Travel Journal
March 20, 2013
It was an early morning for us. Our driver came to pick us up at 7:00 to meet our Beijing guide at 8:00 at the airport. But nature had a different agenda. We woke up to a winter wonderland this morning with several inches of snow on the ground. If you can imagine Beijing traffic during the morning commute, you may already break out into a cold sweat. If you add snow on top of that, you might be able to imagine just how adventurous our ride was.
We got to the airport about 20 minutes late, and there was no sign of our guide or the other family we'll be traveling with. We're in a foreign country with no phone or way to contact our guide. Finally, Alaina finds a young Chinese mother and uses some creative charades to borrow her phone and call. It turns out the guide and other family were also stuck in the snowy traffic.
We have really enjoyed getting to know our travel partners today, and we look forward to spending another 2 weeks with them as they add a third son to their family (their first adoption.)
Once on our airplane, we sat on the tarmac for some unknown reason for almost an hour. But once in the air, we were on our way to "Annieland" (better known as Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province.) Chinese airlines have amazing service. On this short 80 minute flight, we were served a hot meal! After our delay, we were all getting pretty hungry. Unfortunately (for Alaina), the meal was some sort of mystery sausage dog.
We're now settled into our hotel - 6 bags are unpacked and we're almost ready to go. Somehow, in the course of the day, Alaina's ankle became extremely swollen. No ice to be had, so we're hoping the elevation and ace bandage will get this under control before toting around our new toddler.
Dinner was an interesting affair. We no longer have the guidance of our "China insiders" when it comes to ordering food. We went to a restaurant that apparently specializes in turtle dishes. Not sure what we ordered (it wasn't turtle or pork), but it really didn't hit the spot the way other great Chinese meals have. We're thinking tomorrow may be time for some Italian food.
Speaking of tomorrow (tomorrow, I love you, tomorrow...), it looks to be a somewhat quiet day. Except, of course, for the fact that we're leaving at 9:30 to go meet our sweet Annie.
Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
Prayer Requests:
• Anne would not be fearful and would come to trust us quickly
• Dayna and Anne would form a quick, close bond
• Healing of this ankle
Praises:
• Safe travels from Beijing to Zhengzhou
• Connecting with the family we'll be traveling with
View from our friend's apartment
Beijing Winter Wonderland
Tea - our happy place