Day 14: Thursday, June 9, 2005
Goodbye to China; Goodbye De & Helen....We'll Miss You
The famous red sofa picture. It took some work, but I think I have all the names......Let me know otherwise.
Our girl is not very happy.
We said good-bye to De and Helen today. It was an emotional goodbye. A lot of us had really grown to like De and Helen. They were so helpful to us. De got a little teary saying bye and thanks to everyone. He got Stephanie a really nice jade bracelet.
De had our group pictures ready for us.
From left to right by Family
Back Row: Helen; Rick & Lisa (Molly); John & Carrie (Olivia); Al & Cyndi, Stephanie (Abby); Susan & Robert (Katri); Jeff & Deb (Danielle); Julie & Brian (Jocelyn); Melanie & Mark, Kaitlin (Kylie); Grandparents; De
Front Row: Jim & Mary (Katelin); Bruce & Amy, Kaitlin, Ami (Megan); Tim & Nancy (Isabella); Steve & Tonia (Ciara); Mike & Melanie (Hannah); Eric & Deana (Mai); Conrad & Alice (Celia); Andrew & Jan (Drew)
Today we left mainland China on a bus and traveled 5 hours to Hong Kong. We had to pass through China customs then Hong Kong customs. At China customs we had to unload the entire bus - 63 large suit cases, plus 15 strollers, plus all the carry ons, plus all the babies - oh my. Not all the luggage would fit in the storage compartment, so they had to store some of it in the back seats. We were packed on, but at least it was cool.
Today was the hottest day in Guangzhou. It was sunny too.
We went to the US Consulate this morning and went through a swearing in process. Then we were granted Visas for our babies.
The Hong Kong China border is the busiest in the world. Over 160,000 people pass through every day. It looked like it also.
I had my first squatty potty experience today - I survived.
We passed through an area called the Factories of the World. There are over 15,000 factories in this area. It is very polluted. The average factory worker earns $160 US per month.
I forgot to tell you, there are pretty much no smoking regulations in China. People smoke everywhere. At least there aren't very many smokers.
We are back at the Regal Hotel. Our room is big! It was supposed to have an extra bed for Steph but it does not. When we called, they told Al that it would be $100. They suggested that we upgrade our room to a bigger size. Finally after some explaining, we got a bed and all is well.
Abby is beating on the bed. She hasn't felt well all day, but now that it is bedtime, she has come to life. Her and Steph are cracking up. Hopefully we can get some good sleep. Tomorrow is going tob be a long day.
We're almost ready to go. Abby's passport and Visa are here.
Only 14,000 miles, 17 hours of flying time, 1 hour of driving time, and some fluff time separate us from home. We can't wait.
On to Hong Kong
