We Made It to China

After a grueling 26 hours of travel time, not counting the drive to the Jacksonville airport, we finally made it to China. I think we must have looped around the world a couple of times! The plane trips were excrutiatingly awful. We sat on the runway in Detroit for an hour in snow fall while they de-iced the plane by hand because the de-icer thingy part of the plane(just skip over the technical jargon in my narrative if you don't understand it) didn't work and they had to search for another airplane starter thingy because the one they were using wouldn't make the engine turn over. I thought we were all going to have to all get out and push while the pilot turned the starter over. This delay made us nearly miss our connecting flight in Tokyo. We made a comical dash through the security checkpoint, slinging 3 oz bottles of toilitries electonic parts at the airport guards. And how was I to know you don't have to take your shoes off like you do in the US? They looked kind of alarmed when I started removing them and began saying something that sounded like no remove clothing. Geepers people, I was just taking my shoes off!

I was meant to be a first class kind of girl but, since by some cruel twist of fate, I don't have first class money, I was relegated to the cramped sardine can-like quarters of coach with 400 or so of my best friends and George, who coughed the entire trip, and Tabitha (another first class kinda girl) who cried for most of the long flight. She could not sleep sitting up, she could not, would not, sleep stretched out across us but COULD sleep on top of me as long as I did not move or breathe. I stayed awake most of the flight and watched a string of really bad movies. Those headsets help drown out the crying and coughing.

We spent the night in the Novotel Hotel in Guangzhou--it was the best of our China hotel experiences from our two trips (thus far). Very fancy and modern with a glass wall between the bathroom and the rest of the room. What's up with that!? Definitely not a family oriented amenity. Since I'm of the bathroom business is a private affair mind set, I quickly found the button that lowered a shade down between the two rooms. We left Guangzhou on yet another miserable plane ride and landed in Nanning this afternoon.

We will be in Nanning for 6 days and have settled in (pretty much trashed) our hotel room. This hotel, which gives itself 5 stars, due to some serious lack of competition, is just okay by my ratings (with its rock hard miniature double beds). We had room service tonight because the restaurant was full when we arrived. They have no, there's a 45 minute wait, here's your little buzzy thingy. It was just,"We're full, try again another day!" Allrighty, then. Tabitha fell asleep as we carried her to the restaurant so we were probably better off with room service anyway. The food was delicious, however. I was so hungry, I could have eaten a giant squid, which is highly likely in China.

Tomorrow afternoon we get Tobey! Tabitha tells everyone he is her Tobey and she has been setting aside toys of hers for him to play with. For those of you know how well she shares, this action is monumental! Stay tuned....
Tabitha at the Jacksonville hotel.

At the Detroit airport. It was starting to snow outside.

Tabitha sleeping on the airplane between meltdowns.

In one of the fancy sitting areas at the Novotel. This one's for Lori.

Nautilus shaped fountain at the Novotel. The texture of the nautilus is created by large crystals. Fancy.

Tabitha with the daughter of a couple from our adoption agency who will be traveling with us to Nanning and back to Guangzhou. They have become bff already.