Our Last Days in China -- A Pictorial Review

On one of our last days, we had our Consulate Appointment.

With this appointment, Carter got his US visa ensuring that once we touched down in the US, he became a citizen



That night, after spending the day making a stop to buy some pearls at the pearl market, we went on the Pearl River cruise. We all had a wonderful time eating Papa John's pizza and enjoying a Pearl River beer.

The next day, after making a last stop on Shamian Island and eating at our neighborhood, legitimately local restaurant, we took a van with an wonderful couple from Nebraska down to Hong Kong.

Our last day was spent in Hong Kong. Well, not really. Most of it was on Lantau Island where we took a 25 minute (ONE WAY) gondola / cable car ride where I was fairly certain we would plummet 100s of feet to our deaths in a ball of twisted metal and broken glass. Against all odds, we did not and spent a fabulous day at the Big Buddha enjoying the breathtaking scenery and gorgeous weather.

The rest of the day doesn't even warrant the time it would take to explain. Suffice it to say, getting off the MTR at either the Hong Kong Station or the Kowloon Station was more than a little confusing and the taxi / color / island system does not lend itself to usage when you're tired, hungry, and annoyed. We may have gotten "stuck" in an incredibly upscale mall. Frustrating does not begin to do justice to the emotions we were experiencing.....


At one point, when we did step away from the metro station proper, we were greeted with this amazing sight. Sadly, we could NOT figure out how to get there! Geez.

We finally gave up at went back to the hotel to eat supper. At least it was astronomically expensive. :( This does not sit well with a penny-pinching tightwad such as myself, but it was the last day, and we were done. A detail worth noting? Throughout the entire day (1/2 day debacle), Carter did not fuss. Not once. The kid is ridiculous! Starting on the metro, he even fell asleep for about an hour and a half in his stroller,

that is until Troy pulled him out to hold him so he would be more comfortable. We can only pray that this kind of travel is not a fluke or related to the state-of-adoption-shock. He was like that the entire two weeks we were together in China. He made the time in-country far too easy which allowed us to see a lot of China and experience a lot of the culture. What a blessing -- in so many more ways than that, obviously!





Coming home the next day was nothing short of brutal, not because of Carter since he slept, played or watched videos; rather it was brutal just because it seemed to be the eternal day. We were awake for nearly 40 hours straight. However, the rough day of travel was somewhat mitigated by being met at the airport by a couple "groups" of people. Our boys, other family and close friends greeted us at the top of the escalators.

As we descended, we were welcomed by a group of students.

A warm, sweet welcome to say the least! Our home was even festooned! And snacks and beverages were waiting as well.

Sigh. We are more blessed than mere pictures and words can convey.

Since then, jetlag has been a cruel and constant companion. Hopefully that will be gone soon, too! It is sitting heavily with me now, though, so I will conclude this post. In the next post, I will try express our gratitude, though, as intimated earlier, paltry words probably cannot do it justice. Til then....