his anger and confusion.
He was completely silent on the trip back to the hotel, our guide told him we were going to hotel and play and he calmed down. He fought going to sleep on the way back. And he was guarded once we got here.
But soon after getting back, he took out his book and showed us Baba and pointed to Dave and then Mama and pointed to me.
He LOVES to eat and we have had to put away all the food - every time he sees something he wants to eat or have it. This is to be expected I guess. We are learning. :)
He is in a great mood, he and Alex are starting to play together. He Jin (said Ho Jin) shares and now is into everything. We are going to decrease the sugar. I REALLY wish we could understand what he was saying he talks a lot now. He told me the numbers on the clock, which he got correct!! He seems very smart.
WE are going to have noodles in the room tonight and try to upload some pictures.
We went to the SWI (orphanage) to pick up Aric, It was about a 40 minute drive and we got to see lots of the city which was nice. Alex fell asleep on the way over - he has jet lag and he is not the only one.
The SWI is a large place and very clean. We waited with Michael (our guide) until the Assistant Director came to accompany us inside. She is young and very nice. We went in the door of the building, up one flight of stairs and standing right outside the door with both of his Nannies was Aric. He was not looking very happy either.
We were very surprised to see how big he is! I think a lot had to do with the clothing he had on. Which we really didn't understand until later. His Nannies were talking to him and he had his Photo Book with all of our pictures in it. We knew this wasn't going to be easy. After a bit of cajoling by the nannies to look at us or talk to us - he would have nothing to do with us. And yesterday it seems he fell out of his bed and hurt his arm. :( It seems he likes to crawl out of his bed.
There were lots of other kiddos walking around. And Alex decided to share his Smarties candy with everyone - he was very popular. LOL He made himself right at home and started riding one of the little car toys they had.
We moved into Aric's room right across the hall and his bed was easy to spot because it had the red pillow we sent him.
We gave our gifts and also had brought some snacks for the kids. One of the Nannies got Aric and Alex a bag. That didn't quite soothe Aric either. We had already tried suckers, toys and everything else in his backpack.
When it was time to leave, our poor little (big) boy was grieving and didn't want to go. He cried and said no. The nannies walked us out and put him in the car with us and I got the brunt of his anger and confusion.
He was completely silent on the trip back to the hotel, our guide told him we were going to hotel and play and he calmed down. He fought going to sleep on the way back. And he was guarded once we got here.
But soon after getting back, he took out his book and showed us Baba and pointed to Dave and then Mama and pointed to me.
He LOVES to eat and we have had to put away all the food - every time he sees something he wants to eat or have it. This is to be expected I guess. We are learning. :)
He is in a great mood, he and Alex are starting to play together. He Jin (said Ho Jin) shares and now is into everything. We are going to decrease the sugar. I REALLY wish we could understand what he was saying he talks a lot now. He told me the numbers on the clock, which he got correct!! He seems very smart.
WE are going to have noodles in the room tonight and try to upload some pictures.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
One more thing
I was surprised to find out that we will be getting Aric (Jin Jin) at the orphanage today!!
After talking with other CQ families we thought it was standard to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau, but Michael says that we will go there today.
That is different than I was thinking.
Rolling with it!
We are meeting in the hotel lobby at 9:00 to leave for pick up and he said that it would take 40 minutes to an hour because of traffic. Oh yeah - traffic laws and driving is so very different. I try just to close my eyes. Alex is enjoying his freedom out of his car seat. Lots of Audi's, VW's here.
Till later
After talking with other CQ families we thought it was standard to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau, but Michael says that we will go there today.
That is different than I was thinking.
Rolling with it!
We are meeting in the hotel lobby at 9:00 to leave for pick up and he said that it would take 40 minutes to an hour because of traffic. Oh yeah - traffic laws and driving is so very different. I try just to close my eyes. Alex is enjoying his freedom out of his car seat. Lots of Audi's, VW's here.
Till later
Hi from Chongqing!
We are Here!! And today is the day!!! How could we sleep anyway?
Sorry about the delay in posting, just got the internet figured out.
Hoping to get the adapter/converter (called a transformer by our hotel staff) figured out.
It is 6:20 or so here and we woke up, actually Alex woke up, at around 5:00 am. And once awake we couldn't seem to go back to sleep. :( Of course this is an improvement from last night's sleep, Alex woke up twice, the first time he went back to sleep and the second at around 3:00 we were just up.
The flights here were interesting! The first flight from Newark to Nashville was on a smaller than I like plane. Mostly everyone on it was surprised as there was hardly anywhere to put your bags the overhead compartments were very limited. The descent was really hard on Alex, I tried gum and drinking but he was not really having it. He gave me back the gum as though it made it worse.
He continued to flick his ear and I suspect an ear infection. :( Since he already has runny nose and cough.
The big plane ride was great. It wasn't as bad as I thought. I really like the bigger planes a lot better. We didn't do as much sleeping as we would all have liked, Alex was awesome and fell asleep for about 2 - 3 hours.
Thank you all so much for praying for our safe journey!! We couldn't have asked for better.
Beijing was great - the Rosedale Hotel was very nice! I hope to post pictures soon. It was beautifully decorated for Christmas and everyone there was so nice.
We saw the newer terminal 3 that was just built in Beijing and that was really nice and new. The weight on domestic flights - somehow I missed this is a total of all bags. You are allowed 20 kilos per person - so ours for 3 people was well under weight.
When we got to Chongqing (that flight was 2hours 15 minutes was uneventful!) Michael was there waiting for us and has been great! Chongqing is a beautiful city and looking out of our 28th story hotel window looks a lot like staying in Times Square. They do turn off all the lights at some point - not that I was up to see when. The lights on some of the buildings change colors too. It is a really fascinating city - there is a green interspersed in the city still -that was surprising. Hoping to be able to upload pictures to show you soon.
We went to the grocery store which was truly an experience. I remember reading on someone's blog about how there are so many people that work at the grocery stores and are there to help you. They are literally at the end of every aisle if not more.
Customer service is big here!! We ate dinner after we took a nap. (I think passed out was more like it, at least for Al & I!!)
We ate here in the hotel at a Japanese restaraunt - the food was great.
Going to get ready for the BIG day!!
Joy :)
Sorry about the delay in posting, just got the internet figured out.
Hoping to get the adapter/converter (called a transformer by our hotel staff) figured out.
It is 6:20 or so here and we woke up, actually Alex woke up, at around 5:00 am. And once awake we couldn't seem to go back to sleep. :( Of course this is an improvement from last night's sleep, Alex woke up twice, the first time he went back to sleep and the second at around 3:00 we were just up.
The flights here were interesting! The first flight from Newark to Nashville was on a smaller than I like plane. Mostly everyone on it was surprised as there was hardly anywhere to put your bags the overhead compartments were very limited. The descent was really hard on Alex, I tried gum and drinking but he was not really having it. He gave me back the gum as though it made it worse.
He continued to flick his ear and I suspect an ear infection. :( Since he already has runny nose and cough.
The big plane ride was great. It wasn't as bad as I thought. I really like the bigger planes a lot better. We didn't do as much sleeping as we would all have liked, Alex was awesome and fell asleep for about 2 - 3 hours.
Thank you all so much for praying for our safe journey!! We couldn't have asked for better.
Beijing was great - the Rosedale Hotel was very nice! I hope to post pictures soon. It was beautifully decorated for Christmas and everyone there was so nice.
We saw the newer terminal 3 that was just built in Beijing and that was really nice and new. The weight on domestic flights - somehow I missed this is a total of all bags. You are allowed 20 kilos per person - so ours for 3 people was well under weight.
When we got to Chongqing (that flight was 2hours 15 minutes was uneventful!) Michael was there waiting for us and has been great! Chongqing is a beautiful city and looking out of our 28th story hotel window looks a lot like staying in Times Square. They do turn off all the lights at some point - not that I was up to see when. The lights on some of the buildings change colors too. It is a really fascinating city - there is a green interspersed in the city still -that was surprising. Hoping to be able to upload pictures to show you soon.
We went to the grocery store which was truly an experience. I remember reading on someone's blog about how there are so many people that work at the grocery stores and are there to help you. They are literally at the end of every aisle if not more.
Customer service is big here!! We ate dinner after we took a nap. (I think passed out was more like it, at least for Al & I!!)
We ate here in the hotel at a Japanese restaraunt - the food was great.
Going to get ready for the BIG day!!
Joy :)
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