Last full day in Changsha, and this morning...

Yesterday was our last full day in Changsha (in fact, right now, our luggage is outside the door waiting to be picked up and this computer is the last thing to be shut down and packed in it's carry on). It was a relaxing day with nothing formal planned. I knew I wanted to return to Whacko to buy the dishes i had seen, and found out at breakfast from Maggi that a small group was planning to head out at 11am. I joined them and picked up 8 rice bowls, 4 each in one of two designs (I am betting some will break and am hoping to come away with 4 rice bowls total), 4 spoons, 2 small tea cups, 2 large covered tea cups with ceramic strainers that fit inside, and one large covered rice bowl- which I expect will also break- it's wrapped in my fleece blanket and wedged in Mutti's duffel, so I am not really hopeful. The other dishes I packed in the 2 shoeboxes that Jordan and Ellie's shoes came in, and the large covered tea cups had boxes- all of those I have in paper bags as carry-on... Ellen, our guide, told us that we pretty much can carry on as much as we want domestically, so I am banking on that, hee hee!

After I returned from Whacko, I almost fell asleep while Caroline fed Ellie in our room (none of us were hungry, so Ellie got what we had on hand- banana, fruit grain bar, and GRITS- which she loved!!!!!!), and then it was nap time all around. I started to post some pictures on the blog but Caroline got the girls down and came over, and we decided to venture out for massages!! Only RMB$98 (US$13!!), and they were about an hour long I think, maybe 45 minutes. They were great! I could tell they were using some energy meridian theory and some shiatsu or Thai style techniques. Alot of percussion and tapping. We left all our clothes on, and it was definitely not a gentle massage but left me feeling refreshed and invigorated, and I could tell the girl worked out alot of the tension I had gotten sleeping in the Chinese bed and carrying luggage, and she especially managed to relive some of the creepy crawlies I get in my legs (I'm thinking start of Restless Leg Syndrome, been getting it for about 2 years now). It was wonderful, and I definitely hope to get another massage at the White Swan! Mutti REALLY needs to get one (and she says she will).

After we got back, Caroline had to go to finish the paperwork and get Ellie's passport (very cute I might add), so at first Jordan, Mutti, and I stayed with Ellie (and she didn't scream bloody murder!!)... after a while we gt a call, and Charles and little Caroline were going bowling, so Jordan and I headed that way to play a game with them- lots of fun! Jordan is getting better and better with the ball (she knocked one pin down on her own!). Mutti stayed with Ellie and said at first she was ok, then she cried off and on for 20 minutes (but not the terrible gut wrenching hold-the-breath cry, just a little cry), then finally settled down and sat on the bed and played (and watched Tiger Woods and golf on the TV!). Yea Ellie!! She's finally starting to warm up to Grandmutti and myself!!!

After bowling it was time for dinner (Maggi declined because Betsey was unhappy, but Charles and little Caroline joined us). Caroline asked Joanne, also our guide, to write out a menu in Chinese- we were hoping for lotus root, Ma Po Tofu, Fried Tofu, Hot & Sour soup, rice, noodles, long green beans, sweet & sour pork (NOT the breaded red sauce kind, the real kind). The ladies were wonderful and looked at it,, and told us they didn't have everything, but "Please trust me, I get dishes you like-" and boy did she ever!!!!!! There were no utensils- just chopsticks- and we started with hot green tea (came automatically) and an appetizer (already on the big spinning turntable) of some crunchy beans of some sort, speckled and brown. We also got a small rice bowl (also to be used for soup and noodles) and a dessert-sized plate. No Hot & Sour soup, but they made and an AMAZING soup that had a root vegetable of some sort cooked down in it (not potato, maybe taro root or something similar?) and meatballs that were much like the stuffing of a wonton and tasted like (In Mutti's words) Vi-Eenna Sausages (to me it tasted like Chef Boyardee meatballs)- it was mild and delicious! Not lotus root, but they brought out a dish of woodear mushrooms covered in chilis and garlic and they were soooooo good- even Mutti liked them!!! No sweet & sour pork or Ma Po Tofu, but she asked if we liked beef- we said yes- and they brought a platter of thinly sliced raw beef laid on green onions and surrounded by cucumbers- and also a sterno hotplat on which a pan with oil and spices was already hot- we cooked our own beef!!!! The beef was seasoned with cumin seeds and it melted in our mouths when we ate it. The long beans came out and they too were just delicious, with a grilled flavor I can't describe. The fried tofu also came out in a pan sizzling on sterno for our table, and it was spicy!!!! Super yummy, and Jordan liked that! Our rice and noodles came out towards the end, and the noodles you could tell had been made that day- the big challenge was getting them from the big bowl with the serving chopsticks into our individual bowls- Mutti won at that with the most graceful grab-lift-and-drop technique. The meal finished with a huge platter of watermelon, of which Jordan ate 6 slices!!! The watermelon in Changsha is amazingly sweet and good, and we all partook (I ate 2 slices and cleaned up some of Jordan's slices since she didn't eat "all of the red part, cause she didn't want to eat the green by mistake." This was the meal we had all been looking for, and it was DIVINE. I can't imagine getting food this good in the States, and I wish I could have teleported some to Dad and Charles.

Jordan and I headed back to the hotel (just around the corner) a little before the rest of the group, so I didn't find out til after Mutti and Caroline got back that dinner for 4 adults, 2 kids, and a baby cost RMB$148... only US$19!!!!! And they wouldn't take a tip either... it was just amazing.

At the hotel it wasn't time to rest, it was time to pack! It took us a couple of hours, but a little before midnight we finished, and I decided to take a shower so I wouldn't have to worry about it in the morning... so I made it into bed about 12:30am... and slept the best I have since I got to China!!!!

This morning we had our last breakfast at the buffet downstairs- I have become addicted to the glutinous rice wrapped in some sort of leaf (bamboo or banana), the plain congee with a little sugar, pan fried dumplings, I discovered the glutinous rice balls in water that I would swear are filled with chocolate (and if not, I don't want to know!), the glutinous rice with dried fruit and nuts in little aluminum muffin tins, and steamed buns (with red bean paste or with pork dumpling filling).

So we are waiting another 20 minutes til it is time to go downstairs, and then it's off to the airport to fly to Guangzhou (flight at 2:15pm) and to White Swan- hotel for adoptive families. As Caroline mentioned just now on the phone, the Dolton has alot of Chinese as well as some adoptive families, and "you get crowded into the elevator here" (which is an understatement- packed like sardines is more like it).

Dad- don't forget what Mutti is going to tell you on the phone in a sec- Colorforms for Jordan for X-mas.

Charles, I love you so much!!!!!!!!!!!

How Big is Ellie? SOOOOO BIG!!!!!!!!

Yesterday was the Great Department Store Adventure- a herd of Americans tromping through 3 stories of Changsha department store that sold everything from heated oscillating fans, and heated bed frames, to chair-rail height safes, appliances, and complete with a Kiddy Wonderland. We focused on the third floor- children's apparel mostly (and those safes)- and the first adventure was in the land of shoes. Jordan came away with a Laser Light Show- which we didn't know until after we got back to the hotel- and Ellie got a cute pair of hot pink hiking boots. Both girls got new coats (red for Jordan, pink for Ellie), and I bought Jordan a doll for X-mas: a Tang Dynasty Princess in Bridal Attire- I know that she'll pretty much get destroyed after being opened, but I couldn't help myself!! Jordan wasn't in too good of a mood, but that was fixed for a little while when I took her and Caroline to the kiddy playland... with our guide Joanne's help. All the signs were in Chinese and obviously I couldn't tell rules, prices, etc. Joanne was able to negotiate a ride for the two girls on the little train and the big cars for only RMB$7- or US$0.90, and they were longer rides than I think I've seen on such contraptions in the states. The girls loved it!!! After wards they both needed to use the bathroom, and then we discovered (Dum dum DUMMMMMMMM) it was a Squatty Potty of Doom and Destruction!!!!!! The girls both agreed they could hold it until they got back to the hotel... until about 15 minutes later when Jordan said she couldn't hold it anymore. I had promised to do whatever they needed to help them go- hold them, what be it. Well, we got in there and Jordan was almost in tears, she didn't want to use it. I explained that this was it... no Western potties in sight. I asked her if it would help if she could see how to use it... and yes, I showed her (and i can't believe I just admitted that to the world). I had experience with Squatty Potties of Doom and Destruction in Cairo, so they really didn't particularly bother me. But even after that Jordan employed her willpower and that stubborn, spicy nature to H-O-L-D I-T. Iron Bladder!

After a bit more time wandering the store, it was time to depart... and take a pit stop at McDonald's. I didn't really feel like eating anything myself from those Hallowed Arches of Gold, but I volunteered to be the representative for the Knights to venture in. It was disconcerting only because everything screamed McDonald's... I just couldn't order for myself and couldn't read the menu to even attempt the ordering. Ellen translated for me when I got in line, and luckily I can handle money with no problem, so had that ready. When the food was ready she had me check the order and they had forgotten Ellie's hamburger, so Ellen waited in line again (which was very helter-skelter) and I asked her at the last minute to also order 2 Green Bean pies... one for me and one for my sister (we had wanted Red Bean pies, but looks like that wasn't an option this time around). And... the pies were great! I wasn't sure if they were Green Mung Beans or sweetened Edamame or what, but they were quite tasty, and i would swear up and down the fries were fried in Beef Fat the way they used to be in the States... because they were more delicious than McD's fries in the US! After everyone completed their order, we went back to the hotel and chowed down.

We napped and then decided to brave the swimming pool- we had heard it was ice cold, but when Jordan decided she didn't want to go swimming with little Caroline before nap, I had gone down to tell C. and her Uncle that Jordan wouldn't be making an appearance, and I stuck my hand in... the water was so warm!!!!!! So it was definitely a go for after nap. Everyone except Grandmutti donned a suit, and we headed down. Caroline and Ellie pretty much found the warm stream of water and stood in one place since Ellie wasn't 100% sure about it, and I swam around with Jordan and had a blast!!!!!!!!

I grabbed a quick shower after swimming and we headed down to dinner. I was a little turned off of my braised greens and noodles though... when I went to put my bowl together, I got my glass noodles and as i put them in the bowl I realized someone before me had used the tongs to get the pig's blood curd (yes, Pig's . Blood . Curd- ewww. sorry, I'm not that cosmopolitan) and it got on my noodles. Well, needless to say, when they came back, they didn't quite taste right. Maybe it was psychosomatic, but I think actually it was the fact that the PBC had been heated/ braised int he same broth that my noodles went into. YICK. Other than that, dinner was a-ok.

Today we hied ourselves to the Hunan Embroidery Research Institute. Silk embroidery is an amazingly fine art here, to the point where a talented woman with over 40 years experience doing single sided embroidery (picture on one side of the silk), might learn to do double-sided embroidery, where 2 different pictures are embroidered on each side of the silk, but the stitches and threads can't be seen. It's truly phenomenal. A large piece can take multiple women working at the same time 5 days a week, 8 hours a day, over 3-5 years to finish. I purchased a small piece and wish already that I had splurged and gotten one of the big pieces that cost $300 dollars (and that was still CHEAP- the pieces I really wanted weren't large at all and cost over US$1000). Mom had stayed at the hotel with Jordan, and she had wanted a landscape- well, Caroline and I found one that I also had fell in lobe with, and it was the only one even remotely in the price range. Mom had wanted to spend only $200 and it was $300 (US)... but we got it anyway- I was ready to take that sucker home. Well, she fell in love with it, it was exactly what she wanted... so, I just have my small piece, but I have decided i will order a piece online pretty soon. I wish I had time to go back!

We lunched, and the buffet this afternoon had some new and VERY tasty items on it, including the Mongolian Beef and most especially the Sliced beef with Wild Green Chilis (and some red ones too). It was quite spicy!! The noodles were extra spicy today too, and very yummy. I have fallen in love with this peanut cake they have on the dessert buffet.. I have eaten a slice for lunch and dinner every time we've gone down since Monday... it tastes like it belongs at the Virginia Diner- it's that good!!!

Caroline blogged over nap time, and we just returned from a venture back to the Whacko grocery store for more chips, coke, formula, and the Chinese tissue packs that have Winnie the Pooh on them- hee hee! Caroline spied the fact that they also sell day to day dishes (kind of like Harris Teeter does), and they have the covered tea cups that I like, as well as some very pretty rice bowls and spoons. I think I may try to go back tomorrow and buy 4 bowls and spoons, and 2 cups- nothing fancy, but exactly what I've tried to find for years in the US, but unsuccessfully so.

We'll be heading down to dinner in a moment, then hopefully we'll talk to Dad around 6am his time (7pm ours) and I'll call Charles around 7am his time. Tomorrow is a completely free day except for Caroline at 4:40pm, when she goes to finish the passport paperwork for Ellie, which must be perfect for when we go to Guangzhou- any mistakes in this part of the paperwork discovered in Guangzhou means a flight back to Changsha to re-do everything- ugh! But Ellen is great and she won't let any mistakes be made. I am hoping to get a massage int he hotel as well- apparently they have fabulous massages for less than $30 for an hour, and Caroline wants one as well... so hopefully we can squeeze that in around nap time! The Saturday at 11:00am we leave the hotel to go to the airport to catch a 2:15pm flight to Guangzhou.

I am definitely missing home and sometimes am ready to just be done... but at the same time I love this and am so glad to have the experience. I hope to walk a little more in Changsha tomorrow- the pollution was not horrendous today but was definitely thick in the lungs- but today was our first sunny day, so it was great to be out!

Love to Daddy, Charles, Pushkin, Thumper, Smudge, and Baxter, and Meema, Gail, Don, and anyone else reading this!!!!!!

Midnight in Changsha, Do you know where your Power is?

Midnight in Changsha, and all the sudden all the lights in our room came on by themselves, then everything turned off... the computer is on battery (in the 24 hour power switch- I forgot to describe earlier that to keep lights on in the room you have to have your room key in a little slot on the wall- which we have right now- so it's significant that the computer power is off)... Just stepped out into the hall and all is dark except the little blue light on the wall near the floor that say "Exit..."

There are 42 floors in the hotel... not sure if we are all off or what... Hmm...!

[EDIT: 12:16am, the power just cam back on- I could hear people running up and down stairs in the hallway, so they were doing something to get it fixed... maybe we'll find out in the morning- back to bed!!!!!]

Over the hills, through the woods, to Changsha,and to Ellie!

Ok, I know, I know, I am 2 days behind. I promise myself I will catch up every evening, but every evening I get so tired...

So, to sum up (and catch up)...

On Sunday, Dec. 10, the day was all about flying to Changsha from Hong Kong. I slept well for the first time- it was bliss to sleep til 6am!!!- and we packed a little before breakfast. I am addicted to the chicken sausages in Hong Kong! Unfortunately, the omelet guy this time around didn't quite cook the omelet all the way and I am a girl who likes my eggs well cooked, so I couldn't really eat it. I did splurge on two bowls of cocoa krispies with banana and walnuts- yum!- and several cups of hot tea. After breakfast we finished packing and headed downstairs. I had promised Caroline that I would pull HK$100 out and buy Starbuck's for us, so I ran out (it was almost 10am when we had to board the bus) to go to the HSBC atm... and was denied for "exceeding my credit limit." WHAT?!?!?!?!!? How did I do that? I ran into the hotel and begged the concierge to let me make a collect call to BofA, and of course I got to "yes, you are overlimit" with the fraud department when I saw our group boarding, so had to hang up and go. I admit to crying on the bus, I was so upset. After a moment I realized what I had done- I had paid most of the month's bills, even those that I don't pay til after the 15th... I was supposed to have used my credit card in Hong Kong but had forgotten!! Luckily, in the Hong Kong airport we found a computer, and I did the big no-no of logging into my account on a public computer... I transferred some money from my dance account to cover it, plus some to get me through til the 15th. I think what frustrated me was that I had over $500 cash on me, but had overdrawn my account because it's sometimes easier to use the Visa than try to convert money. Ah well! Caroline picked up some MaPo Tofu at this little place called Taiwan Beef Noodle to eat in the plane, and we headed to the gate! Even on the hour long flight, we got a snack box of tomatoes, sweet roll, cake, and dried fruit... and the Ma Po tofu was INCREDIBLE. Both Caroline and I couldn't believe how good it was- it was what she had been looking for and couldn't get folks in the states to make!

In Changsha, the plan did not hook to a jetway, so we proceeded down stairs and into a little tram bus that took us just a skip away to the terminal- it startled me a bit to see a member of the military watching us deplane. Inside though, we turned in the first of our three forms- out health declaration (which pretty much promises in so many words that we have neither SARS nor bird flu), and immediately thereafter we passed through immigration and got the passport stamped... except Mutti, who had filled out one of her forms in metallic purple gel ink which they didn't particularly like, so she had to refill them out. We grabbed our luggage off the teensy carousel (it was a wrestling and shoving match to get to the luggage with all the people), grabbed carts, and headed out to meet Ellen and Joanne, our CCAI guides for the Hunan province. They herded us onto a tour bud and we drove through the streets to our hotel, The Dolton Hotel, one of Changsha's 5-star hotels. It is lovely!!! The kicker: Chinese style beds, so hard that when i sat down on them the first time unawares, I jarred my lower back. It is much like sleeping on the floor on top of a sleeping bag... and my hip joints aren't liking me too much!

We went to the Dim Sum restaurant that night- Jordan was in a bit of a snit, and wasn't on her best behavior. However, we ordered for dishes: Green Beans, Tofu with mutton, Deep Fried Tofu, and chicken with green peppers. The first dish was diving, the second dish turned out to be mutton TRIPE and I really couldn't stomach it (although I tried!), the third dish might be better described as tofu sauteed in hot oil with chilis, and was also spicy and fabulous, and the last dish had great flavor, but the chicken looked like it had been chopped off the backbone- so it was like bite sized pieces of bone that had some meat on it. An experience! We headed back to the room (Jordan and Caroline early since J. wasn't doing too well), and after a bit we went to bed knowing that the next day was ELLIE DAY!!!!!!!!!

I woke up at about 5am and blogged for an hour (that was the Hong Kong Part 3 post), and then we got ready for breakfast and headed downstairs at about 6:45am. The buffet was wonderful, and I had another omelet, some fruit, cocoa krispies, a small butter croissant, and some tea. We were all excited but still a bit tired. Caroline needed to fill out paperwork at a 7:20am meeting, so while she did that I decided to take shower (which involved playing "guess what temperature the water is going to be in the next 5 seconds")... we got ourselves together finally, met downstairs, and loaded on the bus to meet ELLIE!!!!!


We got to the registration office and made it to the 3rd floor... there were a few babies there, but for different families... group 1080 waited patiently, and then it happened- the babies came into the room!!!!!!!! (The nannie in the center back is holding Ellie!!)Caroline was the last of the group to be matched, so we got to watch all of the other families, and watch Ellie in the arms of her nannie for a few minutes... the room was so crazy, babies crying, people talking everywhere, so while it was a very magical moment- it was slightly rushed magical moment. You could tell that DaoXian was a well-off orphanage- they had dressed all the babies in matching outfits- just darling yellow coats and pants with good luck symbols and faux fur trim, with matching hats with fur trim and little white pom pom, and red shoes with kitty faces on them and UFO's on the bottom. The clothes underneath fit well and were also of good quality, and you could tell she had eaten well. This was in stark contrast with the other Hunan group, whose clothing was not as well fitting, and the babies much much thinner. We are VERY lucky- Ellie also seems developmentally on target. Ellie didn't cry very much, although Jordan did have a meltdown, probably from all of the emotion. We piled onto the bus (it was very fast!) and headed back to the hotel.

I got to be the family member that ventured out to the local grocery store "Whacko" (seriously)- very small, and probably quite a hectic experience for the employees as a heard of 18 Americans come charging in to find baby formula, diapers, and the all important snacks! I picked up some chocolate Oreos, coke, coke lite (diet coke), and then ventured in to the world of potato chips: I found American Classic Flavor, Texas Grilled BBQ Flavor (better than any bbq chips I've had in the States), and did try Cucumber chips (not bad)- other flavors available included Italian Meat Sauce! I also grabbed cheetos- chicken flavor- and they are surprisingly good!!!

The rest of the day involved sleeping, eating, and Caroline bonding with Ellie (and having Ellie check out by the doctor- she initially had a small temperature but with a dose of Tylenol, she cleared with flying colors!!!). Dinner was a fun experience, and Caroline discovered that Ellie does indeed like Egg, and rice, and bits of noodles! She takes a bottle like a champ- shotgunning it- definitely does not like a poopy diaper (yes, she pooped on schedule!!!!!), and slept well through the night.

Today we went back to the registration office for a few hours to finalize the Chinese side of the adoption. This involved answering some questions with the notary, paying the notary fees, and giving the gifts to the orphanage director. It was neat, because the Director very clearly recognized Ellie and came over to talk to her before we realized she was the Director!! The Director and other officials from DaoXian seemed very pleased with the crib sized afghans that Meema has crocheted over the last 3.5 years, they unfolded them and felt them and smiled quite alot! Ellen, our guide, helped convey that they were handmade, and that seemed to go over very well- much appreciated. It was so hot in the office this time around that we got punchy (see Jie Jie Jordan trying on Ellie's hat) and by the end of the visit the room was filled with cranky babies, cranky children, and probably some cranky adults. But as soon as we walked outside everyone's temperaments improved- and the deed is done- according to China, Yong Xiao Yu is now Ellison XiaoYu Elizabeth Knight- a member of the Knight family with a wonderful mother and a Big Sister Extraordinaire!!!!!!!

The rest of today has been all about eating a sleeping. We ate a good lunch in the hotel- Ellie tried Dragonfruit, scraped apple, and other items, and then that was followed by a nap for everyone. And then... Bowling!!!!!! The Dolton Hotel has bowling lanes on the 6th floor, and I had promised Jordan we would bowl- she has never been. The smallest ball they had was 8 lbs, and we worked together to find a good method for Jordan to roll that 8 lb ball. She could get the ball out of the return, carried it to the front of the lane, then kneeled down on her knees and pushed the all down the lane. Her first attempt didn't make it all the way down the gutter, so we had a bit of Snooker Bowling: I tried to knock it in with another ball, but then the sweeper only caught the first ball, and we had to fish the second out. However, Jordan got all her other balls down the lane/ gutter: total score- 14!!!! YEA JORDAN!!!!!!!

After bowling we visited the playroom on the 30th floor, and followed that with some playtime- Ellie is finally starting to open up. She is giggling when Mommy plays Feetsies, loves how Mommy honks when an empty water bottle touches Mommy's nose, and boy can Ellie EAT. We just returned from dinner where Ellie demanded (in her adorable half-cry way) to be fed continuously- dragonfruit, a bowl of congee, noodles, meat from Mutti's Spaghetti Bolognese, broth from Mommy's wonton soup. Jordan and i elected to have the buffet again- I am addicted to the braised greens station, where you grab a bowl, fill it yourself with the noodles of your choice (I like the glass noodles, although rice is good too), I add some tofu, and then a selection of greens- they have about 8 or 9 kinds, of which I am partial to the pak-choi, 2 kinds that I don't know the names, and the cilantro. SO YUMMY!!!! They braise them for you and add broth, takes about 5 minutes, and it is divine.

Ellie is having bathtime with Mommy and Jordan (they want family time- especially Jordan, who just wants it to be the 3 of them), so we are flipping channels. We did catch the Duke v. George Mason game- here in China- it was great to catch some ACC action even if it was on tape delay, and a huge surprise since we only have 2 English channels- BBC news, and HBO.

Tomorrow is shopping at the department store and relaxation time- and hopefully, time to discover more of Ellie's personality as she opens up!

I have one more post about yesterday, but...

I thought it was more important to tell you all:

We are leaving to meet Ellie in 5 minutes!!! Then 30 minutes to the office... Ellie-time at 10am!!!!!!! (9pm Sunday ET!)

Hong Kong, Part 3

On Saturday, Dec 9, I woke up at about 5am again- despite the wonderful beds, I could not sleep much. It was just as well, because this was the day we would join up with other CCAI families in Hong Kong and tour! We were scheduled to do the morning tour, which meant being up and ready to go by 7:45am. So we got ready, headed downstairs to the hotel's "Cafe Allegro" (thank goodness we has breakfast tickets included now as part of the group package) and ate. The Cafe did a fabulous buffet that mixed Western and Chinese style foods, and I partook of the chicken sausage, chocolate rice krispies (to which I added walnut and banana), an omelet station (eggs, cheese, red peppers, and bacon), and fresh fruit (pineapple and pears). I touched maybe 1/10 of what they had out!!!! Dad, you would love this, from the moment we got on EVA Air, every restaurant, to here, they always have a pot of tea already brewed, just like coffee! Perfect for us hot tea drinkers.!

We skidattled upstairs to finish freshening up and made it back downstairs to join the tour. On the agenda: Victoria's Peak, a ride in a Sanpan to view some of the world of fisherfolk, a stop at the Aberdeen Jewelry company to see how jewelry is made (with an option to purchase), a visit to Stanley market (crazy mix of shops in alleys- we opted to rest at the DeliFrance and have a snack), and last but not least, lunch at a Dim Sum restaurant. My favorite was Victoria's Peak, because it was such an amazing view that you couldn't capture on camera because of the fog (smog)... our guide, Matthew, showed us 2 pictures taken on extremely clear days- one 6 months ago, and one his grandfather took 52 years ago. It's amazing, because there are mountains and water that you wouldn't even guess were there behind the gray veil. The pagoda (I know, that's Japanese, not sure of the Chinese name) was lovely (see left), and the greenery was fascinating in it's beauty- I'm told Hong Kong is on a parallel with Cuba- which would explain the temperatures being so very warm.

I also enjoyed the Sanpan ride- although it really drove home how very wealthy much of the US is. Alot of the fisherfolk live and breathe their whole lives on the boats, and many of the boats are run down, and pieced together. Almost all are lovingly cared for no matter how shabby, and a very few are quite nice. We saw just about everything onboard you could- dogs, potted plants, washing machines, stoves, etc. The ride was a peep into another world, and at least I felt a little too much like a voyeur... but it was a good insight to have.

I didn't purchase anything at the Aberdeen Jewelry Co. although I was tempted by a jade and gold filigree bracelet, some pearls, and the diamonds. Mom and Caroline also resisted- even for Hong Kong, the prices were a little too high! We wrapped up at the Dim Sum restaurant (the Jade Terrace) by sampling shrimp dumplings, fried rice, noodles, fish balls (me, not so much), and other items. We finished up with some of the sweetest watermelon I have ever had- YUM!!!

We returned to the hotel, and after getting Jordan down for a nap, Caroline, her friend M., and I ventured out to find Caroline's tried and true jewelry store, Mabel's. We found where it should have been, but it apparently has gone away- so no jewelry for me! We did decided to walk down to the harbor and along the Avenue of Stars (famous Chinese and Hong Kong actors and actresses have stars there) and it was just an amazing view. I didn't have my camera with me during the day, but tot he right is a shot of the harbor later that night- just beautiful!!!!!!!! We also saw about 8 women getting married, the dresses were gorgeous, and it was an amazing setting. We made a pit stop in the little underground shopping centre their, and low and behold we found a little store and bought ADAPTERS! I was able to get back and charge my computer, and it was happy- you could almost hear the little battery breathe a sigh of relief!

After returning, we rested a bit, then went out and ate dinner at the same Thai restaurant (Nara) as the night before... not as good, we thinking it was a different chef, but it got us through. We walked back down to the harbor for a moment, then headed back and promptly crashed... because the next day was Sunday, and that meant it was the day to fly to Changsha in the Hunan province!!!! And that meant in less than 48 hours Caroline and Jordan would get little Ellie.... HOORAY!!!!!!!!

Hong Kong, Part 2

This is the remainder of what I wrote at 4:15am yesterday... I'll work on what happened yesterday on today's plane flight (hopefully)... [EDIT: Blogger isn't letting me upload pictures this morning, I'll try again from Changsha... we'll be leaving for the airport sometime around 10am with the CCAI groups] [EDIT 2: 8:00pm Changsha- got the pics to work!]

It was time for DisneyLand! We navigated from the Tsim Sha Tsui stop on the red line, transferred nine stops later to the orange line, and several stops later at Sunny Bay, we transferred to the special train that Disney has to take you to the park- complete with Mouse-shaped Windows, plush blue bench seats, mouse shaped subway handles if you were standing, statues of characters, and pictures of Walt. We got out (both Jordan and C, were SO excited- so was I!) and headed in to pick up our tickets at the little automated dispenser terminals. HK Disneyland has only been open for a little more than a year, and it’s the size of Kings Dominion or Carowinds- and only about $38. It has a mini version of Main Street, Sleeping beauty’s castle, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and Adventureland- perfect for a day trip. We rode almost all the rides we could in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland- I took Jordan and C. on the teacups and had a blast. We also rode Dumbo (which broke half way through the ride- it wasn’t me!), Winnie the pooh- much like the Florida Snow White ride- the Autopia cars ride, and the kids went on Orbitron (a lot like Dumbo) with M’s brother Ch. And mutti, while Caroline, M., and myself went to Space Mountain- Fabulous! Caroline and I got to ride in the very front by a fluke, and that was spectacular. HKD is not only smaller, so the lines are nothing like Disney World, but Fast Pass works great! So we literally waltzed onto several rides with almost no wait, including the Mountain. We also stumbled on the parade and had a great view, and the girls loved it. We purchased some souvenirs (how can you not buy something that says you were at Disneyland in Hong Kong to show off to your friends in the States?!?!?!), C. crashed in her mother’ arms, although Jordan stayed awake like a trooper- she only had one mule moment before we rode Buzz Lightyear (I scored 231,600 points- Level 4, I’m a pilot!) but made it through and hung on tile we left the park at 6pm (our last ride was the Jungle River Cruise, our only foray into Adventureland- the girls were too tired to push beyond that, and so were we!) We navigated the trains back to the Kowloon hotel (this time packed with folks on their way home from work)- Jordan was so tired at one point when Caroline and she were standing up for lack of seats, Jordan curled up on the floor of the metro- I wish I could have gotten a picture of that).

We grabbed two cabs at about 7pm to get us to the Regal Kowloon- and these drivers drove like the ones in Cairo did, Completely making up lanes and dashing in between lanes to get around cars, trying to cut people off and avoiding an accident every 5 seconds the vehicle was in motion- it was more adrenaline pumping than Space Mountain- but we got to the Regal in one piece and again checked in, and a porter lugged our bags up.

The Regal is VERY nice, and the rooms are quite large here, and best of all Santa and the snowmen are accompanied by pigs!!!! Mutti and Caroline had told me that when the beds made up the same and again very comfortable. After taking a quick birdbath, Mutti, Caroline, Jordan, M., C., and myself (Ch. Elected to stay in) ventured out in search of food. Low and behold across a little square that our hotel opens onto, we found a Thai restaurant. Little but elegant and charming, I ordered Pad Thai, and it was FABULOUS… just yummy yummy yummy, and I ate every bite! Jordan was by this point pushed past her limits, and we knew it, and she fell asleep on the bench seat before her rice ever came. After a wonderful meal we returned back to the hotel, I showered again, and we hit the bed at 9:20pm.

The buildings around the little courtyard are all high rises (20+ stories) and they all have huge light-bright style pictures on them- I will try to get a shot tonight- of Santa and snowmen, and presents, and “Merry X’mas” even… and they came 4 years ago to get Jordan, Santa’s sleigh was pulled by goats… so I remembered, than this coming Chinese New Year transitions us into the Year of the Pig (or Boar)- the year for Caroline, Mutti, Meema, and Charles! So I expect a lot of the Christmas decorations will show pigs as we go through China- it is so cute! And Hong Kong is decked out for the holidays- ornaments and trees and lights everywhere. The radio has an all Christmas station that plays beautiful Christmas music by the Viennese boys choir and other classics. We even listened to Bing Crosby sing at DeliFrance. We are definitely not missing out on the season by being here in China!!! (EDIT: Except for cookies... I am craving X-mas cookies like you wouldn't believe, especially the Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies mom always makes... I love the dough for those as much as the cookies!)

Well, that’s about it for now, I’ve managed to waste an hour by typing in the dark. We have to be ready for our tour at 7:20am (EDIT: that was on 12/9), so I’ll probably go downstairs and eat breakfast a little after 6am since it’s included in our stay here. We will be touring Victoria’s’ Peak, so hopefully I’ll have some great shots of that too!!!
Love to everyone!!! Charles, I get the panda phone on Dec. 10, Sunday, which is actually Saturday evening for you- but probably not til close to midnight your time. I’ll still probably try to call you, and will leave you a voicemail letting you know when I’ll call again J. I love you!!!!!!!! Daddy, we miss you SOOOO much and I can't wait to see you again!!!!!