A passport, a passage, a place to rest, a place to remember

Friday - passport and passage

Friday began in Kunming, packing up to prepare for checking out.  Around noon we went out for some brief shopping, then returned, checked out, and went to lunch at the Bamboo forest.  We have learned how to order there and have really enjoyed this place. 

About 4pm Selena showed up with Ying's passport.  There are really 4 goals to this trip, a child, an adoption agreement, a Chinese passport, and a US visa.   Three down and on schedule - the home team is celebrating.     

Late Friday evening, we were shuttled to the spectacular Kunming airport for our flight to Guangzhou. The Kunming airport has only been open about 3 years.  Much like Beijing's new terminal, this place is really, really dramatic and really nice.  Aside from a couple beers to allay Carolyn's nerves, we weren't sure how to prepare Ying for her first airplane ride.  Fun and curiosity?  Nervousness and fear?  Nausea and vomiting?  She chose fun and curiosity, even fascination.  More celebrating. 

Regarding Chinese cities, each has it's character.  Beijing is the center of political power in China.  Much like DC you can feel the fierceness, might, history and legacy of the country there. And we've been told that Shanghai is the business capital in China. But Kunming is more frontier like - more of a western city on the edge of the mountains, the change from Beijing is much like leaving DC for a smaller western city in the states.  It's more, uhhh, rustic.  That's not really the right word because it's sub-tropical not desert and of course this is China. 

Whatever - Guangzhou is a port city close to Hong Kong.   The people here interact with other parts of the world frequently.   There is more western influence, more western culture available.  It doesn't seem so purely authentic China.  At this point in the trip that's OK, even welcome.  I would not have expected to find rest in a city of 16 million people, but because more western services are available, it's just easier to know what to expect.  Guangzhou is a place to rest for us.     

Saturday

Saturday we began with a visit to the Guangdong international travel medical office - the first step in the process to get a US visa.  They have moved this place off Shamian Island and near downtown.  It is far less crowded.  Each child goes through a pretty decent health screening, making sure the US doesn't import any diseases. Tuberculosis is quite prevalent here, so everyone going to the US gets tested. Ying definitely did not like the blood draw but recovered quickly.

We returned to have lunch at a noodle and rice place near the hotel - our new favorite venue.  Six entrée dishes, enough to feed the 8 of us, for 93 yuan, or ~15 US dollars.  Less than $2 per person.  And it was delicious.

After lunch we went up the hotel pool. It's a beautiful, 4th floor, outdoor pool. This was Ying's first time swimming.  (We tried it in Kunming but the pool was too cold.)  We stayed for several hours and she made a lot of progress. A few nose-fulls of water helped give her the appropriate respect for the water, but she loves it!

So far, even though we went to Beijing, we hadn't revisited any of the places from MeiLi's trip.  We decided to take the subway to Shamian Island to wander around.  When we came to Guangzhou with MeiLi, we stayed at the White Swan on the Island. They closed it for renovation shortly after we left 4 years ago, and it's still closed. 

Returning to Shamian Island was surreal for us because we had such a fun time there with MeiLi.  Many of the same shops are still open, and it was crowded with people enjoying it like it is one large park.

We split up at the end of the evening, Jenna, Ying, MeiLi and I returning for another round of swimming.  Carolyn, Allie, Emmi and Nate continued to shop - at a big walking street near north of Shamian Island.  We wondered how Ying would do with just Jenna and I, but she did fine. 

As I write this Sunday morning, Allie and Nate have left to go home, flying first to Beijing, then the long grueling flight to Chicago, then Chicago to KC. I am so thankful for their joining us to participate in making Ying feel like a family member.  Both their translating skills and their willingness to be open and friendly has made the transition so much easier.  I pray for their safe return to KC and to their jobs. 

Kunming Airport 

First flight

The Noodle place in Guangzhou

China Hotel in Guangzhou

Shamian Island

Guangzhou shopping