Travel Day {Guangzhou, 10.26.2012}

Today was essentially a travel day.  We left our hotel in Lanzhou around 9:30 a.m. and drove** an hour to the airport.  Our flight left Lanzhou at 12:20 p.m., and we landed in Guangzhou at 3:20 p.m.  What a difference here!  We went from cooler temps and being in the mountains to warm and humid temps and being in a tropical setting (there are even palm trees!).  Once we landed, we drove** approximately 45 minutes to our hotel, and what a welcome sight!  There is a Starbucks in the hotel and a McDonald’s right next door.  Our guide here told us that even Papa John’s delivers to the hotel!  Crazy!  And, there are many English speaking individuals here, and we even have TV channels in English.  Wow, such a change from Lanzhou!

**Clarification, when I say we drove, I clearly mean that someone else drove us … there is no way we could drive in these cities!!!

Nora did really well with all of the travel today!  Just some fussing here and there but nothing too unmanageable.  At the airport in Lanzhou we had random individuals come up to us, speaking in rapid-fire Chinese.  My dazed and confused look must have alerted them that I couldn't understand a word they were saying so they resorted to speaking in rapid-fire Chinese while using hand gestures.  The hand gestures typically included pointing to Nora, pointing to her lip, pointing to their lip and then a thumbs up.  Not every Chinese person agrees with foreigners coming in and adopting their babies, but it was so clear with these individuals that they were grateful that we are giving this little one an opportunity.

 

At one point when Nora was fussing, she was given this little key chain by a teenage girl sitting near us on the plane.  So sweet!  And, this little keychain occupied her for quite some time!

Tomorrow we have Nora’s medical appointment, and then we will work with our guide on some of our paperwork in preparation for our US Consulate appointment on Monday. 

Nora and Her Daddy

We are more than halfway to being home!!!  We are missing the kids like crazy, and while I think they are missing us, they have a super fun weekend planned with Jon and Rita so our return home will be here before we know it!