handsful

Donna and I thought it would be fun to take a “walk back through China” with some pictures of signs, etc, that we saw while traveling to get Lainey.

This was in a fortune cookie D opened right before out trip. The numbers were no help at all.

See our plane flying into Beijing? We both got addicted to that “flight info” screen . . . amazing what passes for entertainment after sitting in the same chair for ~ 14 hours.

The official Olympic countdown clock near the Forbidden City.

Who knew you could actually “rest” in a restroom? As indicated below, this was one ritzy place . . . 4 stars.

One of our favorite tours in Beijing was when we visited the couple living in the Nanguanfang Hutong.

I left my speaking cellphone on the bus . . . climbing up the Great Wall left me too out of breath to talk on it, anyway. And I wasn’t sure if the following was a warning or a guy I was supposed to be looking out for.

The path going up the Great Wall went directly past this sign. It seemed a bit dicey to ignore such a straightforward statement in China . . . but I saw other people doing it, and I had climbed too many stairs to quit there.

Things at the tombs were nice and tidy.

My interpretation of this sign in the airport on the way to Hefei? “I will not ride in the crowded elevator, I’ll take the stairs instead.” Personal space is tough to come by in a city of 15 million.

This was the sign outside the room(s) where we officially received Lainey and swore to the Chinese government that we would take care of her, never abandon her, and treat her like she was our own.

We saw this on the back of several buses in Hefei – “Redhouse Hospital for Feminety” . . . this really tickled my wife.

Very important sign in our hotel bathroom (“TAP WATER NOT POTABLE”), and one that we both got very tired of seeing. You can’t imagine how much you miss little things like being able to thoroughly rinse off your toothbrush or open your mouth in the shower.

After my basketball exploits outside of the market, Donna thought this sign inside was quite appropriate for me. The following was also inside the market, and, well . . . no comment. (he does look happy, tho, doesn’t he?)

Haven’t we all known a few of these?

I have NO IDEA what this billboard on the way to Bengbu was advertising. I’m o.k. with that. After a long ride in a rikity van with a little girl who was tired of riding, the following sign was a welcome sight.

At the clinic in Guangzhou, Lainey gets a clean bill of health. Later, at the zoo, we saw a sign for what must have been some pretty impressive goldfish. It’s odd that they put goldfish and pekinese dogs in the zoo, then serve poisonous snakes and scorpions in the markets.

Ah….Lucy’s. Where all the American’s gave our new Chinese children a taste of hamburgers and french fries. This place got more crowded each night, and by the last night in China our entire group wound up there.

And just like that (and by that I mean 3 planes and 36 hours later), we were home with our new daughter. While we were there, Donna and I talked about how long the trip seemed and about how anxious we were to get back. Now, not even a month later, the whole trip seems so much shorter and longer ago. Well, everything except for the actual trip back. We truly loved our time in China, from seeing the sights to enjoying the wonderful people there, and are looking forward to returning with the entire family.

Thanks again for sharing the journey with us and please keep checking out the website . . . Donna is always posting something.