31 Hours

Nihao from Changsha!

Sorry for the late post, we’ve had some problems using the internet access from the room. The hotel we’re staying at has a business center which is where I am now.

From our front door in Colorado to the front door of our hotel in Changsha, China was a 31 hour trip. Thankfully everything went very smoothly. Our 3 flights were all on time and we didn’t lose any luggage, woo hoo!. This is our first full day in China and our bodies are just starting to acclimate to the local time. I awoke at 3:00 this morning, but we are attempting to stay up late tonight so we can get a full night’s sleep.

We are traveling with Brad and Kristi, a couple we befriended through the adoption process. Brad and Kristi are adopting twin girls from Chenzhou. Their names are Stella and Lola. We’re very lucky to have Brad and Kristi as travel mates. This is their first time to China and they are first time parents too so we have a lot in common.

On our 4 hour layover in LAX we took a little side trip to Manhattan Beach and ate dinner at a great little seafood restaurant called Rock n’ Fish. A nice escape from the airport terminals and their predictable fare. We even got an after dinner stroll along the pier and took in some salty Pacific air.



Manhattan Beach Pier

Our flight from LA to Guangzhou followed the “great circle route” basically following the coast all the way from LA to Alaska, down over the coast of Siberia and Korea and then into China. We flew over Beijing and the Great Wall and into Guangzhou but unfortunately it was dark until almost touchdown so we didn’t see much along the way.



Next Stop, China!

Once we cleared customs in Guangzhou we went searching for caffeine to get us through our last flight. With no Starbucks in sight, we came across an inviting coffee bar with couches and easy chairs that was totally empty. We ordered a couple small carafes of coffee and relaxed until it was time to hop on our next flight. When it came time to leave the waitress brought the tab and pointed to the number on it. It said “71”. I replied “71 yuan?” She said “no, US Dollars”. That’s right, 71 dollars for four cups of really good coffee (now we know why it was empty). This was lesson number one of the trip: everything is outrageously expensive in airports no matter where you are, China included. In our jet lagged delirium we forgot to check the price on the menu and do the math.



$71 dollar coffee -- did I mention that it was really good?

Our last flight was on a small regional jet and was completely packed. This is one of those planes you have to duck all the way until you sit down. Luckily it was only an hour flight.

It is verrrry hot here!! Changsha is sub-tropical, I would compare it to Acapulco, Mexico. It must have been close to 100 degrees yesterday with close to 100% humidity. Our shuttle driver from the airport said we were lucky because it was much hotter before we arrived.

On our shuttle to the hotel one of the first things we noticed is that there are multiple modes of transportation that all share the same space. Cars, buses, bikes, foodcarts, mopeds, trucks all navigate the streets with very little or no regards to logic or traffic control. It’s insane but somehow they make it work. It seems that cars don’t have to stop for pedestrians here, just honk your horn and go. There seems to be a natural pecking order based on the size of the vehicle you’re in. Trucks have right-of-way over buses, buses over cars, cars over motorcycles, etc. with pedestrians at the bottom of the food chain. We must have witnessed at least 3 near misses where there would definitely have been fatalities.

Changsha traffic

All the people we have come in contact with so far have been very nice and patient with us. In Changsha there are not too many people who speak English, and those who do are typically not fluent so we have been relying on our Chinese/English translation guide and the kindness of hotel staff.

Today we took a tour to the birthplace and original residence of Mao Tse Tung (sp?). This was about an hour and a half drive west of Changsha. It was fascinating to get out into the surrounding country and see some rural Chinese farms and villages. Besides gazing at the countryside, we spent the driving time getting lessons on Chinese culture and traditions from our local guide Nadine. Very memorable.

Tomorrow is “gothcha day”, when we finally receive our baby!! She will be in our arms by 3:30 PM local time (1:30 AM Colorado time). It’s unbelievable that this is the last night that we will spend by ourselves without this little girl as an integral part of our lives. I can only imagine that this is very similar to the feeling of an expectant father the night before delivery.

Maya's crib

Stay tuned for current pics of Maya!