Wednesday, December 9, 2009
TO THE CHONGQING ZOO
AND BEYOND!

Today started off with a turbo speed breakfast. We were meeting the tour bus at 9:00 A.M. We were all awake fairly early but we were slow to get ready. Nobody slept particularly well and I was a zombie when Brandy woke me to shower. We got down to the breakfast at about 8:10. I usually takes us around an hour to eat and we wanted to get the girls back up to the room for a final toilet break before we headed out so we decided that we needed to move a bit more quickly. Since Opal isn’t picky about what she eats at all, I assembled her plate in about 20 seconds. Some noodles, rice, a couple of sausages, a piece of bread, and some orange juice and she was ready to go. I got drinks for our crew and Brandy loaded up Amalie and Sophie’s plates and we were off and eating. We made it back up to the room in plenty of time, had our breaks, and then headed for the bus.

We took the short ride to the zoo in the rain. They have a great panda exhibit here and we wanted to check it out. We were lucky to arrive just as the zoo keepers were beginning to feed the pandas. Our guide told us that the pandas eat 16 hours a day. I’m thinking, “How could you miss that?” Anyway we did get to see them up close and personal. We were also very lucky to see one of the tigers walking right in front of the glass. The girls ran along beside him screaming and roaring. He was huge! I was glad for the glass! Next we headed to the reptile pavilion. We saw a lot of cool snakes, turtles, crocodiles, and even a Chinese bearded dragon. The entrance to the pavilion was very cool, a giant crocodile head! I love the picture that Matt took of our family.

After the zoo we headed to the local Wal-Mart for some shopping. Since we are now a family of five and will be allowed another suitcase on our flights we bought one. We also got some cool Disney towels and a couple of Chinese winter outfits for the girls. We found a very cool collapsible stool for the bathroom so that Opal can reach the sink. It folds down flat so we will be able to take it with us back to the U.S. Of course while we were on the top floor Sophie signed that she had to go to the bathroom. I am getting used to frantically trying to ask people where the bathroom is. We made it all the way back to the front of the store just in time. She seems to need to go a lot more than the other girls. I guess she just has a small bladder. Anyway we paid for our stuff and promptly loaded it into our new suitcase. We stopped at several of the smaller stores in the mall outside Wal-Mart and got Disney purses for Brandy and the girls. Brandy LOVES Mickey Mouse and you can’t argue with the prices here. Everything is super cheap! I tried to convince her to get a pair of Mickey Mouse shoes. She wasn’t going for it.

It was time for lunch so we stopped at KFC. Even with the help of our guide they were having trouble with our order so I’m glad we weren’t trying to make it in English. After we ate I got a picture of the girls with their coats off in their matching dresses. Then we all loaded back into the bus and headed back to the hotel. On the way back Brandy and I decided that I would try to locate the spot where Opal was found 8 years ago before she was taken to the Chongqing Child Welfare Institute. I helped get the girls back up to the room and settled down before I headed back out with the cameras and the guide to find the spot. Before I left Brandy sent out another load of laundry.

Our guide flagged down a taxi and got us to the middle of the city. After talking to several local people, she was able to determine that the building where Opal was found is now gone. We did find the exact spot where it used to be. It’s pretty much right in the center of Chongqing right by a monument to WWII called “The Liberation Monument”. At the end of WWII the entire city of Chongqing was under Japanese control. The monument stands as a reminder to the local people of the day the Japanese were thrown out. Our guide thinks this monument will always be there. That will make it easy for us to return to that spot in the future. A block or two away is the Chongqing World Trade Center Tower. It’s the tallest building in China. I took a picture of it stretching into the fog. We couldn’t see the top from the ground. I couldn’t believe how many people were around. “This is nothing” our guide said “You should see this place on the weekends!” It made me glad that I live in Kettle Falls.

When I got back to the room the girls were playing with their Barbie dolls. I wasn’t feeling well. A little bit dehydrated I think. I took some Advil for my headache and grabbed a nap. Since we are all in the same room Brandy did a great job of keeping the girls quiet and coloring while I recovered from all the walking. I was truly grateful and woke up feeling much better. We bundled the girls back up and headed back out for dinner at around 5:15.

I was amazed at how calm the streets and restaurant seemed. We have been there twice now and both times it was utter chaos. I ordered while the girls got a table. Just as I was returning with the food people swarmed in and took up all the surrounding chairs. I quickly realized that we only had four chairs. I wound up eating across the aisle by myself because it was the only place I could find to sit down. As soon as the people next to the girls were done I was able to rejoin my wife and kids and finish my dinner. By that time it was just after 6:00 and we headed back to the hotel.

We have discovered the pedestrian rush hour begins at 6:00. There were four times as many people out and about as we walked back than there were when we left. I remembered that our guide told us the school kids got out of school at 6:00 and indeed it seems that must be when many adults get off work too. We weaved our way through the crowds and made it back to the hotel. Sophie did much better with the stairs today. I’m still trying to decide if her little legs really get tired or if she just rooks me into carrying her sometimes. I was glad she was walking because the sidewalks were wet and dirty and I didn’t really want her wet, dirty feet getting all over my pants. When I carry her she leaves footprints on my Dockers.

Matt and Faith had told us yesterday that they found a children’s play area on the 6th floor of the hotel in a room called, “The White Jade Room”. We decided that we would stop in on our way up to the room and check it out. When the girls saw it they went bonkers. There were 3 pogo balls and the girls spent the next 45 minutes taking turns bouncing around on them and giggling. I was happy that we had found a place where they could act like little kids and blow off some steam.

When we got back up to the room the girls automatically started to get ready for bed. It was a bit early but Brandy and I didn’t argue. They had a nice bath and then came out to get tucked in. We had them all down by 7:30. Hopefully tonight we will all sleep a bit better. I’m looking forward to getting to the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou because we are supposed to have a larger two room suite there. It will be nice to put the girls down and then have some privacy for Brandy and I. The girls should be able to get to sleep better too.

We got word today that Robyn and Todd Williams have Sophie’s passport in their possession in Beijing. They are going to meet us in Guangzhou with it. I’ll be glad to have it as the airport security didn’t look entirely comfortable letting us travel on the adoption certificate for Sophie. They did let us through, but it was definitely with a raised eyebrow. I also know from past experience that there are many more foreigners in Guangzhou. Everywhere we go here everyone stares at me. I’ll be happy to blend back in a little! Not that I ever am a wall flower!

As I was typing tonight the power flashed and it left Brandy in the shower in the dark. The lights are all on a fancy dimmer system that doesn’t automatically turn back on when the power flashes apparently. I heard, “Um……….. Teddy? What just happened?” I ran over and turned the lights back on for her. All of the other lights came on and it woke the girls up. Bummer! They had just fallen asleep. Here we are 30 minutes later and they are back to snoring. It will be good to get home. Brandy just looked over my shoulder and said, “Good Lord, you are typing a book”. I’m trying to do a good job with recounting the days for the girls so that when they get older they can look back and remember the trip. I know that all the typing will be worth it!

Very Truly Yours,
Brandy, Opal, Sophie, Amalie, and Tired Fingers Magee.

P.S. I do appreciate the book…grin (Brandy)