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Last night we completed the first leg of our trip, our time in Gansu Province in the capital city of Lanzhou. Before we arrived, we weren't sure what to expect. Though not as modern as Guangzhou (we stayed in the ONLY 5-star hotel in the whole city - which would NOT be considered a 5-star hotel in the States!), we were pleasantly surprised. The weather in Lanzhou was very comfortable - cool in the mornings, but comfortably warm in the afternoon. We enjoyed sightseeing most afternoons, visiting the Yellow River (the biggest river in China), the Lanzhou Zoo (typically Chinese, w/ sad looking animals in stark cages and a filthy panda), hiking a mountain to a pagoda, visiting the Gansu History Museum, and walking along the river parks. We also enjoyed the night market in which merchants set out all their items on the street (There were lots of socks for sale some reason!).
The sense of community was enviable w/ streets filled with shoppers and walkers late into the night as well as ladies dancing in a town square - it was sort of like country line dancing, anyone could join in and get their evening exercise. The parks too during the day were always filled with people, young and old, socializing, playing Chinese chess, singing opera, and spending time together.
The horse statue is one of the national icons for China. It originates from Wuwei, where Kari is from. Supposedly horses for the emperor and for battle were trained in the Wuwei area.
Last night's flight from Lanzhou to Guanzhou was a trial run for our long flight home. Kari did some crying, but ultimately fell asleep. We arrived around midnight to Guangzhou, so we're all a bit worn out and trying to rest up a today. Kari had a fever of 102 last night as well, but it seems to have gone down today.
Today is Kari's First Birthday. Happy Birthday Karis Joy! Reality is, it's not that happy of a time for Kari. Poor little thing. Everything she's known for the past year has changed. The foster mother she has known for the past year is missing. Two strangers have replaced her and they don't speak the same language (though we do try, even our baby talk in Chinese is pretty minimal). Being one, she understands probably much more than we giver her credit for. We've seen a few smiles, but they are few and far between. We look forward to the day when we can know her true personality, one that's not in mourning. She sleeps a lot. Guess that's her way of dealing with things. Problem is she wakes up, and we're still here - we're not going anywhere Kari. Her most comfortable place is snuggled up to dad's shoulder. Mom's shoulder is not too bad either, but dad's has more padding. She doesn't want to eat or drink much either. Who would feel like eating, being in her situation? The most we can do is try to distract her (walking around the restaurant) and try to stuff a bite in here or there. Please continue to pray for Kari's transition. We love her like crazy, it just may take some time for her to love us back :).
We know this blog is supposed to be about Kari, but we couldn't help but mention the food for some of our dear friends (Judy, Rich, Christi, Mike - this is for you!) Lanzhou is known for their noodles. Last night we were able to try some really tasty ones. Below is a plate of fresh Green Bean noodles. Slightly chewy and flavored w/ red pepper oil. No taste of the green beans, but mighty yummy! To the right is a giant hot pot filled with tofu, meat, veggies. Top notch!
Lanzhou is especially known for their beef noodles. At our hotel, the chef was making them for breakfast. Rolling out the dough, pulling it a few times. They flavor it with a little cilantro and red pepper oil (red pepper oil seems to be the flavoring of choice around here, though it's not as hot as Hunan food). We didn't have our camera, so we'll have to take some pictures tomorrow morning. We're supposed to be taken to a good Lanzhou noodle place for dinner tomorrow too.
Today we wandered out a bit and hit the jackpot for street food. This area has a lot of Hui people. They're mostly Muslim and look more Middle Eastern. They make these lamb Kabobs that we'll have to try soon - you can see the lambs hanging in the background. We tried a few of the dishes to the right. 3 dishes and some rice for about $1. Oh yes, and don't forget the dumplings. Those I'm planning on trying tomorrow!
After a good night's sleep, Kari was a different person. She woke up smiling and babbling. She even let mommy hold her today! We put her in a pink dress and now she looks a little more American than yesterday :). Yesterday was a whirlwind. We took our 3 hour flight from Guangzhou to Lanzhou and arrived at 7:30PM. Then we had to drive over an hour to Lanzhou. When we drove into the hotel at 8:45PM, they told us we needed to be downstairs to pick up the babies in no less than 15 minutes. Being handed over after 9PM, Karis was cranky, and not at all pleased :). We too were tired, but I think we were smiling much more than she was! We had to sign some papers and didn't get back to our room till after 10PM. We stripped off the thick sweater, two shirts, and two sets of split pants that were making her a sweatball. She was in definite need of a bath, but we were all exhausted, so we fed her and put her down to sleep. Thankfully she slept well her first night, only woke once to cry for about 30 seconds. She's very smart and alert little girl. She doesn't want to miss a thing.
We and the three other couples traveling to Lanzhou with us made things official today. We signed all the papers, so now she's officially ours. PTL!
After 15 hours of flying in very cramped quarters, we've made it here to Guangzhou. China Southern Airlines is definitely not generous with their leg space! Our knees were touching the seats in front of us the entire 15 hours! Other than that, the flight wasn't too bad. We've already enjoyed a Dim Sum
lunch, and a quick visit to the river, and a little window shopping. We're traveling with 8 other families, supposedly this is the smallest group in a long time. This will be our only kid free day, so we'll live it up while we can :). Our hotel room is more than nice here. Actually it's more like a 1 bedroom apartment with a full kitchen, dining table, living room, etc. It's the first time our agency has used this hotel and it's more than we could ask for. Too bad we'll have to leave for 5 nights to go to Lanzhou, which probably isn't as cush, but if Kari's there, it's worth the sacrifice! We get to meet her tomorrow. We'll fly out tomorrow afternoon to Lanzhou.
Micaiah, this picture is for you - our Andrew Zimmer Bizzare Food fan. We saw this crocodile at the restaurant where we ate Dim Sum. We were told he'll be made into soup or maybe stir-fry. Mmmmm....Yummmy!
Last night we completed the first leg of our trip, our time in Gansu Province in the capital city of Lanzhou. Before we arrived, we weren't sure what to expect. Though not as modern as Guangzhou (we stayed in the ONLY 5-star hotel in the whole city - which would NOT be considered a 5-star hotel in the States!), we were pleasantly surprised. The weather in Lanzhou was very comfortable - cool in the mornings, but comfortably warm in the afternoon. We enjoyed sightseeing most afternoons, visiting the Yellow River (the biggest river in China), the Lanzhou Zoo (typically Chinese, w/ sad looking animals in stark cages and a filthy panda), hiking a mountain to a pagoda, visiting the Gansu History Museum, and walking along the river parks. We also enjoyed the night market in which merchants set out all their items on the street (There were lots of socks for sale some reason!). The sense of community was enviable w/ streets filled with shoppers and walkers late into the night as well as ladies dancing in a town square - it was sort of like country line dancing, anyone could join in and get their evening exercise. The parks too during the day were always filled with people, young and old, socializing, playing Chinese chess, singing opera, and spending time together.
