Catch-up post

Sorry for the lack of posts up to this point. We were not able to access our blog, as it appeared to be blocked by our host nation - 10% of all websites are apparently. We're posting from Hong Kong, where we were able to get on, however slowly. We will be returning to mainland China in two days, at which point we may struggle again. We will try to keep connected. Thanks for your patience.

September 2-3: So we survived our 13 hour flight from Chicago to Beijing without too much difficulty. Though I am already dreading the prospect of the return flight with an infant in our laps the whole time. Although we left around noon on Sunday, and arrived a bit after 2:00 p.m. on Monday, it was never dark. Of course, this was because we were chasing the sun on a Westward journey, and we were flying near the North Pole in summer. We did our best to catch some naps, but are far from rested. Ethan took it like a champ, starting with the Cedar Rapids departure and cartwheels at O’Hare. Ethan slept the last 3 hours or so, and was fine until the cab ride to the hotel, which made him nauseous. We are grateful for the easy-to-clean marble floor in the lobby of the hotel, and the responsive maintenance staff. We’ll be exploring the laundry services at the hotel. Hopefully we’ll get out tomorrow, when we’re all feeling a little better, and see the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square. Here’s to a quick adjustment to the 13 hour time difference.

September 4: We all woke up around 3-4 a.m. and hung out until the hotel restaurant opened for breakfast at 6. Never before have we had such a spread for breakfast. In a beautiful setting, and with spectacular presentation, foods from both Western and Eastern cultures were laid out in a culinary bonanza. Exotic bird hard-boiled eggs, prosciutto, sushi, and other Asian fare challenged excellent examples of more American offerings. We then made course for the Great Wall of China.
We headed to the Mutianyu section of the wall, about an hour and a half’s drive from Beijing. We took a cable car up to the wall, and headed out to hike up to the end of the public section, about 2 km from the cable car. It was everything we thought it would be. The impressive achievement of the wall construction was complimented by the beautiful mountainous setting serving as the backdrop. Ethan, as usual, chatted up several fellow visitors, including several from England. He told them to stop by and see him next time they were in Iowa. By their chuckling reactions, it appeared Iowa City was not next on their list of must-see destinations. They thanked Ethan for the offer none-the-less.

The steep terrain left us pooped out as we headed back to Beijing to see the Forbidden City. We stopped to buy some roadside fruit for later, and headed to the entrance. Basically, it was designed as a place for the Chinese emperor to live and govern without the burdens of ever having to leave. It was the better part of a mile North to South, and nearly as wide. Unfortunately, several of the more notable buildings were undergoing renovation, and were covered in scaffolding. I got a kick out of the names for the various gates and buildings, such as the Pavilion of Spreading Righteousness, Hall of Mental Cultivation, Palace of Gathered Elegance, and the Gate of Loyal Obedience.

After the Forbidden City we headed back to the hotel to rest and wash up before heading out to dinner for the famous roasted Peking Duck. They bring it out and carve it for you on a mobile cart before serving it up with all the fixin’s. The fixin’s included thin potato pancakes (in which to wrap the duck like a duck burrito), sliced jalapeno peppers and pickles, scallions, shredded lettuce, roasted chestnuts, fried cabbage, and plum sauce. The waiter, no doubt sensing we had no clue how to eat all this, approached without a word and assembled the first duck burrito for me using chopsticks and the Asian spoon. I tried once, quickly gave up, and hand -rolled them from then on. Our foreigner status was on full display – not that we needed any help in that regard. People on the streets continue to take pictures of Ethan, presumably because they’ve never seen a blond child before. Sadly for the dinner, I failed to appreciate how tired Kerri and Ethan were, and Ethan fell asleep on the table. Oh well.

September 5: Although Ethan woke up at 4 a.m., we made him stay in bed until 5, before enjoying another exquisite breakfast, and hitting the road for the airport. We made it, barely, walking directly onto the plane when we reached the gate. We flew to Hong Kong, and took a taxi to our hotel in the Shatin area. While Beijing was almost completely flat in topography, Hong Kong is a port city surrounded by mountains. Skyscrapers jut out next to steep inclines in the terrain. Like Beijing, there is a pronounced mix of elegant and impressive structures with apartment buildings looking rather dire. We napped and then took in dinner at a ramen noodle restaurant at a nearby mall. The fare compared quite favorably to the bowls I put together for myself in law school. We’ll see what we can of Hong Kong tomorrow, ahead of joining the adoption group on Friday.

September 6: Dad’s day. Eric got measured for suits and shirts at the world famous Sam’s Tailor shop on Nathan Road around 1:30 p.m.. About 4 hours later, we were back for the first fitting, which included the rough cut of one suit, and a fully complete dress shirt. 4 hours - amazing. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the camera, so I have no pictures to post for now, but we’ll be here for another couple of days, before returning on the 20th, so shots will follow. We wore out Ethan playing tag in a playground overlooking the harbor, and enjoyed Chinese baked goods from a bakery just off Nathan Road. There is a lot of construction going on here, and we noticed that all the scaffolding, including the planks, are made entirely out of bamboo. 35 floors up – they’re standing on 4 planks of bamboo, held up off the ground entirely by…bamboo. And wire. I have a new respect for grassy woods. And Hong Kongese construction workers.