We left Tulsa at around 9am Friday, April 1. We first flew to Dallas, then to Tokyo, and finally to Shanghai. The flight to Tokyo is long! I don't know how frequent international travelers do it!! Tim was able to sleep some, but I couldn't sleep much on the plane. We were well fed on the plane and overall the trip was uneventful. There was a mother with 2 small children on the plane. She appeared to be Japanese. The older boy was a good traveler and played video games or watched TV. The younger sister looked to be around Kendall's age and was a little fussy, but overall she traveled well. Tim and I kept looking at each other saying that would be us on the way home!
We landed in Tokyo and because of major airport construction had to deplane in the middle of the tarmac using stairs. We were directed to buses and taken to one of the terminals. We had to go through security and then around the terminal to another bus to take us to the correct terminal for the next flight. This included going up and down several stairs and escalators and through security 2 or 3 times. We found our gate and tried to stay awake until the next flight. We decided at that point that getting through the Tokyo airport might be the biggest challenge on the way home with Kendall!
Our flight from Tokyo to Shanghai was delayed a little bit, and by the time we got on the plane I couldn't keep my eyes open. I think I slept through takeoff. The seats on this plane were very close together. Even my legs were smashed when the guy in front of me reclined, so you know how crowded Tim was. Hopefully we can get seats with more room on the way home! When we got close to Shanghai we found out that we might have to be diverted back to Japan because of weather conditions. Tim and I looked at each other and wondered how long our evening would really be at that point! Fortunately, the captain was able to land in heavy fog. We had to set on the taxiway for several minutes because of the fog. There were planes trying to take off and you could barely see them even though they were only a few yards away! We did make it to the gate and through customs quite easily. Then our bags were already coming out, so we gathered those and looked for our guide.
Our guide was holding a sign with our names written and we found her easily. She and a driver took us to the hotel, about a 45 minute drive. Even late at night there are many cars on the road, all driving fast in narrow lanes, honking as they change lanes. I am very glad we do not have to navigate this alone and someone else will drive for us on this trip!
Our guide's name is Dawn and she is a travel agent that arranges trips and guides for travelers. She tells us that she has helped several other families who are adopting, but there aren't as many families adopting who come through Shanghai as other cities. Our hotel is very nice with a mini-kitchen (sink, small stove, microwave, and small refrigerator). The bathroom is small, but nice. You have to close the door to get to the sink and mirror. We have a small room with couch, table and chairs, and TV, and a bedroom. We can actually get CNN, BBC, ESPN, HBO, and Cinemax. The other stations are local or in another foreign language. The only coverage is about the Pope's death, but it is nice to hear some English!
Sunday Tim slept in a little bit. He is feeling much better but still not quite over the flu and jetlag doesn't help! I woke up and got things unpacked a little bit. It is hard to believe that tomorrow we will have our sweet daughter with us! We had a nice breakfast with a beautiful view at the hotel. Our guide is meeting us at 1, so we come back and check email and rest a little bit. There is a business center in the hotel, but it consists of one computer and you have to pay to use it. We can also connect in our room for a fee. I think internet use may be the most expensive thing we do here! The connection is slow, but we figure out what to do and try to stay in touch with friends and family.
Our guide meets us at 1 and takes us to an old Chinese garden that is the oldest in Shanghai. It is in the old part of Shanghai and is over 400 years old. The man who built the garden built it for his parents and it is really beautiful. There is symbolism in all the carvings and artwork in the furniture and the window art. We found out that rocks are very important in these gardens. Many rocks have holes in them which are formed by chiseling out places in the rock and then placing the rocks underwater for many years. They end up with smooth holes in the rock.
Getting to this garden was an experience! The traffic is terrible and there are cars, bicycles, and pedestrians everywhere! I am very surprised that more pedestrians are not hit, but I guess everyone is used to it. Every where we go there are cars dodging in and out of traffic and people trying to cross the streets. Thank you God for drivers!! The garden is surrounded by a market place. We have to maneuver though the people to get to the garden entrance. It is very crowded with people bumping into you with each step. Shanghai has 16 million people so it is crowded everywhere you go! We made it though the market place and to the garden. Dawn takes us through the garden and tells us about the different buildings and the meaning of many of the carvings and figures we see. It is very interesting and very beautiful.
After visiting the garden we decide to purchase a few things in the market. First we tried some soup. The first kind had some kind of broth with rice and some other things. It smelled and tasted like rice wine. It was ok, but I don't think we will get that soup again. The second soup had red rice, dates, and some other things. It was a dark red/brown color and very good. Dawn told us this soup is very good for your health, so we both ate most of it! Pollution and cigarette smoke everywhere may slow down my recovery from a sinus infection! My eyes burn by the time we get back to the car! We did buy a few items to bring home and Dawn helped us bargain with the shop owners. The atmosphere reminds me of the State Fair with people coming up to you trying to get you to buy their wears. We quickly learn to say no in Chinese. The vendors are speaking to us in English…"Hey lady, want to buy a pretty purse, only the finest quality" or "Want to see my Rolex watches". They are everywhere! We tried ignoring them, but they will walk with you a little bit and flash their catalog in your face. We tried saying no in English since they were talking to us in English, but I don't think they understood. Dawn taught us how to say no in Chinese and that seems to help. We are constantly saying "bu yao" which sounds like bu-ya, or pu-ya, telling the vendors no.
Everywhere you drive you have to find a paid parking lot to park your car and then walk where you want to go. Fortunately there are parking lots close to this market place, so we don't have to walk far to get back to the car. Dawn had said we might go to a local flee market, but it was even more crowded and we probably wouldn't like it. I can't imagine anything being more crowded than the garden and market we just left!
We next drive to the supermarket or food store to buy more bottled water and juice. Again, we have to fight the traffic and find a parking lot several blocks away from the store. We fight through the crowds and the vendors. Again, there are street vendors everywhere trying to sell you things. This must be a very hard way to make a living! We made it to the market and bought a few items. You can't buy very many items because we have to carry everything back to the car several blocks away. We bought some good looking oranges on the street on the way back. There are vendors with fruits also lining some of the streets with old hand scales to measure their produce. They have bicycles with small trailers that follow behind with their goods.
We headed back to the hotel and asked for directions to a restaurant. The hotel is located close to two rivers and there are places to walk next to the river, but that is not where we are directed to go. The map we have is small and not many of the streets are marked on the map. We walked several blocks in two directions but did not ever find the street we were told about. Walking down the streets was interesting. There are very nice buildings right next to alleys with dingy apartments and clothes hanging down from every window. Walking along we often have to dodge someone's laundry hanging out to dry. It really gives me a new appreciation of the comforts we have in the US, like washing machines and dryers!
We decided to eat a place around the corner from the hotel. No one speaks any English, but they have a menu in English with numbers, so we just point and make signs to get what we want. The food is very good and quite similar to what we might get in the US at a good Chinese restaurant. The portions are huge and we take home about half of our food. We were able to motion and get a take out box to take our food with us. I can imagine it would be very difficult to take Kendall and try to eat at a place like this. We may be getting take out often and eating in our room. We noticed there are about 4 places to eat within a block of the hotel, including a Pizza place. We may have to try the Pizza just to see how it compares!
I am writing this early in the morning Monday morning. I can't sleep…too many things going through my head. I really don't feel nervous and I know this is because God is surrounding us with his peace. All the prayers offered are much appreciated! This is a big day!!! We leave the hotel at 8:45 am and travel to meet with some adoption officials and fill out paperwork. Then we go to the orphanage and get our daughter and talk with the orphanage officials. I don't really know what the day has in store, but I know it will be memorable. We are so curious about what Kendall looks like now, how much she has grown, what her voice sounds like. All those questions will be answered today! How exciting!!