Late March 27, 2005 (Actually very early on the 28th) It is now Monday here, and the day we are to get baby Leah! We had originally been told the babies were coming here to meet us at the hotel, but found out yesterday that we are going to a government facility instead. At any rate, 10:30 am is the lucky time for travel group 106. Once we get the babies, we come back to the hotel and hang out here for a few hours before heading back to the government offices to begin the long paperwork process. I guess we can still tell people we got her on Easter, since that's what it is in the United States. Yesterday, the rest of our group arrived at the hotel, and it was good to see them! We had been told they wouldn't arrive until 4:30, so Rich and I decided to take a nap in the afternoon. We were both in a deep sleep when they pounded on our door, and Rich said his first thought when he woke up was that the Secret Police had come to get us. The rest of the group had been sight-seeing in Beijing. Rich and I were unable to obtain flights to Beijing, which is why we wound up in Hong Kong. We decided not to go to Beijing because between the flights, tour, hotel, etc., it would have cost us approximately $4,000.00 for a one day tour, which is much more then what it should have been. We had never been to Hong Kong anyway, and thought it would be neat to go there instead, particularly since the airfare into Hong Kong was much more reasonable. Hong Kong was great, and we wish we could have stayed there longer. The group ate dinner together downstairs in the hotel and had a good time chatting with one another. The food was better then it has been. The Chinese eat some very odd things. Tina (one of the group members) said that eating over here is like being on Fear Factor. Rich has been successful in staying away from any seafood related items. We were all staying on the same floor, but somehow we were put on the smoking floor. This really got my allergies to whirling. Rich and I requested another room. We have now moved to room 1506 (a non-smoking floor). So if you call, you will need to ask for our new room. The best thing about having the group here is being able to talk to people who understand what you are saying. The hotel employees speak minimal English, with a couple of exceptions, and communication is sometimes rather exhausting. We ran into what we thought was a problem with our air conditioning in the room (it kept blowing warm air even at 5 C). We went down and spoke with a couple of the employees, and they kept telling us, "it's all right." We found out later from our Chinese guide, Li Ping, that the hotel has a single heating and air conditioning system for the whole hotel, not room by room, and they haven't turned the air part on yet (not until July), and so the only thing that blows out is heat. So I guess we will just have to be a little warm while here. Of course Li Ping was quick to tell us that the babies will need a warm room. I am sure most of you have heard us mention about the Chinese belief of over-dressing the babies in very warm clothing, regardless if they need it or not. They believe that it is better to be too hot then too cold. We've already been pre-warned to dress the babies well when going outside our hotel, or the "clothing police" (Chinese citizens) will let us have it. Our sleep schedules are still messed up. It is 4:00 am China time and both Rich and I are wide awake. He is watching CNN, which he feels is rather ironic that this is the only outside news in China.     This page hosted by