Our stay in Yangshuo was short and unfortunately Kyle became sick. He woke up with a headache which swiftly turned into a stomach & body aches and fever. Poor guy! I understand the misery he's feeling.
The girls and I have breakfast and get everything packed up as we're on the move again later today. First we head out into the country side of Yangshuo for a cooking school.
The scenery and setting for this school is incredible. This is the real China! Although it's fun to see the cities and walk around in the city center, I really enjoy being in the quiet countryside. The cooking school was started by an Austrailian tour guide who loved the local food & loved to cook. There was a large room set up with a dozen or so hot plates, utensils and all the food prepped for cooking. The girls made 5 different dishes using all sorts of traditional cooking methods and local fresh ingredients.
While they were cooking the parents relaxed and looked around the area. I didn't venture too far because Kyle is miserable right now. His fever has really spiked and he's fighting the nausea and sick stomach. Our guide found him a more comfortable chair and place to sit under the shade tree. The cooking smells to us were wonderful but to him were painful. Plus, it's another hot & humid day.
Lunch was one of the best we've had the whole trip! I'm so bummed Kyle isn't feeling well as this is a great experience! Back on the bus and head back to Guilin which is another hour and half drive. Kyle sleeps pretty much the whole trip.
We can't just go straight to the hotel, we stop at the Pearl Factory where you can find the river and sea pearls. And, of course our group enjoys a 30% discount. Kyle finds some chairs to sleep while we participate in the tour and shopping.
Once back at the hotel we get settled in, I try to organize myself and then take Megan swimming for a few minutes. Tonight is the Farewell Dinner which was really nice! All four of the groups (yellow, green, purple and the best - blue) were all there with our local Guilin guides and our National guides. Dinner was good and then we had a talent show put on by the girls. The girls in the green group offered the most and ended up doing some rather silly little girl things towards the end. Nobody from Blue had done anything. Then, suddenly Megan is there and she's singing a song from Moana. Wow, great job Meg's!! After a few more talents, Megan is back up on stage singing another song, again from Moana. I guess her friends convinced her to do another one. She was awesome! Looks like she should try out for middle school choir and/or theater. Kyle had to miss the dinner, we missed him!
After lots of pictures with our new friends, we head back to our room to yup, pack again. In the morning we begin our journey to Megan and Natalee's provinces. We have another 7 days to go.
Sunday, July 30, 2017
7/24 - Guilin to Yangshuo
36 hours later and I feel totally different! This bug is nasty! Nat is up too and feeling much better so it looks like we'll continue on our trip with the rest of the family.
We've had to pack and repack and repack so many times you'd think I'd be a pro... But after being down with some sort of crud, I just don't have much energy. We manage to get an overnight bag put together as we're leaving our big luggage here while we travel down the Li River.
The Li River cruise was gorgeous or as the brochure tried to describe it "grotesque". LOL! Sometimes the Chinese to English translation gets a little mixed up.
Really though, putting the view into words is hard. It's such a unique landscape! The weather was wonderful, a light breeze and not too hot/humid. I was able to enjoy the boat cruise without any nausea or sickness, thank you Lord! I did not want to miss this beauty!
The girls enjoyed the River cruise too but more so because they were hanging out with their new friends chatting and playing video & card games. We had lunch on the cruise but our guide said what they serve on the boat wasn't good enough for us and so they got us box lunches. Great effort!
After the cruise, about 3 hours, our guide said we'd just walk back to our hotel (not too far).
Well.... When you've just been horribly sick for 36 hours and it's upwards of 95 degrees with high humidity, even a short walk is a challenge. Now, add in that Megan is still having trouble and Kyle needs to carry her.... Yikes. We were all soaking wet with sweat and exhausted upon reaching the hotel. And, of course, that was after a one hour shopping spree along the way at the market. I really, really wish we could've taken a shuttle back to the hotel and then came down to the market. We all would have enjoyed it more and probably shopped more. But, exhaustion has set in.
The hotel is so-so but has a beautiful tropical feel and view of the Li River. Next activity is a Tai-Chi lesson. I opt to stay in the room and rest, Megan comes back due to a Code Brown but Natalee stays and learns a few moves. Glad she's feeling better and never got the yucky part of this bug!
After dinner we head to the magical folk performance of "Impressions of Liu Sanjie" which was created/directed by the same person who did the 2008 Olympic opening ceremonies. The show used over 600 performers. It was really good, not quite as impressive as we'd thought, but still very good!
Yet another amazing China experience day!
We've had to pack and repack and repack so many times you'd think I'd be a pro... But after being down with some sort of crud, I just don't have much energy. We manage to get an overnight bag put together as we're leaving our big luggage here while we travel down the Li River.
The Li River cruise was gorgeous or as the brochure tried to describe it "grotesque". LOL! Sometimes the Chinese to English translation gets a little mixed up.
Really though, putting the view into words is hard. It's such a unique landscape! The weather was wonderful, a light breeze and not too hot/humid. I was able to enjoy the boat cruise without any nausea or sickness, thank you Lord! I did not want to miss this beauty!
The girls enjoyed the River cruise too but more so because they were hanging out with their new friends chatting and playing video & card games. We had lunch on the cruise but our guide said what they serve on the boat wasn't good enough for us and so they got us box lunches. Great effort!
After the cruise, about 3 hours, our guide said we'd just walk back to our hotel (not too far).
Well.... When you've just been horribly sick for 36 hours and it's upwards of 95 degrees with high humidity, even a short walk is a challenge. Now, add in that Megan is still having trouble and Kyle needs to carry her.... Yikes. We were all soaking wet with sweat and exhausted upon reaching the hotel. And, of course, that was after a one hour shopping spree along the way at the market. I really, really wish we could've taken a shuttle back to the hotel and then came down to the market. We all would have enjoyed it more and probably shopped more. But, exhaustion has set in.
The hotel is so-so but has a beautiful tropical feel and view of the Li River. Next activity is a Tai-Chi lesson. I opt to stay in the room and rest, Megan comes back due to a Code Brown but Natalee stays and learns a few moves. Glad she's feeling better and never got the yucky part of this bug!
After dinner we head to the magical folk performance of "Impressions of Liu Sanjie" which was created/directed by the same person who did the 2008 Olympic opening ceremonies. The show used over 600 performers. It was really good, not quite as impressive as we'd thought, but still very good!
Yet another amazing China experience day!
Natalee's thoughts about China and the trip
Hello all! This is Natalee, but you already know that based on the title of this post. I've been told to voice my thoughts and opinions on how our trip has gone so far. It may be difficult to compact two weeks of new sights and experiences into a few paragraphs, but I shall do my best.
Before we arrived in Beijing, I feared that I would not be able to make any new friends on this trip, but I was most defiantly proven wrong. The group of families that joined us were all extremely kind, funny, and helpful when my family needed it. I got to spend time with an amazing group of girls that I hope to stay in contact with.
These past two weeks have been jam packed with sightseeing, plane and bus rides, and walking (SO MUCH WALKING). We were kept busy each day and got very little time to just rest and soak it all in. Now part of me was excited to keep moving forward and enjoying all that was being offered of China, another part of me needs sleep and time to relax.
The amounts of food that is offered to us was superfluous. We were given more than we could possibly eat in one sitting and I feel that large amounts of food we don't eat is being wasted. We would all eat until we were full (and with a group of teenagers, that is saying something), but there was just so much served, therefore so much was thrown away. It made me uncomfortable to leave so much food on a table, to then pass a begger or a hungry looking man on a street.
Visiting my birth city of Loudi, Hunan has been interesting, but I feel that I do not share the same sentiment and attachment to my birth history as my sister does. Overall, this trip has been wonderful. I have made new friends, experienced new things, and seen new places (all of which, were expected since I am in a new continent). I wish I had more time to go into detail, but I have just recently been kindly informed to hurry up. So I am ending this post now. Bye!
Before we arrived in Beijing, I feared that I would not be able to make any new friends on this trip, but I was most defiantly proven wrong. The group of families that joined us were all extremely kind, funny, and helpful when my family needed it. I got to spend time with an amazing group of girls that I hope to stay in contact with.
These past two weeks have been jam packed with sightseeing, plane and bus rides, and walking (SO MUCH WALKING). We were kept busy each day and got very little time to just rest and soak it all in. Now part of me was excited to keep moving forward and enjoying all that was being offered of China, another part of me needs sleep and time to relax.
The amounts of food that is offered to us was superfluous. We were given more than we could possibly eat in one sitting and I feel that large amounts of food we don't eat is being wasted. We would all eat until we were full (and with a group of teenagers, that is saying something), but there was just so much served, therefore so much was thrown away. It made me uncomfortable to leave so much food on a table, to then pass a begger or a hungry looking man on a street.
Visiting my birth city of Loudi, Hunan has been interesting, but I feel that I do not share the same sentiment and attachment to my birth history as my sister does. Overall, this trip has been wonderful. I have made new friends, experienced new things, and seen new places (all of which, were expected since I am in a new continent). I wish I had more time to go into detail, but I have just recently been kindly informed to hurry up. So I am ending this post now. Bye!
Megan's thoughts about China & the trip
Hi Megan here the trip is fun, but for 36 hours I was sick and it was really hard to enjoy China's wonders puking and having (code browns, family you under stand) I was starting to think china didn't want me there .😔
Meeting my foster family was really cool but hard say good bye again. 💔
But I learned a lot I actually had 3 foster family's. The first I stayed with for a month. The second I stayed with for a month. The third family ,I stayed for 3 1/2 years (poapoa and yeye). we met poapoa and yeye which was even hard beacouse I knew them long then the others. I learn all about what I was like when I was little they said, I was very smart and caring. my last words to yeye was "don't worry be strong I promise to visit."
I'm surprised beacouse early today we saw where Natalee may had been found and she had no reaction what so ever she had a poker face the whole time we where there. Tomorrow we will go to Natalee's orphanage. we bought lollipops for the kids, can't wait to see their faces when they receive them!😀
Well my mom is kicking me off the iPad so I'll talk to whoever is reading this when we get back home!✌
Meeting my foster family was really cool but hard say good bye again. 💔
But I learned a lot I actually had 3 foster family's. The first I stayed with for a month. The second I stayed with for a month. The third family ,I stayed for 3 1/2 years (poapoa and yeye). we met poapoa and yeye which was even hard beacouse I knew them long then the others. I learn all about what I was like when I was little they said, I was very smart and caring. my last words to yeye was "don't worry be strong I promise to visit."
I'm surprised beacouse early today we saw where Natalee may had been found and she had no reaction what so ever she had a poker face the whole time we where there. Tomorrow we will go to Natalee's orphanage. we bought lollipops for the kids, can't wait to see their faces when they receive them!😀
Well my mom is kicking me off the iPad so I'll talk to whoever is reading this when we get back home!✌
7/23 - Chengdu to Guilin
12:15AM- I'm in the bathroom and it's not looking good! I've had the worst pain in my gut and just want it to go away. Megan is sleeping soundly which is great, she's been bouncing back steadily. Kyle & Natalee are in the other room also sleeping soundly. (Kyle asked the hotel to fix his AC and they brought him a portable unit so he's really comfy tonight.). The pain has subsided only because I've now gotten sick. Back to bed to sleep this off. We have to fly out to Guilin early and I don't want to be sick.
2:30 am - back to the bathroom! My body hurts all over!
3:15 am - I've never thrown up so much in my entire life! I totally get how Megan was feeling so terrible, I am too.
5:00 am - Kyle comes in expecting me to be packed and ready to go. I'm not. I'm in the bathroom. He has to get Megan up and ready, finish tossing my things in a bag, help me get somewhat ready and haul all our luggage down to the lobby by 6am. He flys into "superman" mode and gets it done. (However, later on we realize that in the haste we left Natalee's new Great Wall China hat in the hotel. 😞 )
Our guide passes out box breakfast to everyone on the bus and we head to the airport. It is taking every ounce of my strength just to sit on the bus upright. At the airport I manage to put on a smiling face for the security camera at the security check in. Once I'm through I sit and wait for the rest of my family. We slowly make our way to our gate and of course it's at the end of the concourse. One of our new friends kindly flags down a golf cart and asks them to take me down there. What a huge help!! I'm hoping I'm done being sick as I can't stand the thought of throwing up with anyone else around or on the plane.
On the plane I'm burning up and Kyle fan's me pretty much the entire flight. Of course, just before take off I get sick again. I sleep the entire plane ride. The girls are very helpful for Kyle! In the airport at Guilin, our friend finds a wheelchair which proves to be invaluable as I feel horrible! Just get me to the hotel so I can sleep! Being sick in a foreign country is the worst, but it's better now when we have new friends and group support than at the end of our trip when we're alone. Thank you friends for your help, support and concern!!
Kyle and the girls haul everything up to our rooms. Kyle gets us settled in and me into bed. Meanwhile, Natalee says she's feeling "off" and doesn't want to go to lunch. What, no! If you know Natalee, she enjoys food so we know she's not feeling well. So, Kyle gets her settled into the other room where she can sleep. Kyle & Megan go with the group to lunch. I guess the scenery around Guilin is incredible!
Off & on all afternoon Kyle runs back and forth between my room and Natalee's and manages to keep Megan going too. Megan hangs out with some friends, hoping to go swimming but there is a thunderstorm going on. As they wait it out, they find an indoor pool and her friends Dad takes them, which costs 50 yuan. Eventually the thunder ends and they move to the outdoor pool. Megan had a great time with new friends and swimming. Kyle is most likely spent from all the running and care he's given us.
Natalee ends up sleeping all day, about 16 hours. I sleep off & on and try to drink some Gatorade & tea. My fever eventually breaks and I start to feel a little better. Kyle orders some pizza from the hotel restaurant for himself and Megan eats her hamburger with her friend. She said it didn't taste too good though and ended up not eating it. Ground beef is one thing the Chinese don't really know how to cook.
At one point today Kyle wasn't sure Nat & I were going to make it on our river cruise tomorrow. He talked to our guide who said we could cancel one room in Yangshuo and keep one in Guilin. Praying that doesn't happen and that we're better!
2:30 am - back to the bathroom! My body hurts all over!
3:15 am - I've never thrown up so much in my entire life! I totally get how Megan was feeling so terrible, I am too.
5:00 am - Kyle comes in expecting me to be packed and ready to go. I'm not. I'm in the bathroom. He has to get Megan up and ready, finish tossing my things in a bag, help me get somewhat ready and haul all our luggage down to the lobby by 6am. He flys into "superman" mode and gets it done. (However, later on we realize that in the haste we left Natalee's new Great Wall China hat in the hotel. 😞 )
Our guide passes out box breakfast to everyone on the bus and we head to the airport. It is taking every ounce of my strength just to sit on the bus upright. At the airport I manage to put on a smiling face for the security camera at the security check in. Once I'm through I sit and wait for the rest of my family. We slowly make our way to our gate and of course it's at the end of the concourse. One of our new friends kindly flags down a golf cart and asks them to take me down there. What a huge help!! I'm hoping I'm done being sick as I can't stand the thought of throwing up with anyone else around or on the plane.
On the plane I'm burning up and Kyle fan's me pretty much the entire flight. Of course, just before take off I get sick again. I sleep the entire plane ride. The girls are very helpful for Kyle! In the airport at Guilin, our friend finds a wheelchair which proves to be invaluable as I feel horrible! Just get me to the hotel so I can sleep! Being sick in a foreign country is the worst, but it's better now when we have new friends and group support than at the end of our trip when we're alone. Thank you friends for your help, support and concern!!
Kyle and the girls haul everything up to our rooms. Kyle gets us settled in and me into bed. Meanwhile, Natalee says she's feeling "off" and doesn't want to go to lunch. What, no! If you know Natalee, she enjoys food so we know she's not feeling well. So, Kyle gets her settled into the other room where she can sleep. Kyle & Megan go with the group to lunch. I guess the scenery around Guilin is incredible!
Off & on all afternoon Kyle runs back and forth between my room and Natalee's and manages to keep Megan going too. Megan hangs out with some friends, hoping to go swimming but there is a thunderstorm going on. As they wait it out, they find an indoor pool and her friends Dad takes them, which costs 50 yuan. Eventually the thunder ends and they move to the outdoor pool. Megan had a great time with new friends and swimming. Kyle is most likely spent from all the running and care he's given us.
Natalee ends up sleeping all day, about 16 hours. I sleep off & on and try to drink some Gatorade & tea. My fever eventually breaks and I start to feel a little better. Kyle orders some pizza from the hotel restaurant for himself and Megan eats her hamburger with her friend. She said it didn't taste too good though and ended up not eating it. Ground beef is one thing the Chinese don't really know how to cook.
At one point today Kyle wasn't sure Nat & I were going to make it on our river cruise tomorrow. He talked to our guide who said we could cancel one room in Yangshuo and keep one in Guilin. Praying that doesn't happen and that we're better!
7/22 - Chengdu & Pandas
Another early morning. Since it's so hot (20 year record heat the locals have said), we have a better chance to see the pandas active in the early part of the day. Megan is still having major tummy issues, she is starting to feel better though and the fever seems to have broken. Her stamina isn't there and Kyle ends up having to carry her a lot. He's getting quite the workout.
At the panda reserve Megan isn't feeling well at all. She could care less about seeing the pandas so you know she's not well! Poor girl. It's another scorcher even at 10 am. We sent Natalee on ahead with the group so that she can see the pandas (we forgot to send water with her though, not good!). Kyle ends up going on ahead to try to catch the group but never does so he wanders through seeing the pandas by himself. Megan and I only get to two pandas (BaoBao is one - she was in DC for awhile) when she says "I'm giving up. Get me to a dr if that will make me better." Whoa, she is not herself. We sit in the shade watching a huge frog hop up the path then move under some bamboo trees and shake the dew down onto ourselves. We pray and I try to encourage her with some Scripture verses and she seems to perk up a little. She has another Code Brown emergency so off to the bathrooms we go. The toilets here at this park have been some of the worst in terms of smell and cleanliness. Honestly, I've been surprised by them this trip. In the past I tried to avoid them, haven't been able to this time. Always an experience! Ok sorry, I digressed....
After the CodeBrown, we hung out by the front gate where we were to meet the group for the Panda experience. Those who were going to hug the panda had to put on a blue "space suit" and plastic food service type gloves. They had to sign a paper saying they gave a donation for the experience and then we walked over to another building. The girls all lined up and were told to be quiet while they waited (easier said than done). The panda was sitting about 20 yards away on a wicker love seat eating bamboo. Each girl was given about 20 seconds to sit there, hug the panda's shoulder and take as many photos or video as possible.
When it was Natalee's turn, as she was sitting down she was talking to the Panda.... "Hi, how are you doing? I'm good thanks for asking." It was too cute! She had a great smile as she hugged the panda! Megan jumped right up there before the guide said "next" and got a few extra seconds. She got right down next to the panda and put her head on her shoulder with a great big smile. So cute! Kyle and I loved watching our girls experience this. It was costly but the money helps to preserve the pandas and research them. We had a great time because they had a great time! (Again, pics aren't here right now as my device isn't working properly. You can see some pics on FB.)
After the Panda experience we had lunch at a very "resorty" type restaurant. Chengdu definitely has a resort type feel, there's grass in several places and many landscape stores too. It's a beautiful area! Once we arrived back in the city of Chengdu we went to a local park to have tea. It was great to just sit back and relax for a little while watching the local people play majong, cards, practice water calligraphy and just hang out. One of the locals took to our group and was taking lots of photos.
After a few minutes it became a little excessive. I wandered off for a little bit to see more of the park while most of the girls were trying to learn majong. As I was walking back to the group Kyle motioned me to hurry. I guess some of the group started to get worried due to some thunder in the distance. As we were heading out of the park Megan had to use the bathroom again (she is starting to feel better - we know because she's talking a lot) 😉 It was another experience as this was called an "emergency toilet". Instead of it being a "one stall" it was a full room and anyone could use it. I guess the protocol is to holler when one is entering or coming out of the stall, however, the urinals were not discretely behind a wall or anything.... So let's just say it was a China experience.
Next stop was shopping on Jinli street. This was really cool! Local people, local handiwork, local foods, local smells... It was great! I took lots of pictures of the foods that were being sold. The most popular type was any kind of meat on a stick. We most definitely did not consume any. We did find some bing chi ling (ice cream) and enjoyed that instead.
After a very short rest & dinner we have the Face Changing Show (Chinese Opera). One of the families we've met and that Megan has been friends with offered to let her stay with them instead of going to the show. The show was good but very smoky. I started to now feel well but was hoping it's just the smoke and I can sleep it off. Good night to another fabulous day in China!
At the panda reserve Megan isn't feeling well at all. She could care less about seeing the pandas so you know she's not well! Poor girl. It's another scorcher even at 10 am. We sent Natalee on ahead with the group so that she can see the pandas (we forgot to send water with her though, not good!). Kyle ends up going on ahead to try to catch the group but never does so he wanders through seeing the pandas by himself. Megan and I only get to two pandas (BaoBao is one - she was in DC for awhile) when she says "I'm giving up. Get me to a dr if that will make me better." Whoa, she is not herself. We sit in the shade watching a huge frog hop up the path then move under some bamboo trees and shake the dew down onto ourselves. We pray and I try to encourage her with some Scripture verses and she seems to perk up a little. She has another Code Brown emergency so off to the bathrooms we go. The toilets here at this park have been some of the worst in terms of smell and cleanliness. Honestly, I've been surprised by them this trip. In the past I tried to avoid them, haven't been able to this time. Always an experience! Ok sorry, I digressed....
After the CodeBrown, we hung out by the front gate where we were to meet the group for the Panda experience. Those who were going to hug the panda had to put on a blue "space suit" and plastic food service type gloves. They had to sign a paper saying they gave a donation for the experience and then we walked over to another building. The girls all lined up and were told to be quiet while they waited (easier said than done). The panda was sitting about 20 yards away on a wicker love seat eating bamboo. Each girl was given about 20 seconds to sit there, hug the panda's shoulder and take as many photos or video as possible.
When it was Natalee's turn, as she was sitting down she was talking to the Panda.... "Hi, how are you doing? I'm good thanks for asking." It was too cute! She had a great smile as she hugged the panda! Megan jumped right up there before the guide said "next" and got a few extra seconds. She got right down next to the panda and put her head on her shoulder with a great big smile. So cute! Kyle and I loved watching our girls experience this. It was costly but the money helps to preserve the pandas and research them. We had a great time because they had a great time! (Again, pics aren't here right now as my device isn't working properly. You can see some pics on FB.)
After the Panda experience we had lunch at a very "resorty" type restaurant. Chengdu definitely has a resort type feel, there's grass in several places and many landscape stores too. It's a beautiful area! Once we arrived back in the city of Chengdu we went to a local park to have tea. It was great to just sit back and relax for a little while watching the local people play majong, cards, practice water calligraphy and just hang out. One of the locals took to our group and was taking lots of photos.
After a few minutes it became a little excessive. I wandered off for a little bit to see more of the park while most of the girls were trying to learn majong. As I was walking back to the group Kyle motioned me to hurry. I guess some of the group started to get worried due to some thunder in the distance. As we were heading out of the park Megan had to use the bathroom again (she is starting to feel better - we know because she's talking a lot) 😉 It was another experience as this was called an "emergency toilet". Instead of it being a "one stall" it was a full room and anyone could use it. I guess the protocol is to holler when one is entering or coming out of the stall, however, the urinals were not discretely behind a wall or anything.... So let's just say it was a China experience.
Next stop was shopping on Jinli street. This was really cool! Local people, local handiwork, local foods, local smells... It was great! I took lots of pictures of the foods that were being sold. The most popular type was any kind of meat on a stick. We most definitely did not consume any. We did find some bing chi ling (ice cream) and enjoyed that instead.
After a very short rest & dinner we have the Face Changing Show (Chinese Opera). One of the families we've met and that Megan has been friends with offered to let her stay with them instead of going to the show. The show was good but very smoky. I started to now feel well but was hoping it's just the smoke and I can sleep it off. Good night to another fabulous day in China!
Saturday, July 29, 2017
7/21 - Xi'an to Chengdu
I slept terrible last night! Up every few hours, not sure why but stayed up at 4am. Not much happening on the street below us. I watch the lady on the corner set up her noodle stand around 4:30. Finally it's time for breakfast. Megan didn't eat well, says she is not feeling well and her tummy hurts. Oh no! As we wait for our bus, she sits out in the courtyard with her friend watching the koi fish and just before leaving she vomits several times. Praying this doesn't last long for her!
Our trip today takes us to the Ancient City Wall in Xi'an. Just as we get to the top of the wall, Megan is sick again. Poor girl!! We had an hour and half to ride bikes along the wall. It's 9 miles around the entire wall, probably not time to do that given the heat and Megan not feeling well. Kyle gets a tandem bike and we put Megan on the back hoping she can just hang on and the breeze will help her. We don't get far and she's feeling sick again. We double back and ask if she can lay down by where our guide was sitting as well as the dad of her new friend. They agree, we keep riding. I ride with them down to the first corner and around only a short ways and then decide I need to get back to Megan, Kyle and Nat continue on to the North gate. The temps are again in the 100's and the humidity is quite high.
As I come to the place they were sitting, I see them standing over Megan who is laying on the ground. She looks terrible! She's not sweating and says she's cold. Our guide asks if she has any medicine allergies and since she doesn't she gives her some herbal liquid to help with heat stroke. While we were biking they said she threw up several more times. Poor baby is dehydrated, heat exhausted and maybe has a bug too. We get her into the air conditioned bus where several other families help offer advice and care. A nurse practitioner was in the other group and came to check on her. We got her a Popsicle to suck on too. Within 20 minutes or so, everything we tried came right back up. 😓 Once everyone was back on the bus we went to the TCW Factory. No one was really too excited about it. Megan and I spent the time in the bathroom and laying on a bench in the air conditioned store. (It was a code brown situation - -family understands that.)
Not much shopping was done, but our group was given a 30% discount. (Lol). Next stop lunch, they gave Megan some raw ginger to try to help and some tea which actually tasted good to her.
A lot of praying took place because we have to go get on a plane next and fly to Chengdu. Not sure how she's going to do with that. One of the mom's had a hospital type ice bag and offered one to Megan. Good thing she took it as it would be the one thing to help her through this flight. Flight was ok for Meg's because she had the ice bag and she was able to sleep. The rest of us in the back of the plane, not so much as there was not air conditioning. It was not fun, plus it took us 40 minutes to leave the Tarmac as there was something with air traffic control.
We finally land, get to our hotel and get Megan settled into bed. Whew, a long day! Hoping the rest of us stay well and that this is a 24 hour bug. Good thing she started to perk up with the tea and keep it down or she may have had to visit a clinic. Thank you Lord!
Our trip today takes us to the Ancient City Wall in Xi'an. Just as we get to the top of the wall, Megan is sick again. Poor girl!! We had an hour and half to ride bikes along the wall. It's 9 miles around the entire wall, probably not time to do that given the heat and Megan not feeling well. Kyle gets a tandem bike and we put Megan on the back hoping she can just hang on and the breeze will help her. We don't get far and she's feeling sick again. We double back and ask if she can lay down by where our guide was sitting as well as the dad of her new friend. They agree, we keep riding. I ride with them down to the first corner and around only a short ways and then decide I need to get back to Megan, Kyle and Nat continue on to the North gate. The temps are again in the 100's and the humidity is quite high.
As I come to the place they were sitting, I see them standing over Megan who is laying on the ground. She looks terrible! She's not sweating and says she's cold. Our guide asks if she has any medicine allergies and since she doesn't she gives her some herbal liquid to help with heat stroke. While we were biking they said she threw up several more times. Poor baby is dehydrated, heat exhausted and maybe has a bug too. We get her into the air conditioned bus where several other families help offer advice and care. A nurse practitioner was in the other group and came to check on her. We got her a Popsicle to suck on too. Within 20 minutes or so, everything we tried came right back up. 😓 Once everyone was back on the bus we went to the TCW Factory. No one was really too excited about it. Megan and I spent the time in the bathroom and laying on a bench in the air conditioned store. (It was a code brown situation - -family understands that.)
Not much shopping was done, but our group was given a 30% discount. (Lol). Next stop lunch, they gave Megan some raw ginger to try to help and some tea which actually tasted good to her.
A lot of praying took place because we have to go get on a plane next and fly to Chengdu. Not sure how she's going to do with that. One of the mom's had a hospital type ice bag and offered one to Megan. Good thing she took it as it would be the one thing to help her through this flight. Flight was ok for Meg's because she had the ice bag and she was able to sleep. The rest of us in the back of the plane, not so much as there was not air conditioning. It was not fun, plus it took us 40 minutes to leave the Tarmac as there was something with air traffic control.
We finally land, get to our hotel and get Megan settled into bed. Whew, a long day! Hoping the rest of us stay well and that this is a 24 hour bug. Good thing she started to perk up with the tea and keep it down or she may have had to visit a clinic. Thank you Lord!
7/20 - Xi'an & Warriors
Up early again due to excitement and time changes. Breakfast is a great spread of food! We typically don't eat big breakfasts, unless we're on a trip like this. Today we fly to Xi'an and the Terra Cotta Warriors (TCW). Our guide is very organized and gives each person with luggage a bright pink ribbon with their family number on it. We're family #11.
This airline has an interesting way to board the plane. We take a shuttle bus out to the Tarmac and walk up into the plane. Flight was fine, except for the screeching halt on the runway. I had visions of several other planes stopped in front of us, much like the traffic at the intersections, everyone kind of piled together. Once we gathered our luggage and sent it on to the hotel via a box truck, we loaded the bus and off to the TCW. The temps in Xi'an are in the high 100° F and it's humid. (41°C). The drive through the countryside is beautiful.
The TCW are impressive! It's surreal to be standing right in front of the pit with all the Warriors. We've seen pictures of this place and TV documentaries but to be right here, just doens't seem real. What is real is the incredible amount of people and the offensive heat that is generated by all these bodies. It makes me uncomfortable at times. I want to enjoy the experience yet have to shove my way in to get a glimpse. We manage to see all the pits/digs and then find an unoccupied, air conditioned theater room to rest and watch the video. Of course there is shopping available too.
On our way back to the hotel we stop for a buffet dinner. It was an impressive restaurant but the food lacked a lot! One of our group members celebrated her birthday today and they brought out a cake for all to enjoy (garnished with some fruit but also grape tomatoes and something that looked like a black olive but most definitely was not). The cake was surprisingly good (sweets like this are not typically eaten).
Once we got our hotel rooms (2 that are separated this time) we crash - what a hot, but good day!
This airline has an interesting way to board the plane. We take a shuttle bus out to the Tarmac and walk up into the plane. Flight was fine, except for the screeching halt on the runway. I had visions of several other planes stopped in front of us, much like the traffic at the intersections, everyone kind of piled together. Once we gathered our luggage and sent it on to the hotel via a box truck, we loaded the bus and off to the TCW. The temps in Xi'an are in the high 100° F and it's humid. (41°C). The drive through the countryside is beautiful.
The TCW are impressive! It's surreal to be standing right in front of the pit with all the Warriors. We've seen pictures of this place and TV documentaries but to be right here, just doens't seem real. What is real is the incredible amount of people and the offensive heat that is generated by all these bodies. It makes me uncomfortable at times. I want to enjoy the experience yet have to shove my way in to get a glimpse. We manage to see all the pits/digs and then find an unoccupied, air conditioned theater room to rest and watch the video. Of course there is shopping available too.
On our way back to the hotel we stop for a buffet dinner. It was an impressive restaurant but the food lacked a lot! One of our group members celebrated her birthday today and they brought out a cake for all to enjoy (garnished with some fruit but also grape tomatoes and something that looked like a black olive but most definitely was not). The cake was surprisingly good (sweets like this are not typically eaten).
Once we got our hotel rooms (2 that are separated this time) we crash - what a hot, but good day!
7/19 Beijing - Jade and the Great Wall
Today, our bus takes us to the Jade Factory for a tour of jade, how it is polished and the types of jade China has. It is a beautiful stone and there are very skilled craftsmen. After our tour we have shopping time with a special offer just for our group, 30% off. We have our own "personal" assistant following us around as we shop. (Insert need for personal space here.)
Once our shopping time was done we went to the Juyongguan Pass of the Great Wall. On our 2 previous trips we visited the Badaling Pass, but according to our guide that part is too busy because that's where the locals visit and it's summer break.
The Juyongguan Pass is incredibly steep - we're talking 85° Steep. It was hard! Really hard. Megan made it 1/2 way to tower 2, Kyle to tower 2, Natalee made it to tower 3 and Mom (me) made it to tower 1. That was a huge accomplishment for me as I don't like heights and am probably not in the best of shape. It was awesome though! I took my time and had several selfies with people along the way. I wonder who in the world (India, Belgium, China) has my photo. When I made it to the tour, I rested for awhile. Megan was on her way down with another family from our group and was shocked that I was there. 😄 Natalee made it to tower 3 and could have kept going except she was running out of time. The girls seemed to enjoy this better than yesterday.
Back on the bus and our next stop is the Friendship Store and lunch. Boy are we all sweaty and dirty, but at least everyone else is too. Shopping wasn't too bad this time, much less pushy. I've enjoyed watching my girls experience their birth country and am looking forward to the next several days. Just observing them is fun too.
After shopping, our driver takes us past the Olympic Village, Bird Nest and Water Cube. They do use these venues for other sporting events. Megan went swimming with her friend this afternoon while Kyle took Natalee to hang out with the friends she's made. They ended up getting some ice cream too. We're all tired so after some snacks and ramen and packing for our next flight, we went to bed.
(Photos will be added later, device is not working properly to add pics. Sorry.)
Once our shopping time was done we went to the Juyongguan Pass of the Great Wall. On our 2 previous trips we visited the Badaling Pass, but according to our guide that part is too busy because that's where the locals visit and it's summer break.
The Juyongguan Pass is incredibly steep - we're talking 85° Steep. It was hard! Really hard. Megan made it 1/2 way to tower 2, Kyle to tower 2, Natalee made it to tower 3 and Mom (me) made it to tower 1. That was a huge accomplishment for me as I don't like heights and am probably not in the best of shape. It was awesome though! I took my time and had several selfies with people along the way. I wonder who in the world (India, Belgium, China) has my photo. When I made it to the tour, I rested for awhile. Megan was on her way down with another family from our group and was shocked that I was there. 😄 Natalee made it to tower 3 and could have kept going except she was running out of time. The girls seemed to enjoy this better than yesterday.
Back on the bus and our next stop is the Friendship Store and lunch. Boy are we all sweaty and dirty, but at least everyone else is too. Shopping wasn't too bad this time, much less pushy. I've enjoyed watching my girls experience their birth country and am looking forward to the next several days. Just observing them is fun too.
After shopping, our driver takes us past the Olympic Village, Bird Nest and Water Cube. They do use these venues for other sporting events. Megan went swimming with her friend this afternoon while Kyle took Natalee to hang out with the friends she's made. They ended up getting some ice cream too. We're all tired so after some snacks and ramen and packing for our next flight, we went to bed.
(Photos will be added later, device is not working properly to add pics. Sorry.)
Observations
Wow, about a week or more has gone by since my last official blog post. Due to exhaustion at the end of the day, lack of reliable wifi at our hotels and not able to connect to our VPN, we haven't posted much here. Occasionally we were able to post on FB.
As I finally have time, some energy and a good connection, I find myself struggling with what to write. So much has happened in the last 10 days! I'll start with a few observations....
As I finally have time, some energy and a good connection, I find myself struggling with what to write. So much has happened in the last 10 days! I'll start with a few observations....
- Everyone has a job, no matter the age
- The cities all have recycling cans which wasn't the case 8 years ago
- Guiyang (Megan's birth city) has really grown and modernized a lot
- Still crazy drivers and yet still few accidents
- Still haven't learned of personal space and with millions of people, you'd think they'd want a little of their own
- We draw lots of crazy looks and stares
- The great firewall of Chna is strong
- We rely on google for just about everything and when it's not available, ya feel kinda lost
So, we've made it to Loudi (Natalee's birth city) and will be here until Monday when we head to
Guangzhou then HK and home. I'm going to go back now and post some journal entries (pretend they were posted on the day they happened.). 😄
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
7/18 Beijing - Vast Extremes
Today we were up really early and ready to go. It was a day of extremes. Extreme vastness, extreme excessiveness, extreme humidity, extreme traffic, extremely small...
Our first visit was Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Very interesting places but waaaayyy too many people and waaayyyy too humid to spend 4 hours at a snails pace. (Sorry that sounds a bit complaining and ungrateful - definitely not intended, just keeping it real.). It was hard on Megan but she was a trooper. It for sure is an amazing place and so vast it's hard to truly capture its size and the grandeur it once held within China. One fact ...there are 9,999 1/2 rooms within the Forbidden City (that 1/2 a room really would have made this palace a little too big) (lol).
We enjoyed a rickshaw ride through the Hutong region of Beijing. This is the ancient city where more than a million people still live. A local family prepared an amazing meal for us. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures as it was raining quite hard. The afternoon consisted of a visit to CCCWA (China Center for Child Welfare and Adoption). This is where all adoption paperwork is processed. I really thought it would be much larger than it was, but it's only a few dozen people. We were able to see Megan's file but Nat's file has advanced to the archives. The girls participated in a Chinese painting class and then it was on to Peking Duck dinner. Good, but the local family meal was much better. It was an extremely busy, interesting, hot, great day!
Want pics? You'll have to see my FB page. For whatever reason, all the devices I got to make this easy has turned into a pain!! Sorry.
Our first visit was Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Very interesting places but waaaayyy too many people and waaayyyy too humid to spend 4 hours at a snails pace. (Sorry that sounds a bit complaining and ungrateful - definitely not intended, just keeping it real.). It was hard on Megan but she was a trooper. It for sure is an amazing place and so vast it's hard to truly capture its size and the grandeur it once held within China. One fact ...there are 9,999 1/2 rooms within the Forbidden City (that 1/2 a room really would have made this palace a little too big) (lol).
We enjoyed a rickshaw ride through the Hutong region of Beijing. This is the ancient city where more than a million people still live. A local family prepared an amazing meal for us. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures as it was raining quite hard. The afternoon consisted of a visit to CCCWA (China Center for Child Welfare and Adoption). This is where all adoption paperwork is processed. I really thought it would be much larger than it was, but it's only a few dozen people. We were able to see Megan's file but Nat's file has advanced to the archives. The girls participated in a Chinese painting class and then it was on to Peking Duck dinner. Good, but the local family meal was much better. It was an extremely busy, interesting, hot, great day!
Want pics? You'll have to see my FB page. For whatever reason, all the devices I got to make this easy has turned into a pain!! Sorry.
Monday, July 17, 2017
7/17 Made it to China
We were greeted by warm smiles, Nihao's, some strange looks and the stifling heat and smog of Beijing. Smiles were on everyone's face as our adventure begins. Flights getting here were great, no problems. M's anxiety slowed way down and she enjoyed flying. N is pretty tired because she watched 12 hours of movies, stopping only for necessary things like food. K & I are so happy that we're able to give this learning experience to our girls and see things through their eyes a bit. One of the things I was worried about was having 2 hotel rooms, but they are adjoining and quite large, so I'm happy about that. Sorry no pics just yet, I'll figure that out next. I'm just really glad all the headaches with techy stuff at home have all worked (so far). Until later.... Kristin
Saturday, July 8, 2017
Techy Stuff - not my thing
| Megan 6th China Camp |
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