Tienanmen Square Day Two! (Two more days until we get her!!!)
Well...after laying in bed awake from 2AM until 4AM, we did finally get some sleep. We were up and moving by 7AM for breakfast with the rest of the group. Including our two guides, there are 39 of us wandering around looking lost (well...the guides aren't looking lost, but you know what I mean...). Several of the families are on their second trip so there are three adoptees that are in the 7-8 years old range that are on their first return trip. It is very cool to watch them see the country they were born in. They have also become fast friends which is cool too. As for us adults, we are all getting to know one another and it is obvious everyone is "patiently" waiting for Monday afternoon when we get our daughters.
Today's itinerary was Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City, a pearl shop, traditional Chinese lunch, The Summer Palace, a silk museum, and a traditional dinner including Peking Duck (no...the head was not still attached, but we were expecting it to be!!)
Inside of Tienanmen Square we saw Chairman Mao's Memorial, the Great Hall of the People, and the People's Hero Monument. Very interesting. We then went into the Forbidden City and saw some of the 10,000 buildings. For those of you who are curious, it is called the Forbidden City because the royal family was Forbidden from leaving its confines, and the commoners were Forbidden from entering it. After some shopping, which made all the ladies happy and the men broke, we went to the Summer Palace which has a 300 acre man-made lake which was filled by hand using wooden barrels hauled by carriages from the Forbidden City. Amazing what you can get done with slave labor!
The food here is good so far. No crazy surprises...yet. I am not quite craving a pizza yet, but we are close...very very close! Everything is served "family" style around a big table with a lazy susan in the middle. Lots of rice and basic meats and veggies. Beef, chicken, and pork are the most common...and yes mom, I am eating the vegetables.
As for photos, we are taking lots of them. However, we are blogging by proxy (facebook and blogspot are blocked in China) so we have to e-mail them to (my super awesome brother) Isaac so he can post them in the blog from the states. This will limit the number of photos, so we will put the best one's up now and will follow them up when we get back with all the others. Bear with us. Once we get Sophie, her pictures will likely take priority and you might not see as many shots of landscapes...but I don't think any of you are going to mind too much!
Well, tomorrow is the Great Wall so we are off to try and get some sleep. T-minus two days and counting!
BJ and April
Well...after laying in bed awake from 2AM until 4AM, we did finally get some sleep. We were up and moving by 7AM for breakfast with the rest of the group. Including our two guides, there are 39 of us wandering around looking lost (well...the guides aren't looking lost, but you know what I mean...). Several of the families are on their second trip so there are three adoptees that are in the 7-8 years old range that are on their first return trip. It is very cool to watch them see the country they were born in. They have also become fast friends which is cool too. As for us adults, we are all getting to know one another and it is obvious everyone is "patiently" waiting for Monday afternoon when we get our daughters.
Today's itinerary was Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City, a pearl shop, traditional Chinese lunch, The Summer Palace, a silk museum, and a traditional dinner including Peking Duck (no...the head was not still attached, but we were expecting it to be!!)
Inside of Tienanmen Square we saw Chairman Mao's Memorial, the Great Hall of the People, and the People's Hero Monument. Very interesting. We then went into the Forbidden City and saw some of the 10,000 buildings. For those of you who are curious, it is called the Forbidden City because the royal family was Forbidden from leaving its confines, and the commoners were Forbidden from entering it. After some shopping, which made all the ladies happy and the men broke, we went to the Summer Palace which has a 300 acre man-made lake which was filled by hand using wooden barrels hauled by carriages from the Forbidden City. Amazing what you can get done with slave labor!
The food here is good so far. No crazy surprises...yet. I am not quite craving a pizza yet, but we are close...very very close! Everything is served "family" style around a big table with a lazy susan in the middle. Lots of rice and basic meats and veggies. Beef, chicken, and pork are the most common...and yes mom, I am eating the vegetables.
As for photos, we are taking lots of them. However, we are blogging by proxy (facebook and blogspot are blocked in China) so we have to e-mail them to (my super awesome brother) Isaac so he can post them in the blog from the states. This will limit the number of photos, so we will put the best one's up now and will follow them up when we get back with all the others. Bear with us. Once we get Sophie, her pictures will likely take priority and you might not see as many shots of landscapes...but I don't think any of you are going to mind too much!
Well, tomorrow is the Great Wall so we are off to try and get some sleep. T-minus two days and counting!
BJ and April
Summer Palace
Marco Polo Bridge
Golden Throne
Gardens
Marco Polo Bridge
Only a short time left! Hang in there, I am so excited for you guys!
ReplyDeleteOMGOODNESS, love it!! Not much longer....but seems like ages!! Got ya'll in our prayers!!!
ReplyDeleteTears to my eyes!!!!!!! Love you guys tons and words don't describe how happy we are for you!!! Rachael and James
ReplyDelete