We arrived at the airport and realized our flight was delayed 50 minutes. Thank goodness for the stroller! We had no issue getting thru security....all the girls (and guys!) were ooohhing and ahhhhing over Ben. Speaking to him sweetly in Mandarin...we weren't patted down because they were so taken with BenBen :) They did ask me what was in Ben's sippy cup (water) and asked me to take a drink. Beijing's airport is beautiful, clean and very easy to navigate! Lots of nice family restrooms, distilled drinking water with paper cups available, free luggage carts and kid cars to push. There was also a children's play area near our gate that Ben loved! We did see a little 2 year old Chinese girl wearing a dress and nothing underneath...going down the slide. Hmmm....her mom handed her to me at one point and took my picture with her. I was hoping she wouldn't pee on me!
After boarding we sat on the runway for almost an hour. NOT good with a 2 1/2 year old who is ready for nap time. Ben did great though. He ate a few suckers, colored, ate lots of animal crackers, looked at magazines, tore up magazines (so sad) and watched Ni Hao Ki Lan on my iPad but tired of it quickly....then lunch was served! Seafood rice. He loved the seafood and not the rice, or fruit or yogurt or bread with mysterious brown filling. I was hoping he'd nap during the 2.5 hour flight but it wasn't to be. Only one meltdown at the end of the flight as we were descending...he wanted me to pick up items he kept throwing on the floor and I'd had enough. An attendant asked if she could help, but of course it only made matters worse. So, they turned up the music (very loudly!) on the very large plane (we were in row 53!). Cracked me up! This too shall pass...and it finally did.
The White Swan hotel staff was waiting for us at the airport. The hotel is about 45 minutes from the airport. Our guide, John, met us at check-in. He informed us a typhoon is headed to the island. Nice. We're on the 19th floor facing the Pearl River (Greg said, a step below our beautiful Ohio River).
The room is a Junior Suite with 1.5 baths which is great!!! The rooms are fine...the decor is quite outdated and the scheduled hotel remodel (August to last 1 year) is definitely needed. I jumped on the bed with Ben when we arrived and ..... thud. HARD AS CONCRETE! Seriously, the floor would be softer. I've never experienced anything like it. Should be a tough night's sleep!
The staff has been extremely nice and helpful. There is no free internet (like in Beijing) so it will cost us $50 for the week. Definitely a MUST though! Also, room service and meals in the hotel are EXTREMELY expensive. Breakfast - which the hotel is known for - is included and legendary! Can't wait!!
Our guide said we could order Papa John's for delivery and they speak English. He gave us the number and Greg called....after speaking to 2 people, they hung up on him. So, Greg and Sam went out searching for dinner. They ate at Lucy's (Sam had a hamburger and fries, Greg had a "Chinese thing" per Sam and they brought me back a Chicken wrap and fries). They also stopped at a deli nearby for beer and banana bread. Yummy!
We're meeting our guide tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. for Ben's medical exam. Wednesday is a tour day (up to us where we go...?) and Thursday and Friday are free days. We're planning a shopping day with Ann from Red Thread and a day at the Safari Park if we can manage the heat! Greg's camera steamed up when we left the airport. It's VERY tropical and beautiful. The weather is definitely hot and humid - palm trees et al!
We were able to pack Sam's inflatable bed from Beijing so he's all set. Ben took a bath immediately after check-in and went right to bed...at 5:00 p.m. for the night. The little guy was sooooo tired. He fell asleep crying on the ride to the hotel. He could hardly walk. Glad we don't have to be up early tomorrow. The bedroom is separated by french doors with heavy blackout shades from the living area which is very good thing. It's also a lot quieter than Beijing. Looking forward to a good night's sleep and a fresh start tomorrow.
Hi Kim ~ still following your blog and hanging on every word as we near the end of our wait to travel for our lil' guy. Had to smile about your plans for Guangzhou. This will be our 4th adoption trip and I've decided that Safari Park and shopping with Ann may be our only "must-do's". :-)
ReplyDeleteMake sure you share about your favorite finds from your shopping excursion!
Off to look at your pics (again!)
Jill G (china030507 from RQ)