Guangzhou pictures

picture index:

1 - Statue of the Zen type Budda. There are many different Budda's, typically we see the fat jolly Budda, However there are different Budda's that carry different means or even slightly different religious sect's - similar to Catholisism.

2 - Actual stone carving from the Qing Dynasty - Provinchal Museum

3 - In front of the Provinchal Museum - note the amazing roof detailing!

4- Buddist Temple - still used by buddists - several diffent Budda's and worship/temple rooms

5 - Monk that blessed Tian and other babies in our travel group. The blessing consisted of a good luck prayer and a sprinkling of water

The Airplane...then daddy's girl

We arrived in Guangzhou yesterday evening. It was a busy morning packing, but Tian managed to squeeze in a morning nap. We arrived at the airport and she decided to show us her engaging side. She spent the wait and the most of the plane ride begging strangers for food and doing tricks to make them smile at her. She played peek - a boo, held out her hand for food, pretended to talk on a telephone ( she must have seen people do that at the orphange) she jumped up and down - and although she was VERY active she was wonderful. Then, wheather she got tired, the cabin pressure changed or nothing at all she had he Jekyll/Hyde moment and was our screaming banshee. Tian is a woman of extremes and things can change on a dime.

Guangzhou is a beautiful city. Set up very much for the business traveller or tourist. There are many street shops near the hotel and after Tain's nap we hope to do some exploring/shopping. This morning we were able to visit a Bhuddist temple were the babies were blessed by a monk. It was very interesting - much like a Catholic ceremony with a prayer and then incense and sprinkling water. It was a beautiful place and it had many open rooms with various statues of Bhudda. It was very interesting watching many people who came to worship and watching the monks who worked there. Tian discovered a kitten and seemed very intrigued by it - hopefully she won't be traumatized by our menagerie at home. We sata in front of 3 HUGE golden statues of Bhudda and having never done anything like that before - I felt incredibly small. It was easy to understand the awe that the staues themselves inspire.

Next, we visited an art museum. This was family school set up for the family to be educated. It was my dram place. Many buildings - some for sculpture, drawing, reading, gardens - it was very interesting. Tian even called for Tom ( dada) and held out her hands to him for the first time. It was great moment for Tom and quite unexpected. In typical Tian fashion she was back to insisting I hold her so I lugged her around most of the rest of the morning - unless , of course, she was demanding to walk ( yes, she runs th eshow already).

Today I was also able to hold a couple of the other babies in our group - Tian is a moose!! All 4 the babies in our group are very healthy. We have seen so many babies here that were not near as well taken care of. It has made us very grateful to have a baby with the amount of spirit she had that enabled her to thrive. I also think the caregivers at her SWI really took the time to care for the babies there. Many other babies are very malnourished - including a 2 year old boy who is only 16 pounds. I cannot imagine the conditions many of these babies endure. They are fighters and I am amazed at how well they thrive once they go to home with families - either foreign or Chinese. I have heard of very few who have further problems the vast majority just blossom into healthy, normal kids once they get a home

We are anxious to get home and it seems closer as we know we are at our final stop. Tian will have her medical exam for entry into the US tomorrow. Hopefully, she will be her engaging self. The group with us has referred hto her a Sybill - with only 2 personlaties ( wonderful and screaming) I am eager to watch her blossom as she becomes more secure in our family and is able to realx even more.

Trevor - she still LOVES spicy food. Last night at dinner there was some spicy tofu that no one but Tian could stand to eat becasue it was so spicy. She especially loves spicy noodles so I guess our meals will be a lot more spicy from now on.

Tara

Daoist Temple & Art Pictures

Picture index:

1 - Imagine seeing this truck rolling down the highway. Motorcyclists and pedestrians alike meandered past. The driver and passenger in the truck looked very concerned as the truck was obviuosly leaning quite a bit!

2 - Courtyard of the temple. The temple was made of several rooms surrounding multiple courtyard and garden areas. It was very serene and quite beautiful!

3 - Now, McDonalds has tried some innovative things to draw people in but.............. Seriously, this was taken along the walking mall. As I took the picture a group of Chinese teenage boys strolled by me laughing and looked back at me and told me they were simply delicious! I took they're word for it.

4 - Some boys working with their parents in a tire shop. We can't get over the constant hustle and bustle on the streets and shops. I don't know when they ever work. They say New York is the city that never sleeps - Let me tell you New York has nothing on Nanchang!

5 - My two women shopping. Tian loved the stroller and was quite the hit with Everyone.

Today was really a fun day:0) we did a lot of walking and spoke to many people. Our Chinese classes really worked. We have been able to get around the language barrier quite well. Its some of the cultural differences that make things interesting!

Shopping in Nanchang

This morning we visited the Badashanren Museum which is in a Daoist temple. The paintings were all brush and ink and many were beautiful , others well let's say we aren't quite cultured enough to appreciate them. The grounds were just like what you see in the movies : picturesque gardens with small ponds and a zigzag bridge. The best part was it was so quiet - this was the first place in China we have been to that has not been crowded. It was a very peaceful place. The highlight of the trip was when our van driver drove over a little walking bridge. I don't think there was an inch on either side of us.

The most important part of the day was getting Tian's passport. We visited the museum first as one member of our travel group has a stomach bug and we were trying to give her a few hours to pull herself together - poor woman. Tian's passport took all of 5 minutes. She now has a Chinese passport - another step toward her coming home. Bringing her home has truely put meaning to the proverb: "A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step."

We were then free for the rest of the afternoon. Tian was back to her happy, playful, mischievious self so we decided to explore. She even sat in the stroller - a huge success. We found an open air mall about 5 blocks from the hotel. There were many teens there for lunch. In China there is no school lunch program - the children all go home for an hour. We strolled and found a little store that sold barrettes and Tian is every salesperson's dream - they hand her things and she won't let go so the desperate parents ( us) end up buying all kinds of junk!! She loved the barrettes in her hair until we were about 3 stores down and then she pull them out and alternately threw them or threatened to eat them. We no longer have barrettes in her hair.

It was sad to see how very westernized the stores her were. The barrett store was like Claires and the clothing imitating every store in our malls. We did go to McDonalds - I know shameful, but we had to do it once. They were prepared for us with a picture menu :o) The food tastes just the same, just less salty. The soda drinks also have less sugar. We rounded out lunch with ice cream from a small stand. My ice cream bar was covered with chocolate and sesame seeds - odd but actuslly pretty good.


My feet are killing me, but it was a fun afternoon. The weirdest thing was we are sweating outside, but each little shop had the heat on !!! That alone probably saved us a lot of money. Tian finally fell asleep in the stroller and we kept walking for fear of waking her. I was accosted by several elderly women because she was wearing shorts and it is only 77 degrees here ! The humidity is extremely high - once again by Chinese standards ( sweating is good for your helath) we are very healthy! We kept Tian covered with a light cotton blanket and that seemed to satisfy them. We saw several art studios, porcelian studios and a woman who does the most incredible needlework- her embroidery looks like a painting - they are amazing. Tom continues to be a favorite of the local beggars as he can't turn them away.

Right now Tom is having a sneezing attack and Tian thinks it is the funniest thing she has ever seen. He stops and she imitates him. The nose blowing is especially lady like.

Tomorrow we will fly to Guangzhou the final stop in our journey. All the families form the Us have to go throgh there as that is where the babies will get thier greencards and apply for citizenship. there are about 30 familes here in Nanachang and they are from all over the world - US, Spain, France and Austrailia that I know of. It has been an incredible journey and has not only made us grateful to be Americans, but ashamed of how much we have and waste, but also proved how small the world really is. We are all more alike than we would like to believe.
Tara

Picture from trip to SWI

Pictures

Picture Index:

1 - Mom & Tian with orphanage building in the background. Tian was somewhere on the second floor. From a distance the building looks nice but up close it's pretty run down. Tian did not like it here.

2 - Boats working rice patties

3 - Tara & Tian with orphanage workers and locals

4 - Actual row house ( inhabited ) with home made brick pile in front. Women and men alike would cart loads of brick around their village either with yoke like devices or with rickshaws.

5 - Tian collapsing on the bus ride to the orphanage. She passed out from a WHALE of a tantrum. Tara and I were convinced the bus driver was going to throw us out!!!

The SWI

Last night we ate at a Chinese restaurant with the babies. What an experience!!! Four families - four babies if funniest home videos had been here we would have won. Rice was flying :o) Tian did great - she absolutely loved the spicy tofu. Then, she got too warm. Remember, it has been about 80 here and about 80% humdity and in China it is believed to be good to sweat. Then crowd four families struggling with babies into a small restaurant where they have 5 -6 wait staff watching every move and people watching through the windows... I wonder about their perception of America now!!One good thing came out of it though - Tom and Tian bonded over the a/c vent. Our guide asked the retsaurant turn on the a/c and Tom held Tian up to it - she let him hold her the rest of the evening. For a baby who grew up in an orphanage she certainly has some American tastes. She came with a tummy full of tofu, happily cooled and she slept 12 hours straight so we thought today would be a breeze...
Today we visited what in China is called a SWI - Social welfare Institute - or what we would call an orphanage. It was about a 2 hour drive to the SWI Tian grew up in. We got on the van and she was fine until we were almost out of the city and she started throwing a temper tantrum that would rival any I have ever seen ( she even beats you Trevor !). She threw herself around and screamed ( not just cried she screamed) for over an hour and a half. I don't know if she associated her last long van ride with her trip to us and was afraid her life was going to change again or what was going through her mind, but she was inconsolable. We were almost there and Tom handed her a Dum - dum sucker and she took it popped her other thumb in her mouth and passed out. I don't know how that comforted her, but it worked. She slept the rest of the way there.
We then drove to the place she was found. It was a hard place to see. It was pretty, but I can't imagine her mother's heartache. We were allowed to walk around outside SWI and I started to walk near the yard wher Tian may played and she held onto me for dear life. She started to cry so Tom went ahead and took pictures and Tian and I went back to the gate. She settled down and several workers came to see her and she wouldn't even look at them. They would talk to her and she would turn away. One tried to hold her and she about choked me holding on. Several elderly women from the neighborhood came to see what was going on with what I assume would be their grandchildren - very cute little boys. they were fascinated with Tian. Tian has bruises/scars around both of her ankles and the one lady asked me what they were - several of the others said something, but our guide just shook his head. They are undoubtedly from her being tied to bed.
I am glad we were able to go, just heartbroken that our little girl's life started here and for her first mother.

The ride home was very peaceful. Tian slept the entire trip - yeah!!! I was afraid to move in case I woke her up, but I did get to see some of the country side - very pretty. The flat land is all split into rice patties each family farms about a 50ft x 50 ft area - rice is harvested twice a year and we were able to see some rice coming on. They tie it in sheaves. It was really interesting. The rice grows on long grassy stalks with the rice on the end kind of like wheat.

Here also, most people ride motor bikes or walk. The women work along the side the men - hefting bags, shoveling dirt - really no difference we could see from the drive by. they certainly have an equal work mentality here. The people in her county make thier own bricks. So we saw many homes along the road with piles of bricks. The soil is quite red so it is poor for farming, but they are able to grow just enough to survive. The bricks may be sold locally, but the quality is poor so they don't make much fo rthe amount of work that it takes. Some of the people also work in the factories and make about 400 - 500 yuan ($50 - $60) a month.
Kiwi season is starting so we saw a few roadside stands - but our guide said they wouldn't be fully ripe for another week or so. There were sveral factories near the SWI. Our guide did not say what they did, but we did ask where our baby's birth mother may have come from. He said she may have come to that area to work until she had the baby and if it was a boy she would return home with the happy news, if not she would return home to try again for a boy. In this area if the firstborn is a girl in 5 years they may try again for a boy then that is it. Depending on the local authorities at the time of the second delivery the mother may be sterilized after the birth of the second shild, so that is why she would leave home to have the baby. They also have other social problems that any other society may have so we will probably never know Tian full story. Their world is so different. Looking at the homes you also wonder if a family just couldn't afford to feed another child.

It was a sad day, but someday I hope it answers some questions for Tian. We just need to remind her that in our world we are sometimes put in impossible situations and we make decisions that we wouldn't normally make when we are not desperate.

Tomorrow we apply for Tian's passport - 1 step closer to bringing her home.
Tara

Wednesday's Adventure

Today we saw one of the top 3pagodas in China located in walking distance from our hotel. It was amazing. It was orginally built over 2000 years ago and has been rebuilt many times - the one we saw today was about 20 years old. The craftsmanship and attention to detail was amazing. Every surface is either painted or inlaid with tile. It was amazing. The view of the city from the top was beautiful.
We finally learned why the concrete building next to hotel was left unfinished - it is taller than the pagoda so construction was halted...
While we were there we saw a show. We heard some traditional Chinese music - played on instruments I have never seen, but very rich and soothing. Tian immediately calmed down and clapped her hands. Then we saw some dancing with the long sleeved robes - it was beautiful the show ended with some livlier modern music. Tian loved it all.
Our guide then allowed us to look at a few of the shops. Tian and I were mobbed by some older Chinese women who were very curious about us and also about our baby carrier. My little skill at speaking Chinese was put to the test - mainly with " I don't understand" and "I only speak a little Chinese" One woman wanted to know where to buy the carrier - they don't have Babies -r- us here so I know she had no idea what I was saying... Another, was very curious how Tian could be my daughter - I didn't know the word for adopted. I am looking it up. I would say, "She is my daughter" then she would touch my hair and then Tian's. They were very nice and an elderly woman even fed her a dried piece of fruit. She was very kind and asked me if it was kay and then handed it to me to try and feed to Tian. Tian loved it - so we will find it at the grocery tonight. It was interesting, but I wish I could have spoken and understood more.
The shops were amazing. we saw a porcelian shop with beautiful China and vases - the prices were sinful - service for 8 for about $40. If only we didn't have to fit everything in a suitcase... There was also a booth with some of the most amazing butterflies and pictures made with their wings. If I thought it could make it through customs I would have brought some home. We found the man who carves ivory and porcelian with such detail that it can only be fully appreciated with a magnifying glass. We ordered a chop for Tian with her name in Chinese and in English so she will have some porcelian from her province.
The Tian report - It is day three and we are being tested!!! Last night she got over tired - never a good thing - and she became a wild woman. She was jumping and throwing herself around it wasn't pretty - after much struggle she finally settled down and slept from about 8pm - 7 am she was exhausted! This morning she was very naughty at breakfast throwing food under the table and she didn;t want to sit on my lap, in a chair, nor in a high chair, needless to say we left and wondered what the day would bring. She spent the walk to the pagoda trying to hang upside down in her carrier. While we were there she was very good and on the walk home she fell alseep in my arms. She is still sleeping soundly and hopefully will wake up a little more pleasant ( I hope, I hope) We still think she is wonderful though and so smart. She will imitate anything you do ( when she is in the mood) , she waves hello and good bye, can identify some body parts in Chinese. she isn't really talking yet but will try to copy us when we say mama and dada. She also loves sour skittles and gummy bears ( so much for the healthy diet and only introducing a few things at a time...) She still is on a partail bottle strike, but did eat some watermelon today and loves jell - o. So we will see what the afternoon briings. The queen is calling and still only mommy will do..

Trip to Famous Pagoda - Nanchang

Picture index

1 - Pagoda picture

2 - At show inside pagoda Tara became surrounded with people curious about her, Tian and the baby carrier. They fed Tara and Tian date like fruits and kept wondering if the baby was Tara's?????

3 - Following the morning visit to the pagoda Tian collapsed in her mom's arms and is taking her first nap in the crib.

4 - Trev leaf like butterflies ( pretty cool )

5 - Tile mural inside pagoda - each peice was a 4x4 square

Picture pages!!! :O)

Tian pictures!!!

I think we'll keep her!

Which is the favorite???

Picture pages!!!

Wal-Mart

Yes - it is even here!!! You can't escape the monster. Our guide took us to Wal - mart to stock up on formula. It was very much like the Wal Marts in the US with a few exceptions. First, it was 2 stories. The escalator was a moving ramp and the carts clung in position by groves on the wheels and I think magnets - very cool. Second, a serious lack of air conditioning. I know we were told it is good to sweat, but I was carrying our portable heater ( a.k.a. Tian) and let me tell you, by Asian standards we were the picture of health. Third, the prices on electronics. Tom was trying to figure out how to fit the panel TV into the suit case. It was under $1000, but 220v power would probably e a bigger hurdle to overcome than the shipping. They also had knock off ipods for $30 - we were tempted to buy one, but didn't. Sorry TJ. It was an intersting experience and we turned a lot of heads - I am not sure if was 4 white families carrying Chinese babies or the fact that Tian was squirting a juice box all over me and everything else. ( Yes, we are still trying everything to get her to drink more - she enjoyed gargling then spitting the juice from the box all over , but no drinking) She has shown no signs of dehydration, but she is only drinking one bottle a day....she has no problem letting the tears flow though. She can turn them on and off on a dime!
We had a slow day today. Wal Mart was our fieldtrip - our guide lines us up and keeps us pretty well in eye shot. He has been excellent. I do feel like I am in first grade on our little field trips - it has been fun. Another family is visiting their daughter's abandonment site today - it is out in the country. We will go Thursday. Tian was left on the Safety and Rescue Bureau's step ( equivalent of police/ambulance station) so we will take some pictures to show her how her mother left her in a very safe palce to be found quickly. It breaks my heart and I hope that someday Tian will be able to forgive and understand that her first mother probably had little to no choice in keeping her and that she did the best she could for her. All I can say is that she is an incredibly brave woman and I thank God for her every day Thursday will be a hard day for me.
Tomorrow we will visit a porcelain studio. This province - Jiang Xi- is known for being the seat of revolution and for its porcelain. We hope to get Tian a chop ( a square stamp with a carved animal on top and her name as the stamp on the bottom). Our guide tells us this shop has one of the best craftsmen. I am looking forward to it. I am hoping we will be able to see some pottery as well.
Tian is sound asleep right now- not even any thumb sucking. She is really toddling around; the most amazing thing is watching her stand. Tom is trying to figure out how to load a movie onto the Blog - it is worth watching. In case he can't, imagine this : her legs are spread far out on either side and she lifts her body straight up - much like a Sumo wrestler - I have never seen a baby do that before.
Last night she decided I was her personal security blanket, so I have not let her grasp for about 20 hours. She did let Tom carry her for a few minutes in Wal mart before she realized he wasn't me. He is a little crushed, however, she much prefers playing with him and she can always get him to laugh and he her. She is opening up more and more each day. We are told by the third day you really see your child for the first time. I am scared as she is already very mischievious and such the class clown that I am afraid what the next few days will bring. She is still the most wondeful little girl we could have dreamed of. I wouldn't change a thing ( okay, the tear thing and maybe the immense amount of heat she generates when I am holding her) She is perfect.
Hope all is well oout your direction.
Tara

Few more pictures

More pic's

Nanchang - Pictures

3 - 5 1st Night

1 Traffic

2 Adoption process

It's Official

Today at 9:25 am Tian officially became our daughter. There was not any pomp or circumstance - just a few signatures and a few red thumbprints and a couple of questions ( will we harm her, will we educate her and what do we do for a living). She was also issued her abandonment certificate ( in lieu of a birth certificate) so she officially exists and has a family all in one day:o)
She has only drank one bottle, but has eaten about 5 lbs of Cheerios!! She loves them.
It has been hot and humid here and the Chinese believe it is good for babies to sweat so our guide keeps telling us it is good - I am so glad we were not here in July!!! I don't care what he says - I hate being sweaty!! The hotel has turned of the a/c for the season so it has been interesting...

Nanchang is a city of extremes - the extremely rich and the extremely poor. We have seen some of the fanciest buildings, we are staying in the nicest hotel I have ever stayed at, yet outside my window I am looking at slums that would be torn down in the US. It is very sad.

I have seen many people with little girls so the idea we all have of no girls here is not quite accurate - I am sure their is a lack, but I have actually seen more little girls than boys. I think the real disparity shows up in the countryside.
The pollution seems worse here than in Beijing but it could also be because of the weather. It seems a lot more crowded here in the city. We were out today ( Monday morning) and the streets are still full ( IA stae fair on th erainly day). Last night it was packed like the Iowa State Fair on opening day!

So many people ride their bikes and walk it is s ggod thing, but it is every man woman and child for himself. If there is a 2 lane road and no one is coming, then the traffic fills in both lanes going 1 direction - our bus today backed down a main road today - this is normal!!!

Tian is sleeping right now with her thumb firmly planted in her mouth. She still is not happy with our bottle making skills. I hope we figure it out soon.
We already can't imagine life without her - it seems like she has always been part of our family. ( However our hotel room is wreck - toys, bottles, formula is everywhere) I don't know how the maid here at the hotel did her job!!! Tom will post pictures soon. We will go exploring after Tian's nap - maybe we will try Mc Donald's Chinese style :o)
Tara
PS Yes, we can read the comments !!!

THE pictures

1. 
   
   
   We can't figure out how to put these pictures in the order we want....
   Top down :

1. Her first laugh with daddy. She thinks it is great fun to stick a comb in his mouth

2. more of the same game

3. This is the office where we ( along with about 25 other families from all over the world) picked up our daughter. She held on for dear life. She can hold on with her feet too. She did not relax until we got to the hotel room. The orphanage director dropped her off so we were unable to get any personal information on her - that was a HUGE disappointment.

4. Snuggle with dad after her first bath. yes she is holding a Q - tip. She insisted on holding one and continued to pretend to put it in her ear after I had cleaned hers. I would shake my head no and she would smile and pretend she was going to do it again. she wasn't too sure about the whole bath thing. At the orphanage she would have had sort of a shower.

The moment we've all been waiting for

Tian is beyond wonderful!!!

The highlights:

• her hair is much longer - still needs a new style though :o)
• she sucks her right thumb
• she is very silly
• she hates the bottles we make for her
• she has a wonderful laugh
• she is VERY clever - a master of distraction
• she is as big as they said - she wears 18 month size quite comfortably
• she is getting a couple molars
• she LOVES Cheerios
• she has hardly cried
• She will be officially ours tomorrow
• she is finally sleeping - 10pm here

We are very much in love with this naughty little girl - she really does have a mischievious streak and we have only known her for 6 hours!!!It seems as if we have always known her though. She is absolutely wonderful. Enjoy the pictures - they do not do her justice, unfortunately she inherited being non-photogenic( so far) from me ;o)

Tara

Waiting.....

It is 1:35 a.m. there in Iowa and we are wide awake waiting to go pick up Tian. we leave to go to the provincial office at 3:45 p.m. Beijing time ( 2:45 am in Iowa). The wait is killing us.
We flew from Beijing to Nanchang this morning. Today we could really see the haze of pollution everyone talks about in Beijing. The air is very dirty :o( Here is Nanchang it is better, but not clear like Des Moines. The landscape looke very much like Arizona - mountains in the background, flat in the middle and less green. It is warmer here than in Beijing, but not hot. We have not seen cactii, but yucca type plants and regular trees. ther is open ground here that in Beijing, but most people still live in the city.
Our hotel here in Nanchang is very fancy. It is newer. many things here in china are changing in preparation for the Olympics - even this far from Beijing. They are very excited to show the world how Westernized they have become.
Driving here is amazing Tom will post some pictures soon. I definitely would not drive here!!!
I will go back to pacing...1 hour 2 minutes...
Tara

Great Wall pictures

Picture index:
1 & 3- Great Wall
4 - Summer Palace
2 - 2008 Olympic Stadium

The Great Wall and Summer Palace

The days just get more and more exciting ( we pick up Tian in 20 hours!!!) Today we saw the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, jade market and visited a Tea house.

The Great Wall was very aptly name. WOW!! It is truely and incredible thing. The part we walked on was not as wide as it seems in the movies. In many spots it was tight with 2 people ( 1 line going up another coming down). The stairs were interesting to say the least - they vary in height from about 3 inches to 3 feet!! It was a tough climb. It was worth it as the view was breathtaking. I can't imagine soldiers living there and watching day in and day out. The watch towers were a little less than comfortable-all stone and open windows. I am sure it must be fun in January!! Some of the stairs were worn from the foot traffic so the stairs were pretty treacherous. We discovered that on the east side of the highway the wall was much less crowded so after climbing the one side we headed there and were able to see a Bhuddist temple. It is beautiful. It is hard to imagine that the wall was built over 2200 years ago.
The Summer Palace was also incredible. It was very much like the Forbiddden City, but it overlooks a man made lake. It was dug by hand and is probably about 100 acres!!! The palace is hundreds of rooms - remember that in Asian architecture there is a courtyard surrounded by buildings so there were many of these and walkways and parks - it was easy to see how their leaders lost touch with the people as there was never any need to leave the safety of the palace walls.
We also visited a jade market. We learned all about jade and were able to watch some crafts women work. Our guide said the old men generall y do the more detailed carving, but we didn't get to see that. Did you know that asjade as it is worn turns a darker shade of green? Also, jade comes in many colors. The carvings were amazing. I begged Tom to buy a 7 foot sculpture of a panther, but he wouldn't do it. It was only 350,000 yuan ( about $45, 000) he is so mean...

The tea house was also interesting. We watched as they prepared us tea in the traditional way. There are many different types of tea - one for all that ails you :o) It was fun to hear about - some of them are even naturally sweet.

It still seems surreal to be here. Imagine being in a place you have only seen in pictures and movies. It just seems too incredible!! The people have all been very nice and patient with our broken Chinese. It seems to be a very comfortable place and people are very deliberate in how they do things, but they are not very bashful.. They seem to have to push their way through - and with over a billion people I am sure they have to to survive. the driving here is an eye opener. People use their horn all the time and lane changing is going on all the time without any type of signalling other than a horn to say watch out - the traffic signals mean little, yet we have seen no accidentsand the cars are scratch free!! Today our bus drive about 1 inch from cars on the sides - the driver was unflinching as he changed lanes and drove for some time in his own made up lane!! This was no surprise to our guide an dthey seemed to think this was normal and as we watched other cars they were doing similar things.

We also saw the framework fo rthe 2008 Olympic stadium - called the bird's nest. It was amazine - boys look it up online. It was an engineering marvel. unfortunately we only saw it from the highway, but it is worth a closer look. tom will include a picture he took from the highway - i can't even imagine designing anything like it - let alone building it!!

We are on the countdown to meeting Tian. Take care.

Pictures

I guess Blogger hates doing this the easy way...

Beijing

Today was incredible and it is only 4 in the afternoon here. We have seen Tian an men square, The Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. Tonight we will see and acrobatic show.
Tiananmen square was unbelievable. It was huge. the picture you see in books and at the movies don't do it justice.
The Forbidden City - was enormous. We walked for over 2 hours and didn't see everything. You have no concept of how big it is until you have been there it just goes on and on. The architecture was amazing. the doors are solid wood, but are so massive that they seem impossible. The floor - is 18 FEET thick - and it is perfectly level ( at 600+ years old that is absolutley unbelievable) We were told that there was an earthquake 100 miles away and cause no damage to the city - with all the buildings made of wood and tile that is amazing. There is a garden inside the palace gates that has pine trees with bark that is colored and looks like dragon scales. There we stones and nooks and crannies - i could just imagine the royal children playing and hiding - it was amazing.

The Temple of Heaven is set up on top of hill - you can see the entire city and the mountians in the distance. It seems that you are higher than everything. When you walk through the entrance it literally takes your breath away. You can't go in the temple, but just peeking inside the doors was amazing. Ther is a small museum ther that tells of the way the temple was used for sacrifices - did you know the Chinese made animal sacrifices? Tom off course hs a picture of the blood basin.

The architecture in the city is very western, but even the tallest office building have windows that open - that is something we don't see in the US. Most everyone lives in highrise apartements. So most emppty space even along the highway has trees or gardens - it is really pretty. Hope you enjoys the pictures.

1 - is Tian an men square
2- Forbidden City
3- roof detail - the animals protect the city from fire - its only danger
4 - Forbidden City garden. Check out the rocks and
5- Temple of Heaven- this is our travel group in front

Missing pictures

Blog site giving us trouble posting pictures ( round 2 )

Day 1 - We're Really in Beijing :o)

We have really made it here!!!!

Beijing is a VERY westernized city, in fact, it has been hard to believe we are on the other side of the world. The people have been very friendly and gigggle when we say hello back to them. We have been able to walk around the area of the hotel today and have been to several stores and saw a farmer's market - complete with butchering chickens, live fish, vegetables and fruits we have never seen and people cooking in front of us. We were the only ones in our group out wandering and we are so glad we did. Our limited Chinese has come in very useful and the people haeve been very patient with us and seem to be able to understand us.
Ther is a lot of air pollution ( no blue sky - just hazy), but they have people around all day picking up trash so the streets are very clean. There is small river -, the Yang Ye, that runs behind our hotel that is dirty, but we have seen people fishing and it was fun to walk up and down the sidewalk.

The pictures: the bicycles are everywhere. A lot of people have carts on them to carry trash, recycling or more often fruits etc. We did see ric-shaws but we weren't brave enough yet to take a picture.
the other picture is of the farmer's market - it was the highlight of the day
the third picture is of a floating pizza restaurant on the river behind the hotel.

There is a lot of construction( complete with tower cranes ;o) for the upcoming Olympic games in 2008.

It has been a relaxing day and tomorrow we head to Tianan-men Square, the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and an acrobatic show - we will see if we make it. So far we have adjusted very easily to the time change - probably because we slept so much on the plane as it was dark for the entire 16 hour flight. So right now here it is 7:30 p.m and 6:30 am in Iowa and we are just feeling tired enough for bed.

Hope all is well. Boys we havene't heard from you - email us ALLTFAM@aol.com and let us know the U.S. is still there. 2 days until we pick up Tian.

Tom and Tara