•
Home
•
Itinerary
• Day
1
Leaving!
• Days
2-4
A 15-hour MRI and the Glass Wall Hong Kong Bathroom!
• Day
5
Refusing squat potties
• Days
6-7
Whoops, the trunk won't close
• Days
8-9
"Hip, Hip, HUBEI! Only 1 more day!"
• Day
10
GOTCHA!
• Days
11-12
Behind the Hokies
• Days
13-14
A visit to Elizabeth's finding spot, and the path her birth mother
took that day...
• Days
15-16
The 'Finding Ad' and leaving her Province
• Days
17-18
Ni Hao from Guangzhou!
• Days
19-20
Last days in her homeland through a little girl's eyes
• Days
21-22
I'm Coming Home
• Day
23
We have arrived!!!!!!
•
John
Meets Elizabeth
•
First Month as
a Family of 4
•
Special Update
•
The past 1.5
years
•
Happy Birthday
Elizabeth! |
O C T O
B E R 1 7 - 1
9
From Dollywood to Hollywood, and
then a 15 hour MRI...
Heavy rains and flooding was the situation in L.A. so our 'day'
trip around the area to Bel Air, Hollywood, etc.. was changed to a
quiet afternoon in the hotel re-organizing things for the long
haul.
Check-in at LAX was a breeze and we found ourselves sitting at the
airport with 3 hours to spare. Dave even sailed through security.
We were pleasantly surprised. No lines, and we were done with
everything and sitting at the gate within 30 minutes of arriving.
Once on the plane, we attempted to settle in for the slow boat to
China. My personal flight time limit is about 3 hours and then I
begin the downfall. We unfortunately were not able to sleep even
with the aid of nice drugs to help the cause. A combination of
cramped quarters and a hot cabin temperature added to the misery
index.
But, 15+ hours later, we made it, and the minute we got off the
plane it was obvious we were indeed in a Communist country. It was
shortly after 5 A. M. when we arrived in Guanzghou, and the
'police' were stationed at every turn. When we were hustled to the
'official entry checkpoint' there was an erie silence and the
humidity in the area was so thick there was actually a 'fog' all
around us.
When it was our turn to proceed forward as good little foreigners
we stepped up to the officer. For a moment, I thought of the scene
in The Sound of Music when the Von Trapp family was being
questioned prior to their escape...remember this?...Well, we felt
like the 'Von Clapp" family. They have a way of looking down at
your passport, looking up at you, not saying a word, shifting
their eyes back and forth and flipping slowly through each page of
your passport before picking up that red stamp. Even when they
pick up the stamp there seems to be a deliberate 'pause' before
they grace that passport page. |
Our home for the next 15 hours
We hope this isn't needed
|
