Excerpts From My China Journal - Nov. 11, 2014

All settled in, in our apartment in Guangzhou (GZ), though it wasn't easy!!  We got into the taxi okay from the plane and I gave the driver the address of the South And North International Apartments and he drove to a barricade and gestured and looked at the address again.  Said something in Chinese and drove off.  Drove back to the barricade and pointed and chattered.  Drove off again.  Drove back.  By this time, he was talking to himself constantly.  Finally, he gestured enough to mean, "This is as close as I can get.  Your address is up this road.  I can't take you any closer."  Was he KIDDING?!?!  He was going to drop us off in this "Times Square on New Year's Eve" crowd not knowing where we were, not knowing the language, not knowing a soul in the city, with 3 suitcases, 4 backpacks and 2 kids, one who could drop at any second in a screaming tantrum??  Was this guy NUTS???  By the time I could process what was happening, our bags were unloaded from the trunk, the kids were standing in the street and a guy had just claimed the cab for himself and was sitting in the backseat!  I had no choice.  We stacked the luggage the best we could (thank GOD Mei was so helpful!!  Yang wouldn't carry her backpack, saying it was too heavy.)  Nearly in tears, we cut our way through the crowd, in search of our apartment building.   I kept thinking, "This is like being in the Amazing Race!"

This was the maze we had to find our way through.  The tall building is our apartment building.

I asked this guard where it was and he sent us this way.  I asked that shopkeeper where it was and he sent us that way.  Dodging traffic, ignoring stares, pushing our way through crowds, dodging potholes that our luggage fell into, urging Yang to keep up, we searched and searched as I cursed the taxi driver under my breath.  At loooooong last, when I was just about to have a nervous breakdown, I saw the sign.  We MADE it!!!  It was very nice - everything in marble.  Our apartment was on the 17th floor (of 35) and 757sq.ft., marble floors, large TV, kitchenette, beds upstairs in a loft.  Super nice!!  Other than the difficulty finding it, way more adoptive families should stay here and ditch The Garden, with its prices 3-4X what this costs!  It even had an all-in-one washer/dryer though it is all in Chinese, and operating it is hit or miss...

View from the living room.  See Maylee upstairs in the bed?

I had a love-hate relationship with this washer/dryer!  I loved it because of what it was, but I hated it because I didn't know how to use it!!  Sometimes I'd put the load in for 4:35 (yes, that's hours:minutes!) and the clothes would still come out damp!  Finally, about 3 days before check-out, a man from the hotel showed me how to use it.  LOL

The next couple of days were kind of dull.  Walked around another mall, searched for snacks and I looked for food I could tolerate.  The girls ate a couple of times in restaurants while I tried not to retch from the smell or sight of their food.  Surviving on granola bars, for the most part.  :o(

Yang continues with tantrums.  She just simply can not tolerate being told no.  If I put her on a time out, all hell breaks loose!  It's been really hard.  She is SO independent and willful that any attempts to control her (like making her hold my hand while near traffic) makes her lose it.  How in the world did she manage in an orphanage setting??  When she is not losing her temper, she is such a delight!!

Mei's 14th birthday was yesterday, marking a very big milestone for an orphan in China.  To help her celebrate, she got to FaceTime with her friend Xia from the orphanage!  This made her VERY happy.  :o)

Excerpts From My China Journal - Nov. 8, 2014 (I only know the date cause that's what our plane tickets say.)

We are sitting in the Nanjing airport, waiting to board.  Mei is quiet and seems nervous, poor thing.  Yang is her bouncy, cheerful, ever-testing self. She threw one of her little fits at baggage check in because she didn't want to carry her backpack.  Lied on the ground, kicking her legs like a 2 year old, bawling.  Oh, goodness!  She gets over her little meltdowns pretty quickly, thankfully!!  I get a lot of dirty looks, but as long as they don't harass or arrest me, I'm okay with the looks.  Speaking of looks, we get them wherever we go!  A middle aged white woman with two Chinese girls, all of us looking bewildered wherever we go.  LOL  Oh, my.

(On a side note, I've read in travel books that staring is a national past time for the Chinese.  Thank GOODNESS I read that, cause I'd have a complex by now!!)

Poor Mei's really quiet.  Almost seems depressed.  I hope it's just simple sadness and/or normal grief...  I hate that I can't talk to her!!  (I just handed her my phone to play with.  She's happier now.  Ha)

On the plane now, ready to taxi.  After the bus ride to the plane, my adorable little Yang decided to be mad when Mei and I wouldn't let her have more gum and she squatted on the tarmac and wouldn't climb the steps on to the plane.  LOL  This time, though, I think she realized that this was just not the best time to act up, and she cooperatively boarded the plane.  What a kid!!

Boarding the plane in Nanjing headed for Guangzhou

At least she's cute when she's pouting!

The Chinese language is NOTHING like English at ALL (at least Russian had some similar sounding words) but once in awhile I hear something that sounds like English  For example, Yang often says something like "degoba" which of course, reminds me of the "Degobah System" in Star Wars.  The overhead flight person just said something that sounded like "shampoo".  LOL

Yang is NOT impressed with having to wear a seatbelt in the plane.  Can't wait 'til she has to sit in a booster seat in the backseat of the car!  LOL

Beautiful Mei, who is always so well behaved.

Not sure what the grumpy look was for...!!  (Except that she doesn't really like having her picture taken.)

I hope they feed us on this flight.  I'm starving.

I forgot to mention that Mei came to me with a brand new backpack FULL of stuff, but she never opens it and doesn't want to share what's in it with me.  That's okay.  I understand.  At the second Civil Affairs appointment, the orphanage director gave me a BEAUTIFUL large lacquer plate!  Never in any of my 6 adoptions has an orphanage given ME anything!!  I was very humbled, and felt just terrible at the crappy gift I have to her.  Had I known...?  I have her e-mail address and while I can't really write to her, I can at least send photos!  That will take a little of the guilt away.  A little.

Shoot 3 of the 4 of my EE kids (Nik was the oddball) not only did not send any personal effects or gifts with the kids, but every single stitch of clothing on their bodies had to be replaced, meaning they couldn't even wear their orphanage underwear out of the orphanage (now that I think of it, Erik did get to keep his clothes)!  China adoption is SO different!  My girls were very well prepared, loved, clean, and well-clothed!!  It shows, too, I'm happy to say.

A couple of funny things that Yang has said, as told to me by the interpreters:  We were walking past some 3 ft. cement pedestrian barricades and she said, "These are to bring good fortune and happiness to your family!"  Where the heck did she get that?!  An even funnier one was when we were in the police station to get passport pictures taken and we walked past a guard.  She said, "Watch out, or he'll take you away!!"  Then she grabbed him around the waist and shrieked, "TAKE ME AWAY!!"  LOL  I wish I understood what she was saying!!  People are always laughing at her!  LOL

Excerpts From My China Journal - Nov. 7, 2014 (I think...)

Well, the flight to Nanjing left over an hour late, giving us over 5 hours at the airport (see last post's picture of HuiYang eating in the airport restaurant).  UGH.  She NEVER stops moving or talking!!  I was SO tired, and she kept visiting with strangers who kept giving her food.  I kept telling them "NO", putting my hand up and shaking my head, but they did it anyway!!  Either right in front of me or as soon as I looked away they'd slip her food!  I was REALLY getting on my nerves!!  in NO WAY would this be tolerated in America - parents would call the cops!  People here mess with other people's kids like that; giving them food, zipping up their jackets, holding them on their laps, giving them chopsticks in restaurants, etc.  Crazy!!  I'm sure they were all just being really nice, but I was tired and it was getting on my nerves.  It also contributed to Yang's bratty behavior - whenever I told her no, someone slipped in and gave her food!

Anyway, the flight was easy - almost as soon as she got in her seat, she fell asleep!  WHEW!!  I too, dozed for much of the flight.  We got dinner which was, guess what?  CHINESE FOOD!!  LOL  Waaaaahhhh!!!!

Much to my delight, the taxi to the hotel was an absolute snap!  Checked in and crashed.  The Holiday Inn Aqua City is 100 times nicer than the Sha Tan was in Beijing.  :o)  Also double the price.  :o(

The Civil Affairs Office, waiting for the Star of the show to arrive!  I'm told it's usually really busy in here with families and their kids, but because we were doing this on a Thursday, we were the only ones here!

Excited to meet her new sister!

The next morning, the 6th, we met our guide, Michael, at 9:15am in the hotel lobby to go pick up Mei.  We arrived in the empty Civil Affairs Office and talked money and paperwork.  Then, Wei, JiangMei arrived!  She darted in and smiled at me and ran to the bathroom.  LOL  5 minutes later she came back out and we met.  She looked just like her pictures!  She was shy, but seemed pretty happy about the whole thing.  I asked my questions, signed the papers, took a few pictures, and left.  Michael took us to a Chinese restaurant (where else?) and I ate nothing.  The breakfast that Yang and I ate at the hotel made my stomach hurt (probably the fried potatoes) and there was no WAY I was going to eat that food!!!  The girls ordered stuff that made me want to gag: Yang ordered quail eggs (small dark brown balls that looked like they were dug out of a swamp) and a bowl of mashed tomatoes (not potatoes) with scrambled eggs in water(?).  GAG.  Mei also ordered the tomatoes and eggs but also some other disgusting looking things that I've blocked from my memory forever (thank you, Jesus).  My poor stomach!

First moments.  I was showing her how I had her photo on my phone's screen saver so I saw her picture every time I turned it on.

Someone was feeling very jealous at this point and not acting her best.  I didn't care.  I was too happy!!

A better picture of just the two of us.

Some last moments with the orphanage director, who obviously cared about her a lot.

Saying hello and goodbye.  How hard this must be for Mei...  So brave...

At that point, Michael dropped us off at the hotel and we "rested" for awhile.  Mei became emotional earlier and cried a bit, poor thing.  Mostly in the afternoon she hogged my phone and the remote control and didn't want to give either up!  Gonna have some reprogramming to do when we get home.  LOL  For now, I'm indulging both girls just to keep them happy, but it's with my teeth gritted.  You know me...!!  ha

Breaking the ice with silliness, like Jackie O. sunglasses.

Yang is SO sweet and SO funny and SO loving but she is a bit of a brat, as mentioned earlier.  (That'll get better.)  Mei is much more mild mannered and steady, but her manners aren't as good, i.e. she grabs things out of your hands, she hoards things like the remote, and she does not show appreciation for things like when I give her gifts she doesn't say thank you or act at all pleased.  I'm sure these are classic orphanage behaviors and I'm not worried about it.  She seems like a GREAT girl who just needs a family to help her learn proper non-orphanage behavior.  No shocker, there!  ;o)

This morning, Michael picked us up again at the hotel lobby and we went back to the Civil Affairs Office.  We signed a couple of more papers (even Mei had to sign one giving her permission for the adoption) and said goodbye to the VERY NICE orphanage director.  All done!!  Much easier than Beijing!!

Michael, my guide.  I wish I had a better picture of him!  He was a great guy.  Really cared.

Signing more papers.

Finishing up!

Back again to the hotel where we went back to the huge attached mall and I finally found some pizza at a Papa Johns!!  Oh, the taste of real American food almost made me cry!!  The girls barely ate one piece each, and I ate 3 pieces.  :o)  I just couldn't smell Chinese food again (and look at it!) without a break.  I even had a Coke (without ice, of course) and it tasted a little strange, but that was OKAY.

Yes, I took a picture of the placemat!  I was that excited.

LOL!! She looks thrilled, doesn't she??  She insisted on eating her pizza with knife and fork!

One of the benefits of this hotel is the huge mall attached to it.  It is many stories high and is open, so you can see the other floors above and below, and even outside.  It gives us a safe, attractive, interesting and fun place to hang out without really "leaving" the hotel!  

The entire place was decorated for Christmas.

They were so funny - they wouldn't stand NEXT to each other for pictures - there was always a big space between them!  ;o)

There was a little singing and dancing performance given on this set shortly after we took this picture.  Yang refused to wear a jacket, so when we got to the mall where it was quite chilly, I insisted that she wear my vest!  At first she refused, but then she decided she liked the attention it was getting her and she happily wore it for awhile.  ;o)

A word about Yang: She appears to be attaching very strongly to me.  Yes, she is VERY friendly with strangers, but she is constantly saying, "Mama!" and gives me hugs, kisses, and insists on sleeping with me at night.  She is the sweetest little thing!  Mei is slower to come around, but should attach just fine, in time.  She has not called me "Mama" yet (hasn't called me anything), but smiles at me frequently and seems respectful enough, in fact, she hasn't shown the slightest sign of defiance at all!  Just the dominance of my phone and tablet.  Ha  Heck, she's going to be 14 in a couple of days!  What do I expect?!?  ;o)

I desperately needed to repack the suitcases...

Tomorrow we take a taxi to the airport and head to Guangzhou.  Hopefully, we can get into some sort of routine and settle in a little.  Food is going to be a problem I think.  I HATE CHINESE FOOD and they love it and want it all the time...  This could be a loooooong 2 weeks...

Excerpts From My Journal - Nov. 5, 2014 (Reese's 20th Birthday!)

What a big day!!  We packed up our bags and checked out of the hotel without issue.  We went back to the Civil Affairs Office and picked up some more paperwork (final adoption papers, I think).  That office is in LOVE with Yang!   She remembered everyone and everything from our visit 2 days ago and when it was time to leave, she cried and cried, SO upset to leave the C.A. official!!  This little girls gets SO attached to people!!  It was actually pretty hard to get her to leave the office and walk down the street!  (The official heard her bawling from inside and she came out with another bag of candy!  LOL)  We all felt SO bad for her!  After that, we... let's see.  What did we do?  Oh, yes, we went to the bank and deposited the orphanage donation money into the orphanage bank acct.  Then we grabbed a quick bite to eat from 7-11 and went to the notary office and got a bunch of documents copied and notarized.  Then we went to the police station and got her passport picture taken and applied for her passport, with the help of an orphanage official who had arrived.  (This is unusual - these people really care!)  She also had brought the medical supplies and instructions for me.  After that, we headed for the airport for our 7:45pm flight to Nanjing.  What a tiring day!  All in all, Yang is being really good.  She acts like a spoiled brat when the guides are around (or any Chinese people, really - strangers won't stop giving her food!!!!), but when she's just with me, she's quite good!  I've started using a little discipline with her (mainly telling her NO and not giving in to her constant demands) but I do understand that all of this is very overwhelming and no doubt she is homesick.  (She had another cry last night at bedtime.)  Poor little thing.  She is just SO extremely cute!  

With Angela Shen from Ladybugs N Love, and Emma, the WACAP guide, at the passport office.

Right now, we are sitting at the gate, waiting for our Nanjing flight.  I'm nervous about getting a taxi to the hotel, but it must be done somehow.  Tomorrow morning, I meet JiangMei!!

Finding ways to kill time at the airport.

Excerpts From My China Journal - Nov. 4, 2014

Adoption Day was yesterday!  It was too big of a day and I was too tired to write last night.

Well, we arrived at the orphanage early (7:00) and were allowed in at 7:30.  There were 3 staff members, me, my private guide Angela, and Emma, the WACAP guide.  We started with the paperwork when entered Miss Hua, HuiYang!  She knew who I was instantly but was afraid to go to me.  She hung back a bit until I got her little backpack out and showed her some of the things inside.  That helped.  ;o)  The first thing I noticed was that they BUTCHERED her hair!!!  It looked like a 3 year old cut it!!  I was horrified.  The second thing I noticed about her was how FAT she was!  And sure enough, she had a big bag of candy with her (I'm assuming a goodbye gift) and boy, was she all about that candy!!  It was hard to do the paperwork with her in the room but we got it done.  I was concerned because there was no medical information given to me, no equipment, no info on how to do the "everyday procedure" needed after her September surgery.  Nothing.  :o(  She was obviously well loved and very well cared for there.  Except for the haircut.  lol

Arriving at the orphanage.

She was really nervous!

"Nice to meet you.  I'm your mother."

"Well, you don't look TOO evil..."

Signing papers.

Mother and daughter.  <3

With the orphanage staff.  They were protective of her and I could tell they really cared a lot about her.

Saying goodbye to the only home she has known.

The street sign.

We left to go get a photo for the paperwork(?), then to the Civil Affairs Office.  She was good in the car, but very hot (she was HEAVILY layered) and did go to sleep for a short time.  She woke WIDE up at the Civil Affairs Office, though!  My goodness, she talked to and charmed EVERYONE!  Everyone was indulging her so much and waiting on her hand and foot and she got a little spoiled and became quite the brat!

Helping herself to the office supplies on the officer's desk.  They loaded her up with candy (she helped herself to a large bag of chocolate on the desk and the officer let her have it!) to keep her happy.

Eventually, we made it back to the hotel room and Angela left,and she threw a fit!  She bawled and threw herself on the floor and even screamed!  I, at that point, told her NO and she did quit the tantrum, but would not let me near her.  That was fine.  I put some essential oils in the diffuser and left her alone.  I found some Chinese cartoons and it was quiet for awhile.  I can't remember what made her happy again, but she soon decided she liked me and was very sweet and loving.  :o)

She was in to EVERYTHING, and I mean everything!!  She wouldn't stop moving!!  Picking this up, picking that up, putting this here, putting that there, etc.  It drove me nuts!  What a BUNCH of nervous energy!  I had a hard time settling her down.  She simply would not listen!  I tried scowling at her, saying "NO" but she simply laughed at me and grabbed a pile of money to play with.  With that, I picked her up, and put her in a time out by the door of the hotel room, indicating a time out.  THAT got her attention!  She cried and cried and cried and REALLY was sad!  30 seconds later, I couldn't take any more and I called her to me.  She fell into my arms, crying "Mama!  Mama!" and I used the translator on my phone to reiterate what she'd done wrong and tell her I forgave her.  Thank you, SuperNanny, for the tips!  LOL  After that episode, it was night and day difference.  She was calm, she was happy, she was obedient, etc.  She just needed reassurance that I was in charge and that she understood that I was her mama, for real.  She did have another incident where she got very upset and emotional around bedtime and it was obvious she was quite homesick.  Fortunately, she came to me for comfort and she hugged me an stroked my arm and laid on the bed with me.  It was so sad, but also so sweet that she accepted my comforting, and even sought it out!  She slept soundly all night and woke up, rarin' to go again!

This morning, we took our time getting ready, and had her first shower.  She was afraid of the shower, and almost wouldn't get in, but she did.  She did most of the work herself, and I knew she felt better afterwards.  We facetimed with Mom, then Reese, and she ate some fruit that I'd bought the day before on the street and we headed out.

I wanted to go to JingShan Park, which is directly behind the Forbidden City, and Trip Advisor gave it #7 out of 1581 Things to do in Beijing!  I figured we'd better go, and it was only a couple of blocks away!  It was built in 1179 during the Jin Dynasty.  I found it easily and it was great!  Lots of people walking around, lots of groups dancing and doing tai chi, some elderly men played ancient instruments, little kids danced and played around the adults.  What a happy place!  No one was self-conscious, no one cared what anyone thought.  It was like the biggest Guilt-Free Zone on the planet!  I loved it!

This elderly woman was enjoying spinning this ribbon to music playing.  She was completely unashamed!  :o)

Entrance to the park.  Entrance fee was 2RMB, or about $0.30.  ;o)

We had such a good time!!

Yang and I climbed 500 or so steps (not kidding) up the top of the hill to Beijing's highest point.  At the very top was a temple with a huge statue of Buddha inside!  It was all covered in gold, and I must admit, quite beautiful.  People were kow-towing in front of it, and lots of people had left offerings of food and flowers.  There was music in the background - a sort of chant - and it was really very amazing.  Yang was quite taken with it and really liked looking in there.  Neither of us went into the temple itself, just stood in the doorway, looking in.  I did not want to enter it.  It was enough to observe from the window and the doorway.  Spiritually, I felt wrong about entering such a pagan place.  I offered up a prayer for all of the lost souls who prayed there, that they would find Jesus, and we left.  On a really cool note, as we left, Yang looked back at the Buddha, waved and said, "Bye bye!  Bye bye!" and I had to think, "Yep!  Say bye-bye!  You'll never have to live under this influence again!  Buddhism is not going to be one of the forces in your life, so yes!  Say bye-bye!"  It was so cool.  We walked around a bit more, enjoying such a wonderful, beautiful park, and went back to the hotel.

The view from the Temple on the top of the hill.  What you are seeing is the back end of the Forbidden City.  If you can see further, you would see Tienanmen Square.  It was very hazy, but I thought the haze made it look even more pretty.

The Buddhist Temple

Excerpts From My China Journal - Nov. 2-3, 2014

Today I go to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall!  After my excapade yesterday, I slept, between noon and 5 am, probably 13 hours.  I must have been TIRED.  I'm hungry for food though.  I haven't eaten a bite, other than the snacks I brought from home, since the airplane.  My guide will take me out to eat today, though.  At least my stomach isn't hurting.

(Nov. 3)
Middle of the night-
today I pick up HuiYang!  I can't sleep, for obvious reasons.  LOL

I was too tried last night to write about my day, so I'll do it now.  In short, I had a great day!

Traveling in Beijing is a REAL PAIN.  I have traveled to many cities, foreign and domestic, and have never seen traffic like I have in Beijing, not even in Moscow or Rome (or Boston!).  It takes FOREVER to get anywhere!  That said, my guide, Angela, picked me up at 8:39 and we headed to the Forbidden City, which was only about 1 1/2 miles away, but took 15 min.  We went through security (which was pretty wild) and she showed me the basics of this incredible place: there actually was not much at all to see - very little furniture (other than official thrones and such in very dark rooms - but just the essensce of the place was amazing!  24 emporers over 400 years lived here - I need to watch "the Last Emperor" again - and while there really was very little to see other than the outside of buildings, it really was very cool.  The ornate mosaics, paintings, and carvings were truly breathtaking, and I'm glad I saw it.  We did not go to Tienanmen Square which is directly across the street, and houses Mao's Mausoleum, but I was able to see it from the entrance of the Forbidden City, so that's good.

The entrance to the Forbidden City.  It was a cool, beautiful day!!

Looking across the street to Tienanmen Square and Mao's Mausoleum.

The corner of most (all?) of the buildings inside the City.  I can't remember what the figures symbolize (sorry, Angela, I know you told me!) but I know that the more, the better.  ;o)

The largest carved marble in the City.  Only the Emperor could cross over it physically, but not even he could touch it as he crossed - he was carried.

The wedding quilt.  This is the sign of "Double Happiness", and was the symbol of marriage.

The back end of the Forbidden City.  This exit was only a block or two from my hotel!  (I didn't realize it at the time.  LOL)

After that, we got back in the car and drove and drove and drove, and sat in unreal traffic, until we reached the outskirts of Beijing.  My guide asked if I was okay eating at a Chinese restaurant, and I gulped and said, "Sure!".  We entered a nice restaurant and per custom, the leader (Angela) was the only one to order for the 3 of us (including the driver), as in China, restaurants serve everything "family style".  Fortunately, she asked what I liked to eat, and I gave a few suggestions.  She left to use the bathroom and I looked at the menubook:  I was astonished to see such items as "Stewed Longsnout Catfish Balls in Pea Sauce", "Sauteed Pig Kidney", and "Assorted Duck Blood Cured in Spicy".  Dear God, please, no...

The first dish out was something involving chicken and peanuts.  I'll admit, the flavor was quite good, but the "chicken"?  Not sure just what part of the chicken it was, but it wasn't no Chik Fil-A!!  LOL  It almost had the texture of pure chicken fat, but not QUITE.  Best not to think about it.

At this time, I also got my first try at chopsticks!  The waitress gave me a fork at Angela's request, but I was determined to try.  It was hard, but I could do it!  The driver was really impressed.  ;o)  LOL  I ate everything with them, including the rice!  Pretty fun.  :o)

The only meal in 3 weeks (besides Papa John's in Nanjing) that I truly enjoyed.

Next came a beef and mushroom dish that I ended up eating WAY too much of, because it was DELICIOUS!  The beef was so fresh and the seasoning sooooo perfect and the mushrooms were such that I couldn't really tell the difference between them and the meat!  I scarfed this dish down.  There was also a plate of green beans that were seasoned perfectly.  It was a wonderful lunch!!

On to the Great Wall!!

After driving a long time more, we finally arrived in a very mountainous and rugged area - very beautiful, too, as the leaves were shedding the last of their leaves for the winter.  We took a ski lift up to the top of a hill and the view was absolutely spectacular!!  Mountains all around us, the Wall snaking its way up and down the mountains here and there, the sheer rustic-ness of it all - WOW.  We hiked up and down the Wall a little ways and got some awesome pictures, then we rode a "toboggan" down the mountain to the bottom.  Absolutely fantastic.

Entrance to Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China

Ski lift up.  Fun!  :o)  (This photo obviously does not show the beauty of the area - LOL)

No, this is not me tobogganing down the hill, but it could have been!  ;o)

The Great Wall of China

I doubt the soldiers guarding the wall during the "day" were as casual as I look in this picture.

Such a neat experience!

I could have stayed all day...

Then, it was back in the car for the long and frustrating drive back to the hotel.  Check another experience off my Bucket List!

To bed, then a BIG DAY tomorrow - Miss Hua, HuiYang becomes my daughter!!  :o)  Pray it goes well...!!!