Day Three and Snow!

After once again partaking of the "boundless food supply" in the Capital Dining Hall our group set out for the Great Wall. Michael and our driver met us at the hotel. One the way, we visited the Olympic area and saw the famous Birds Nest and the Water Cube where Michael Phelps won his eight gold medals. The weather was cold and snowy. I was really glad that I had invested in a winter jacket before leaving for China rather than winging it with the lightweight barn coat I usually wear in Corpus Christi. It was freezing! As the day progressed, the snow kept coming down harder and by the time we got to the Great Wall, the steps were treacherous and icy. We decided not to climb all the way up but did go up far enough to get a good view. The two boys in our travel group were from southern California and had never seen snow so they had a blast. They decided that the Great Wall made for great sledding and slid down portions of it in their jeans, leaving a bluish streak in the snow. I couldn't resist joining in a couple of impromptu snowball fights with them. After lunch, the snow started coming down even harder and Michael started making calls to find out about our flight to Nanchang. Our 4:55 p.m. flight was cancelled and we were tentatively rebooked on a 10:00 p.m. flight. Michael was told to call back around six o'clock to see if we would be able to get out so we had a few hours to kill. We went to a Beijing shopping mall. This was an interesting experience. If I hadn't known that I was in Beijing, I could have been fooled into believing that I was in a mall in any American city. All of the stores had English names, all the models in the adds were westerners, and even the music playing over the loudspeakers was American. Only the bottom level gave an indication as to the true location. There was a Chinese grocery store and several food and specialty kiosks that catered to the Chinese population. After killing time at the mall, Michael told us our flights had been cancelled due to the snow so we headed back to the hotel for another night's stay.

Day Two

The hotel we stayed at in Beijing was quite luxurious and nice by western standards. The rooms were large and comfortable with all the amenities you'd find in better hotels in the U.S. It was an international hotel and I was relieved to see that all written materials were in both Chinese and English. However, it didn't take long to realize that nobody there really spoke much English. When I called down to the desk for a wake up call, they had to get a couple of different employees on the phone to figure out what I was asking for. One night I ordered room service and they had to send someone to my room so that I could point to what I wanted on the menu. I brought a little electronic translator with me to China and it proved to be a life saver in more than one situation.

We started out our first full day with the breakfast buffet. It was really weird. It seemed like more of a lunch spread with stir fry type dishes, salads, and noodles. They did have someone making fried eggs so I decided to go for those, along with several other "mystery" dishes. Have you ever tried to eat a fried egg with chopsticks? It's an interesting experience, let me tell you! On each of the dining room tables there was a sign that was translated into several languages. The English version said, "Boundless food supply Capital Dining Hall. The place wasting everywhere asking you to take a meal if a few many times bringing about is added collect 30 yuan of cost fee." Okay! Glad we got that straight!

After breakfast, we met up with Michael and our driver, Mr. Hua (pronounced Hoo - Ah with the accent on the first syllable) for a day of sight seeing. When driving through Beijing, one of the first things that strikes you is the vast number of huge apartment complexes. Some of them are just enormous, like small cities unto themselves. I have never seen so many apartment buildings in my entire life. There was block after block after block of them. This is the apartment capital of the world! With the population in excess of 17 million I'm sure they're needed. Beijing is a very modern city and everything seems to be on a grand scale. The main street, which leads to Tiananmen Square, is a wide street lined with luxury hotels, large government and business buildings, and upscale shopping. We spent the morning touring the Forbidden City, followed by lunch at an upscale Chinese restaurant. We were led to our own private dining room where Michael ordered us Peking duck and several other dishes.

After lunch we went to a large park to see a famous Taoist temple. This was one of the more interesting parts of the trip as the park is a gathering place for Chinese citizens, particularly seniors. We saw groups of people gathered about for various recreational activities including dancing and singing. There were large groups of people singing folk songs at the top of their lungs! There was also a huge row of ad hoc poker games. In our travel group there is another family with two boys ages seven and ten. Everyone was fascinated by these American kids. It seems that there were quite a few people who had not seen many Caucasian people before and some even wanted to have their picture taken with them.

We wrapped up the day with an acrobatic show. They were really entertaining but I don't think this was their "A" squad. One of the girls, who looked no more than nine or ten, fell off the top of a pyramid of acrobats and lost her headdress. There was another act where two male acrobats were on a contraption that looked like two hamster wheels, one balanced on each end of a long arm that spun around in a circle. As they ran in the hamster wheel, the whole contraption spun around like a ferris wheel. At one point, one of the acrobats got on the outside of the wheel and started running. He nearly fell off several times, leaving the audience gasping. I don't know if that was part of the show or if we had just witnessed a near-death experience. The show wrapped up with thirteen female acrobats riding on a single bike. Don't try that at home folks!

The First Entry from China

Hi Everyone,

Greetings from Beijing! I got here last night after what seemed like an interminably long flight and have already had quite a few amusing experiences in the process. When I checked in for my flight in Corpus Christi, I was told that my bags would be checked through to Beijing but that I would need to I would to stop at the Air China counter in San Francisco to get my boarding pass for that flight. When I got to the there, the Chinese clerk asked for my passport in a very crisp, no nonsense tone that signaled that she meant business! I quickly pulled my passport out of my security wallet and laid it on the counter as instructed. After inspecting my visa, she demanded to see my baggage claim check in the same abrupt tone. My baggage claim check? Where in the world had I put it? Had I even taken the boarding pass sleeve with the claim check sticker off of the last flight? I started frantically searching the pockets in my backpack as the clerk looked on in obvious disapproval. After what seemed like the longest couple of minutes, I located the crumpled boarding pass sleeve in the bottom of my backpack and placed it on the counter for the clerk to inspect. After examining the claim check to make sure everything was in order, she gave me a look that said "crazy American" and handed me my boarding pass. My passport was checked a couple more times before I got on the plane.

Once I got to the gate area, an employee from Air China came over the loudspeaker and announced that passengers were allowed to hand carry only one bag. Those with more than one carry on bag were instructed to see the attendant at the counter immediately. Uh oh! I had my backpack plus a tote bag that I had stuffed my winter jacket and gloves into. I didn't want to pack those items in my suitcase in case I got to frosty Beijing and my luggage was missing or delayed. Plus I thought I might want the jacket to use as a blanket or pillow on the plane. After my experience with the first Air China clerk I wasn't about to approach the counter again so I decided to just wear my jacket on the plane and stuff the tote bag into my backpack. I quickly rearranged all the items in my backpack to accommodate the tote and my hat and gloves. It was really bulky but I managed to get everything in. However, when they called my row to board, I realized that I was one of the few people who had taken this rule seriously! All of the Chinese passengers blew off the announcement and headed to the plane with multiple bags in tow. Nobody said a word about it. Once I got to my seat, I took off my jacket, repacked it in the tote and stuck it in the overhead bin.

On the Air China flight, I really felt out of my element as I was one of the few people on board who wasn't Chinese. I had the good fortune to sit next to a delightful young Beijinger named Melody who was a graduate student in the United States. Her family was originally from Hunan Province but she had lived in Beijing for many years. We had several nice conversations about China and Chinese culture. She also introduced me to a very interesting new food that she had brought on board as a snack, spicy mango. It was, well, interesting! Very interesting. It was dried mango coated with the same spices used to make spicy Chinese food. It was a strange combination but it kind of worked. If you'd like to try this food Melody says you can buy it at World Market.

We landed at the new Beijing international airport terminal. It was built for the Beijing Olympics and it's HUGE! I can't even begin to describe how enormous this facility is. It required a train ride to the passport check area and yet another one to baggage claim. Now that I think about it, the word "huge" could be used to describe a lot of aspects of Beijing. I was met at the airport by Michael, our Beijing guide, and others in my travel group. We had our own private driver and mini-bus for the weekend. Michael turned out to be an amazing guide. He was just fantastic and took great care of us throughout our stay. Not only did he give us great tours of the sites, he took care of all our practical needs where language was a barrier. When we got to the hotel Michael asked if anyone wanted to get some dinner. I was the only one who was interested so, after stopping by an all night convenience store to buy bottled water, Michael and I went to a casual Chinese restaurant by the hotel. Michael asked if I liked spicy food and I eagerly replied yes! He recommended the kung pao chicken and since I'd had it before in the U.S. I felt pretty safe in ordering it. Michael ordered some for me along with a Coke before leaving for the evening. When the chicken came, it was s-o-o-o-o spicy. Seriously, this stuff could peel paint! If someone in China asks you if you like spicy food beware! It's about ten times hotter than the U.S. version. My solitary Coke wasn't nearly enough to quell the burn through even half of my meal. With Michael gone, I didn't know how to order anything else to drink. Fortunately, I had the bottled water I had just purchased and opened it to douse my burning mouth!

Anticipating return...

And, just to show that Joy is prepared for Allison's voyage home...here is the car seat waiting in my car for the airport pickup...and yes, I know it's not installed properly yet :) I have to do a little research....

Joy is on the way to China...

Hi all,

Well, it was a VERY foggy morning yesterday as I took Joy to the airport to start the long trip to China. I was worried she may not get out but since I haven't heard anything I'm assuming flights have gone as planned (domestically anyway...)

We left for the airport at 4:45am and since it was really dark and foggy, my outdoor shots didn't turn out...but I do have this photo of departure readiness...hope all is going well...

Mary T on the Meatball Chronicles

Hello Everyone!

I'm going to be posting updates for Joy from China as she sends them via email. I'm also going to document the airport departure and arrivals...only a couple of days left until Joy departs to pickup the meatball!!

Leaving On Thursday!

Hi Everyone!

I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to post again. Things have been a whirlwind since I got my referral. I just found out last week that I'd be leaving for China THIS WEEK! I've been running around like a crazy person trying to get ready. There's so much to do! I first go go Beijing and spend a couple of days getting over jet lag and sight seeing. Then I fly to Nanchang which is in the province where my daughter is. I should meet her for the first time on Monday! After various appointments with civil affairs officials, Allison and I will travel to Guangzhou for our appointment with the American Consulate. We also will visit the U.S. Embassy and attend a ceremony there. Allison will get her visa to enter the U.S. From there we head home.

I will be sure to post lots of pictures and stories of our adventures so please check back soon!