The Pet Market and Shamian Island

Today we headed to the Pet Market.   I have heard about this place, but we did not see it in 2013.   It was interesting, to say the least!!   If you are looking for a pet, this is the place to be.   Thank goodness that pets cannot be carried back into the US -  at least I don't have to be the bad guy by saying "no"!

The street itself was beautiful, full of hundreds of tiny little shops, all of which seemed to be selling exactly the same thing.

Apparently fish are the most popular pet in China.   And there were lots of fish for sale!

Along with turtles....

And some other, more traditional pets....

And some that were not so traditional....

After the pet market, we walked to Shamian Island.  This is a popular place for adoptive families to visit.   The buildings are all very quaint with lots of small shops.   

The statues on the middle of the island are quite famous for photos.  Claire was a bit nervous at first but finally agreed to join Abby for a picture or two.  

We stopped in at Michael's and did a little shopping.   Josh got this banner with his name painted on it.   Since there is no Chinese word for "Josh", the characters translate into "Nice Guy".

We also watched several brides being photographed for their weddings.  The girls loved this!

We headed back to the hotel.   When we arrived, the kids were so excited to see that the hotel had been decorated for Christmas!!   Beautiful!!

Sunday

Today is a day to see some of the local sights in Guangzhou.   

We started with the Chen Clan Academy.   According to our guide, "Chen" is a very popular name for families in Guangzhou.  In the late 1800's, all of the Chen families donated money to build a temple for the worship of their ancestors.   Not sure why you would need to worship your ancestors, but anyway....

Next stop was a popular park in Guangzhou. 

Abby tried her hand at one of the games being played at the front entrance of the park....

The kids were excited to see amusement park-type rides.   We rode a few....Claire thought every ride was great!!!

Another busy day, same ending!   Four very tired kids!!   We are all exhausted with this schedule....looking forward to a day with some down time!

Medical Appointment

The American Consulate requires a medical check up as part of the Visa process.  This was first on the agenda for Saturday morning.  

First, Claire had her photo made for the Visa application.   

Next, we had her height, weight, BP, and vision checked.   

Then an exam by an ENT doctor.  

And also a general exam by a physician.  The last stop was for a TB blood test.   Parents are not allowed to go back with the child, but I think Claire made it through with no tears!  

On our way out of the building, we passed this vending machine in the lobby.....only in China!!

Saturday afternoon we spent some time exploring the hotel and chatting with other adoptive families.   The hotel grounds are so beautiful that I just had to take some photos of the kids!!

Guangzhou!

Friday was a travel day.  We left Beijing and flew to Guangzhou.   I think we were all excited that we would soon be able to retire the heavy coats, hats, and gloves!

Our guide picked us up at 9:00 am to head to the airport.   Our flight did not leave until noon so we had plenty of time.    We arrived and Emma helped us check in.  We did not have Claire's passport yet so the check in process was different for her and required a good bit of Chinese back and forth between the agent and our guide.   Finally, we got the all clear and we headed to security.   This is where we had to say good bye to our guide.   We snapped a few pictures and joked that Emma will probably need a long nap today after dealing with our two families for a week!

We made it through security, grabbed some French fries at KFC, and boarded our flight.

The flight was easy.  Claire is pretty laid back so far and did not seemed at all bothered by her first airplane flight.  We landed a little late due to a late take off, but as soon as we stepped off the plane, we were greeted by the sun and warm temperatures!  Yay!!!!

We found our bags, met our new guide Sarah, and loaded into the bus to head to the hotel.

We are staying at the Garden in Guangzhou.   The hotel is beautiful....

....but our room was not good!  We are staying on the apartment side of the hotel which we knew was somewhat dated, but we were not prepared for just how bad it would be!  After two visits downstairs to talk with the manager, they moved us to room 1704, which was MUCH better!   Not only was room cleaner and larger, but it was actually a three bedroom apartment (instead of two).   We have a full size kitchen and a washer and dryer.   The extra space is such a blessing!!

Once we got the room settled, we headed out to get some dinner and pick up a few snacks and essentials at Walmart  The Walmart in China is a bit different than what we were used to!   Interesting selection of meats for sure!!

After Walmart, we headed back to the hotel.   It was a long day and everyone was so tired!!

Thursday

We started today with a visit to the CCCWA.   This is the central adoption authority in China.   I requested an appointment so that we could view Abby's complete adoption file.  I expect that we have most of her paperwork, but wanted to do this just in case we were missing something.   There were a few things in the file that I had not seen so I was so happy to have this opportunity.

This is Abby standing outside the front door of the CCCWA.

And this is Abby holding her adoption file.

Next, we headed to the Great Wall.   On the way, we stopped for a tour at a Jade factory.   We watched several artists carving jade and learned some interesting facts.   This is one of the jade carvings made by some of the local artists.   They said the sculpture took over three years to complete.

Our tour guide found our group quite interesting.   We are traveling with a family from New Jersey with five kids.  Add in my four and we have a group with nine kids and four adults!  The tour guide stopped right in the middle of her tour and asked our group "Sorry, can I ask?  How many children do you have?"   You could tell she was a bit astonished!

Of course, when we finished our tour, we were shown to a gallery where we could purchase our very own jade pieces!  (I am sure they were disappointed with our group, as we bought very little!)

We had lunch at the restaurant attached to the Jade Factory.

We then got on the bus and headed to the Great Wall! 

We visited a different section of the wall this time than we did in 2013.  The steps were very steep but the views were amazing.   Abby was very proud that she made it all the way to the top of Tower #8.

After our climb, we all bought some hot chocolate and tried to warm up!

Thursday evening, it was a boys night out for Josh and Will.  I hired a driver and took them to the Kung Fu Show! This was surely the highlight of our trip for Josh!!

This is the outside of the theater...

This dragon roamed the aises before the show started....

Both of the boys enjoyed the show so much!!

Wednesday

Mornings start early in China.   We began with an invigorating 18 degree, 6:45 am walk to the 7-11 for breakfast.   Nothing like trying to hurry and dodge traffic all the while trying not to step on a patch of ice and fall!  

Our guide picked us up at 8:15 in the hotel lobby.   Our first stop was the civil affairs office to finish up paperwork.  Here we received the adoption decrees, making Claire an official Strickland!  

Next stop was the notary office where we applied for Claire's new birth certificate. 

Then off to lunch!   Our guide took us to a great Chinese restaurant....Abby is really enjoying getting to eat so much authentic Chinese food!    The prices are amazing as well.....Will's lunch in the picture cost $2.56!

Our final stop was the police department where we applied for Claire's passport and did her passport photo.  This is the last piece of adoption paperwork that we need to do here in Beijing.   

It was a long day and pretty boring for the kids.   Tomorrow will be more fun as they are all looking forward to climbing the Great Wall!

Sightseeing in Beijing

Tuesday was our first day to tour some of the local sights.  I was so excited for Abby and Claire to see these places, as they are so significant in their Chinese history and culture. I wish that the weather had been a bit more tolerable....freezing does not even begin to describe how cold we were!!

We started at Tiananmen Square.  Taking pictures required me to take my hands out of my warm gloves, so we only took a few! 

Next stop was the Forbidden City.   It served at the home of Chinese emperors and their households for over 500 years. We visited the Forbidden City when we were here in 2013, but we did not really participate in an official tour.   This time, we were lucky to have our guide with us....we were able to learn so many interesting facts about the history of this place!

When we FINALLY got back to the warm bus, we headed to a local noodle shop for lunch.  Chopsticks and noodles are always a fun combination for us Americans!   Claire did just fine!

The last thing on our tour ititenary today was a Hutong Tour.   Hutong is a name given to a small street.   In the past, the city of Beijing was composed of clusters of houses consisting of four or five rooms enclosing a square courtyard. Hutong refers to the streets that wind around these houses.   These appeared early in the Yuan Dynasty. 

To visit these houses and hutongs, you ride in a rickshaw.   This was so much fun!  

The streets and houses were beautiful!

As part of the tour, we were allowed to visit someone's home. It consisted of seven or eight rooms surrounding this courtyard.   The rooms were not connected to each other, only accessed through the courtyard.  

When we finished the Hutong Tour, we headed back to the hotel to warm up!   The kids played in the room and we all relaxed the rest of the evening.   I am sure everyone will sleep well tonight!!