We got to Guangzhou Friday, the 10th, two hours later than we were supposed to due to sitting on the plane for two hours before takeoff. My biggest regret about leaving Chengdu is I didn't get the opportunity to get any province-specific souveniers/momentos for NingNing. Neither guide ever took me anywhere to shop. Our "good" guide, Ray, did finally, the last evening, take us to a very nice quaint shopping street, but wouldn't stop walking long enough for me to shop! There were so many people I kept checking to make sure the boys were with me.
Today we had NingNing's medical appointment. He was not happy about it, but didn't put up a fuss or anything. However, when they got him in and pulled out the needles, all of a sudden, he sat straight up and said "Wahhhh, Wahhhhh!". This is what he says when something impresses, surprises, or freaks him out. He toughed it out though and the TB bump is looking ok. The doctor kept coming out and ordering him to sit up straight; too funny! I had asked our guide to let NingNIng know he could eat as much as he wants wherever we go because he usually eats only one plate at breakfast and refuses to get more. I thought maybe he thought he wasn't allowed or something. She told me he said he wasn't used to eating breakfast as he usually didn't eat until lunchtime??!! No wonder he only weighs 98 pounds at about 5'7"! Turn him sideways and he almost disappears!
Communication is coming along thanks to Jibbigo and our translation app on the tablet. I've learned a few key phrases and tonight he finally started trying to help us learn how to say the Chinese words the right way. He seems to have an accent that makes it hard for him to understand us unless we say it exactly like he's heard it, so we're trying! He laughs at us which is ok :). We really try to encourage him whenever he says any English word (thumbs up, "Ok!", Hao (good)). At least he is willing to try a few words more now.
Went to dinner with the Gerbers (not the Horns-I had the wrong last name!) and Yan Ping, NingNing's foster sister. She's still enamored with him and now they've established kind of a brother/sister teasing thing while NingNing just looks on laughing and kind of shaking his head. Can't tell for sure, but don't think he and YanPing got along very well. He's so easygoing and she kind of takes charge, so I can see that.
Earlier in the day, James took NingNing up to the pool. At first, he said he'd never been swimming, then after a bit, when I asked him "you like to try?" he finally relented and stripped down right there at the pool to put on the trunks I brought (while I turned my back). THEN he cannonballs into the pool and starts swimming like a fish! He was holding out on us, which makes me wonder if he's doing the same thing with the English. That will remain to be seen; when he's in America and English is all he hears, it may be a different story.
More paperwork tomorrow, then off to my favorite place, the Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street. James is looking forward to the plentiful camera opportunities of pretty girls!
Consider stepping "outside the box" and adopt a child...it will not only change that child's life, but yours as well.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Pictures!
First time getting to be affectionate with NingNing
Ear cleaning - a custom in China
than James for a minute!
Happy Valley
Thursday,August 9, 2012
Still having issues with the pictures but working on it!
Today was go to the Civil Affairs office, sign one piece of paper, and verify the adoption certificate.
When Susie got here, she said for me to come, but not the boys! She insisted they stay (why, I don't know), so very reluctantly, I told James to look after NingNing and left. I know they're big boys, but still..........
Then we went off to the Happy Valley amusement park. A fun day, but hot (again) and wet (sweating), but the boys had fun. NingNing has begun to display a great deal of affection to James, i.e. hanging on him, putting his hand on his shoulder, pushing each other around as only brothers will do...he'll grab James' shirt and pull him in the direction he wants him to go, otherwise he is pretty much glued to James side. I'm also still getting in my shoulder rubs and arm squeezes.
I also discovered another affection-promoting opportunity quite by accident. We went into a Haunted Castle which NingNing wasn't too sure about. Inside, there was a completely dark hallway with "dead" bodies hanging everywhere. By American standards, it really wasn't very scary, but in that hallway, NingNing pushed up next to me and grabbed me; I promptly held him and continued to do so until we were through the hallway; it's just the best feeling ever when your new child trusts you enough to allow that so soon; I of course cherished every second.
I know this is the "honeymoon" period, but I am enjoying it immensely; he is such an easy kid to fall in love with :).
Tonight; off to "hotpot" dinner, a Sichuan specialty much like fondue; you "cook" your items in a scalding broth and then "cool" them in oil (yikes), but we have to try it since it's the signature dish of the province, then off to a little shopping, and tomorrow to Guangzhou!
Still having issues with the pictures but working on it!
Today was go to the Civil Affairs office, sign one piece of paper, and verify the adoption certificate.
When Susie got here, she said for me to come, but not the boys! She insisted they stay (why, I don't know), so very reluctantly, I told James to look after NingNing and left. I know they're big boys, but still..........
Then we went off to the Happy Valley amusement park. A fun day, but hot (again) and wet (sweating), but the boys had fun. NingNing has begun to display a great deal of affection to James, i.e. hanging on him, putting his hand on his shoulder, pushing each other around as only brothers will do...he'll grab James' shirt and pull him in the direction he wants him to go, otherwise he is pretty much glued to James side. I'm also still getting in my shoulder rubs and arm squeezes.
I also discovered another affection-promoting opportunity quite by accident. We went into a Haunted Castle which NingNing wasn't too sure about. Inside, there was a completely dark hallway with "dead" bodies hanging everywhere. By American standards, it really wasn't very scary, but in that hallway, NingNing pushed up next to me and grabbed me; I promptly held him and continued to do so until we were through the hallway; it's just the best feeling ever when your new child trusts you enough to allow that so soon; I of course cherished every second.
I know this is the "honeymoon" period, but I am enjoying it immensely; he is such an easy kid to fall in love with :).
Tonight; off to "hotpot" dinner, a Sichuan specialty much like fondue; you "cook" your items in a scalding broth and then "cool" them in oil (yikes), but we have to try it since it's the signature dish of the province, then off to a little shopping, and tomorrow to Guangzhou!
Avoid the pepper bullet and.....clean ears
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
I'm a day behind because my VPN decided not to work for a bit and I can't get the computer away from the boys! My pics are still uploading, so I will post those later.
Today we went to the Panda center which can be summed up in two words...hot and wet! We saw about 5 pandas because they were smart enough to be indoors! Once finished with that, James requested to eat at a Chinese McDonalds...we all got Big Macs though they don't call them that here; they are just burgers. The fast food chains here taste better, I think, because they don't load up the food with all the grease America does; James agreed.
After lunch, we met up with Susie and headed off to Civil Affairs for the official "stuff". This is where NingNing had to agree to be adopted by us. Thankfully, there was no hesitation on his part (I got a teeny bit misty but held it together) and once that was done, we were whisked off to the Notary and finished that up also. They read us NingNing's information, that he was found abandoned at the No. 5 bus station in Chengdu, delivered to the police, and then the orphanage at 3.5 years old. I asked our guide why a boy like NingNing would be abandoned and she said most likely his mother was divorced and wanted to remarry; children from a previous marriage are regarded as a burden and subsequently............how very sad and when I look at this sweet boy that is now mine, I can only wonder if his biological mother ever regrets her decision.
NingNing is a sweet and delightful boy. He "bounces" everywhere he goes and is curious about everything. He is polite and funny and did I say sweet? James and he are really hitting it off; they spend most of the time together either on the computer or playing Uno or just hanging out watching TV for the brief moments we've been in the room. He's impressed by all he's seen and has told Ray he is very happy with us :).
Tonight was the best, though. Ray, our tour guide (not our not-so-fun adoption guide Susie), took us out to dinner and then to a Chinese folk art show. We ate with the Horn family who adopted NingNing's foster sister, but the funny thing is he and Ping will not talk to each other. We had Ray ask NingNing if they got along and he said "things did not work out well betweeen them". However, we still had a pleasant dinner and Ping is enamored with James. The Horns gave her a camera and she must have snapped countless pictures of James all night, lol!
NOW, about the title.......at dinner we had this dish of beef, peas, and other stuff....me and Shon Horn bit into something that tasted awful and set our mouths on fire! Ray said it was the "pepper bullet" they put in for "looks" and NOT to eat it! Ummmm, thanks for telling us AFTER we did! So my new saying is "avoid the pepper bullet". Then the "clean ears". We walked through a park before dinner and happened upon a lady in a white coat. Ray said she was an "ear doctor". In China, it is customary for folks to get their ears cleaned regularly! James, being a champ, agreed to have this done. How the "doctor" exclaimed at the amount of ear "stuff" she pulled out! Then she did mine too....sorry, no details on that one :). I think we need these people in America!
However, here is the best part of the whole entire day. During the folk art show, James was clowning around with the camera pretending to take a picture of NingNing (he is very camera shy). NingNing leaned very close to me and I just wrapped my arms around him to "hide" him from the camera. I motioned for James to get a quick pic (see below). It felt so good to hold NingNing in my arms for just that brief moment. Up to now, I've patted his shoulder or rubbed his arm and he's not reciprocated, but has accepted it fine.
Back at the hotel, I was tired, but the boys got on Google Translate and figured it out finally so that they spent more than an hour "talking". It was great to see and I wasn't about to make it stop.
Then, I FINALLY managed to download an app on my tablet that let NingNing type into QQ in Chinese; he was soooo appreciative and found Seth and Zane's messages right away ( I like Zane's kitty cat icon).
All in all, a wonderful day..................
I'm a day behind because my VPN decided not to work for a bit and I can't get the computer away from the boys! My pics are still uploading, so I will post those later.
Today we went to the Panda center which can be summed up in two words...hot and wet! We saw about 5 pandas because they were smart enough to be indoors! Once finished with that, James requested to eat at a Chinese McDonalds...we all got Big Macs though they don't call them that here; they are just burgers. The fast food chains here taste better, I think, because they don't load up the food with all the grease America does; James agreed.
After lunch, we met up with Susie and headed off to Civil Affairs for the official "stuff". This is where NingNing had to agree to be adopted by us. Thankfully, there was no hesitation on his part (I got a teeny bit misty but held it together) and once that was done, we were whisked off to the Notary and finished that up also. They read us NingNing's information, that he was found abandoned at the No. 5 bus station in Chengdu, delivered to the police, and then the orphanage at 3.5 years old. I asked our guide why a boy like NingNing would be abandoned and she said most likely his mother was divorced and wanted to remarry; children from a previous marriage are regarded as a burden and subsequently............how very sad and when I look at this sweet boy that is now mine, I can only wonder if his biological mother ever regrets her decision.
NingNing is a sweet and delightful boy. He "bounces" everywhere he goes and is curious about everything. He is polite and funny and did I say sweet? James and he are really hitting it off; they spend most of the time together either on the computer or playing Uno or just hanging out watching TV for the brief moments we've been in the room. He's impressed by all he's seen and has told Ray he is very happy with us :).
Tonight was the best, though. Ray, our tour guide (not our not-so-fun adoption guide Susie), took us out to dinner and then to a Chinese folk art show. We ate with the Horn family who adopted NingNing's foster sister, but the funny thing is he and Ping will not talk to each other. We had Ray ask NingNing if they got along and he said "things did not work out well betweeen them". However, we still had a pleasant dinner and Ping is enamored with James. The Horns gave her a camera and she must have snapped countless pictures of James all night, lol!
NOW, about the title.......at dinner we had this dish of beef, peas, and other stuff....me and Shon Horn bit into something that tasted awful and set our mouths on fire! Ray said it was the "pepper bullet" they put in for "looks" and NOT to eat it! Ummmm, thanks for telling us AFTER we did! So my new saying is "avoid the pepper bullet". Then the "clean ears". We walked through a park before dinner and happened upon a lady in a white coat. Ray said she was an "ear doctor". In China, it is customary for folks to get their ears cleaned regularly! James, being a champ, agreed to have this done. How the "doctor" exclaimed at the amount of ear "stuff" she pulled out! Then she did mine too....sorry, no details on that one :). I think we need these people in America!
However, here is the best part of the whole entire day. During the folk art show, James was clowning around with the camera pretending to take a picture of NingNing (he is very camera shy). NingNing leaned very close to me and I just wrapped my arms around him to "hide" him from the camera. I motioned for James to get a quick pic (see below). It felt so good to hold NingNing in my arms for just that brief moment. Up to now, I've patted his shoulder or rubbed his arm and he's not reciprocated, but has accepted it fine.
Back at the hotel, I was tired, but the boys got on Google Translate and figured it out finally so that they spent more than an hour "talking". It was great to see and I wasn't about to make it stop.
Then, I FINALLY managed to download an app on my tablet that let NingNing type into QQ in Chinese; he was soooo appreciative and found Seth and Zane's messages right away ( I like Zane's kitty cat icon).
All in all, a wonderful day..................
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
We have NingNing!
Well, Gotcha Day has officially come and gone, and I'm quite exhausted. Not from the actual day, but again from dealing with the guides.
James and I goofed off this morning, then checked out from the hostel and Susie met us there. We were supposed to leave our luggage there, get NingNing, then come back to get the luggage. Imagine my surprise when our guide had us lug 5 pieces of heavy luggage across busy intersections while she tried to flag down a taxi. Now plans had changed again; we were to go to the hotel, drop off the luggage, and THEN go get NingNing. We did that, only to find that the room we were supposed to stay in wasn't cleaned and ready yet.
We had to drop the luggage anyway because Susie was telling us we had to get going. Hopped in another taxi (at this point, I'm pretty upset that the drivers and cars I thought I'd paid for never materialized). After about a 40-minute ride, we arrived at the orphanage. Walked up the stairs and into a room and there he was! I have seen pictures, but was taken aback by how handsome he is in person! He started towards me and I towards him, and then the guide cut in between us and told us to sit down..so that moment was lost. I started to sit beside NingNing and she told me "no", to come sit beside her and do the paperwork. Ok, fine, I'm just going with the flow....they flit in and out of the room, while NingNing, James, and I all sit there smiling awkwardly at each other. Poor NingNing, he was about dying of embarrassment. We went on a quick tour and met his foster mother, who got upset at the very end, which served to embarrass NingNing all the more. I gave her a hug, and asked Mandy to tell her we would take good care of him; our guide seemed to disapprove of my hugging her, but by this time, I didn't care what she thought.
We rode back to the hotel (yes, in another taxi), with me, NingNing, and James all crammed in the back. The one positive side to this is it certainly promoted closeness, though I'm sure still very uncomfortable for NingNing. James got out his Ipod and showed him some games, which he passed on playing and gestured for James to play. I don't have a family picture yet; Mandy took one with her camera, but as usual, we were rushed back into the taxi before I could ask for one with my camera.
Back at the hotel, Susie and I finished up paperwork while NingNing and James played chess on the computer. During this time, I asked Susie if she would go to dinner with us; she refused. I mentioned seeing a Pizza Hut close to our hotel and she disagreed with me and proceeded to draw a map which she then tried to get NingNing to read so he could figure out the way! I stopped her and said I'd figure something out; that I didn't want him to have to go through that; today was hard enough on him. I got her out of there, and after a bit, we walked to the Pizza Hut that was (gasp) miraculously right where we thought it was. We got a pepperoni pizza and Pepsi for the boys and chicken bites. James "talked" to NingNing through the Ipod; the only issue is that we can't figure out how to have NingNing type in what he wants to say and figure out what he wants, if anything. He's so easy going, he agrees to anything or when we ask what he wants to do or eat, he has no preference. He won't speak a word of English, though I suspect he can understand some, because he laughed at something Susie said in English. We did get him to say "hello" but maybe when he loosens up a little more.
Once back at the hotel, we played Uno for awhile, which he knew how to play. It was funny watching him and James give each other "Draw 2's" or "Skips" and see NingNing's expressions.
The boys settled down pretty early; James is still jet-lagged a bit. So I went to call our tour guide (not Susie) who was supposed to take us to see the pandas tomorrow. I mentioned wanting to hook up with his foster sister's family we met Monday night; he wanted me to call the family, get their permission to go together (thought we'd already agreed), then call Susie and have her take us with them. Susie had made it clear we were not "her family" and were "add-ons", so I told the other guide that I thought it'd just be easier if he still took us and we would hope to meet up with them there.
So here's hoping things work out tomorrow; after the Panda thing, we go to Civil Affairs and take care of that, then Thursday more adoption stuff in the morning and we're going to try for the Happy Valley Amusement Park for the boys. I think by that time, I'll be ready for Guangzhou.
One thing I thought was kind of funny...when he got ready for bed, he stood on the bed, got his shirt off, and laid down with his jeans on. I got the Ipod and a t-shirt and sleep pants and a pair of shorts and told him they were sleepwear if he wanted to be more comfortable; I said it was his choice and he stayed in his jeans, so that's fine ( I just thought the standing on the bed thing was interesting!).
Above are the few pictures I got to take today; in the one where I took a picture of their backs, you can see NingNing smiling, because both my boys just realized I was taking their picture :). The other two are of the area where our new hotel is; the whole street is the old-style Chinese architecture and is just beautiful. James had expressed disappointment that China looked just like a big American city, so modernized and all glass and steel. Where we are now really made an impression on him, as he said, "now, this is China!"
James and I goofed off this morning, then checked out from the hostel and Susie met us there. We were supposed to leave our luggage there, get NingNing, then come back to get the luggage. Imagine my surprise when our guide had us lug 5 pieces of heavy luggage across busy intersections while she tried to flag down a taxi. Now plans had changed again; we were to go to the hotel, drop off the luggage, and THEN go get NingNing. We did that, only to find that the room we were supposed to stay in wasn't cleaned and ready yet.
We had to drop the luggage anyway because Susie was telling us we had to get going. Hopped in another taxi (at this point, I'm pretty upset that the drivers and cars I thought I'd paid for never materialized). After about a 40-minute ride, we arrived at the orphanage. Walked up the stairs and into a room and there he was! I have seen pictures, but was taken aback by how handsome he is in person! He started towards me and I towards him, and then the guide cut in between us and told us to sit down..so that moment was lost. I started to sit beside NingNing and she told me "no", to come sit beside her and do the paperwork. Ok, fine, I'm just going with the flow....they flit in and out of the room, while NingNing, James, and I all sit there smiling awkwardly at each other. Poor NingNing, he was about dying of embarrassment. We went on a quick tour and met his foster mother, who got upset at the very end, which served to embarrass NingNing all the more. I gave her a hug, and asked Mandy to tell her we would take good care of him; our guide seemed to disapprove of my hugging her, but by this time, I didn't care what she thought.
We rode back to the hotel (yes, in another taxi), with me, NingNing, and James all crammed in the back. The one positive side to this is it certainly promoted closeness, though I'm sure still very uncomfortable for NingNing. James got out his Ipod and showed him some games, which he passed on playing and gestured for James to play. I don't have a family picture yet; Mandy took one with her camera, but as usual, we were rushed back into the taxi before I could ask for one with my camera.
Back at the hotel, Susie and I finished up paperwork while NingNing and James played chess on the computer. During this time, I asked Susie if she would go to dinner with us; she refused. I mentioned seeing a Pizza Hut close to our hotel and she disagreed with me and proceeded to draw a map which she then tried to get NingNing to read so he could figure out the way! I stopped her and said I'd figure something out; that I didn't want him to have to go through that; today was hard enough on him. I got her out of there, and after a bit, we walked to the Pizza Hut that was (gasp) miraculously right where we thought it was. We got a pepperoni pizza and Pepsi for the boys and chicken bites. James "talked" to NingNing through the Ipod; the only issue is that we can't figure out how to have NingNing type in what he wants to say and figure out what he wants, if anything. He's so easy going, he agrees to anything or when we ask what he wants to do or eat, he has no preference. He won't speak a word of English, though I suspect he can understand some, because he laughed at something Susie said in English. We did get him to say "hello" but maybe when he loosens up a little more.
Once back at the hotel, we played Uno for awhile, which he knew how to play. It was funny watching him and James give each other "Draw 2's" or "Skips" and see NingNing's expressions.
The boys settled down pretty early; James is still jet-lagged a bit. So I went to call our tour guide (not Susie) who was supposed to take us to see the pandas tomorrow. I mentioned wanting to hook up with his foster sister's family we met Monday night; he wanted me to call the family, get their permission to go together (thought we'd already agreed), then call Susie and have her take us with them. Susie had made it clear we were not "her family" and were "add-ons", so I told the other guide that I thought it'd just be easier if he still took us and we would hope to meet up with them there.
So here's hoping things work out tomorrow; after the Panda thing, we go to Civil Affairs and take care of that, then Thursday more adoption stuff in the morning and we're going to try for the Happy Valley Amusement Park for the boys. I think by that time, I'll be ready for Guangzhou.
One thing I thought was kind of funny...when he got ready for bed, he stood on the bed, got his shirt off, and laid down with his jeans on. I got the Ipod and a t-shirt and sleep pants and a pair of shorts and told him they were sleepwear if he wanted to be more comfortable; I said it was his choice and he stayed in his jeans, so that's fine ( I just thought the standing on the bed thing was interesting!).
Monday, August 6, 2012
More pics of Chengdu and the hostel
#1-#4 - pictures I took before it started pouring, check out the Hello Kitty ensemble in a department store we were in.
#5 the common room of the hostel
#6- the "relaxation" area of the common room
Not Gotcha yet, but some pics
It's Tuesday morning here and I wanted to relate about our little "adventure" yesterday. In the early afternoon, we went back to the room to nap; James was pretty worn out and I wasn't far behind. I was totally asleep when someone knocks on our door and says there's a call from "Susie" who is the other guide I hadn't met yet.
She wanted to ask me about meeting with Jaxon's foster sister's family for dinner and I wanted to go over our itinerary because some things in it had already not materialized. We finally got dinner set up with the Horn family, BUT Susie said it was up to us to get over to their hotel! Ok, fine, I 've been to China 3 times now, no big deal, right?
We started walking about 5pm armed with a map and a clear view of Tianfu Square..we'd gone about halfway (in what we thought was the right direction) and the heavens opened up on us. Do you want to know where all the rain has gone? It is here in Chengdu; so much dumped the streets were filled with huge, deep puddles. We managed to score one umbrella but the downpour got so bad, we had to duck into a store. I took the umbrella and stood on the curb trying to hail a taxi; apparently getting one to stop in this city is near to impossible; even Chinese citizens couldn't get one. After some time, I told James we would just go on; at this point I was determined to get to my destination.
After another 30 minutes of walking, we thought we were close (Susie had told us 25" from our hostel; hah!). Went into a furniture store showing my little scrap of paper with the hotel address and finally, a nice young man walked the rest of the way with us, which amounted to about another 15" of walking.
At one point, we were standing smack dab in the middle of a Chinese street with cars passing us in the front and back. It is good to know, despite what it may look like, Chinese drivers will not deliberately run over a pedestrian!
So, FINALLY, made it to the hotel and met the Horns, a really nice couple, and Ping. She is really sweet and was being super-super helpful to them, even handing them food if they slowed down! We went to KFC and discovered Chinese portions of chicken are TINY, TINY. Have also not found a Diet Pepsi to save my life. After dinner, Ping told the bellboy at their hotel to get us a taxi....we were back at the hostel in 10" and 9CNY (about $1.50) later; sigh.....wish we could have found those taxis earlier.
We asked Ping through our Jibbigo translator on the Ipod if NingNing was excited about today; she got so embarrassed and laughed, but nodded. Trish said when they got there, Ping and NingNing were helping their foster mom in the kitchen. Hmmmm, maybe NingNing can teach James a few things!
I'm reserving my opinion on the guide services thus far. I sprung for the full-service and let's just say, it's not panning out, but I will see what the rest of the week holds. Case in point: I wanted to move to our new hotel this morning to not switch hotels around NingNing. BUT I was overrulled by Susie because it's easier for HER if we check out and leave our luggage here, go get NingNing, come BACK here, get our luggage, and THEN go to the new hotel. I still don't get why, when I paid for drivers and transportation, none are available to move us to the new hotel this morning when we have lots more time. Rather frustrated, to say the least!
On a brighter note, we do get Jaxon at 2ish and here are some pictures of Chengdu so far and our hostel to look at.
#1-James and Ally, the girl he met on the plane
#2-In the HongKong airport,getting ready to fly to Chengdu Sunday night.
#3- waiting to get on the bus to the plane, one hour late, turned out to be 2 hours late.
#4-our room at the hostel, real basic, but for $35/night, who's complaining?!
#5-courtyard outside the hostel
#6-apartments outside our window (sideways)
She wanted to ask me about meeting with Jaxon's foster sister's family for dinner and I wanted to go over our itinerary because some things in it had already not materialized. We finally got dinner set up with the Horn family, BUT Susie said it was up to us to get over to their hotel! Ok, fine, I 've been to China 3 times now, no big deal, right?
We started walking about 5pm armed with a map and a clear view of Tianfu Square..we'd gone about halfway (in what we thought was the right direction) and the heavens opened up on us. Do you want to know where all the rain has gone? It is here in Chengdu; so much dumped the streets were filled with huge, deep puddles. We managed to score one umbrella but the downpour got so bad, we had to duck into a store. I took the umbrella and stood on the curb trying to hail a taxi; apparently getting one to stop in this city is near to impossible; even Chinese citizens couldn't get one. After some time, I told James we would just go on; at this point I was determined to get to my destination.
After another 30 minutes of walking, we thought we were close (Susie had told us 25" from our hostel; hah!). Went into a furniture store showing my little scrap of paper with the hotel address and finally, a nice young man walked the rest of the way with us, which amounted to about another 15" of walking.
At one point, we were standing smack dab in the middle of a Chinese street with cars passing us in the front and back. It is good to know, despite what it may look like, Chinese drivers will not deliberately run over a pedestrian!
So, FINALLY, made it to the hotel and met the Horns, a really nice couple, and Ping. She is really sweet and was being super-super helpful to them, even handing them food if they slowed down! We went to KFC and discovered Chinese portions of chicken are TINY, TINY. Have also not found a Diet Pepsi to save my life. After dinner, Ping told the bellboy at their hotel to get us a taxi....we were back at the hostel in 10" and 9CNY (about $1.50) later; sigh.....wish we could have found those taxis earlier.
We asked Ping through our Jibbigo translator on the Ipod if NingNing was excited about today; she got so embarrassed and laughed, but nodded. Trish said when they got there, Ping and NingNing were helping their foster mom in the kitchen. Hmmmm, maybe NingNing can teach James a few things!
I'm reserving my opinion on the guide services thus far. I sprung for the full-service and let's just say, it's not panning out, but I will see what the rest of the week holds. Case in point: I wanted to move to our new hotel this morning to not switch hotels around NingNing. BUT I was overrulled by Susie because it's easier for HER if we check out and leave our luggage here, go get NingNing, come BACK here, get our luggage, and THEN go to the new hotel. I still don't get why, when I paid for drivers and transportation, none are available to move us to the new hotel this morning when we have lots more time. Rather frustrated, to say the least!
#1-James and Ally, the girl he met on the plane
#2-In the HongKong airport,getting ready to fly to Chengdu Sunday night.
#3- waiting to get on the bus to the plane, one hour late, turned out to be 2 hours late.
#4-our room at the hostel, real basic, but for $35/night, who's complaining?!
#5-courtyard outside the hostel
#6-apartments outside our window (sideways)
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