Leaving Xi’an and Entering the Last Leg

It’s 7:10 AM right now on Saturday morning our time. We are preparing for an interesting today taking Lydia along with oodles of other Chinese adopted children to the medical clinic to be given the okay to enter the U.S. We didn’t get into our room in Guangzhou until very late and couldn’t get the internet to work. So, this had to wait until this morning.

Since we missed a day of touring due to the terracotta warriors’ revenge we suffered from on Wednesday, we decided to fit in visiting the famous site yesterday on our travel day which made for a busy day. We checked out of our hotel early and then drove the 45 minutes to see this amazing attraction. Thousands of terracotta warriors were found here in the 1970s by a farmer (apparently there were 2 very, very human looking ones–see the pictures?) He reported the find to the government who took over the area, recognizing that it was something special. The farmer, as compensation, was given a job at the museum. He just sits there and signs his name in tourist books all day everyday. Each warrior was made uniquely to represent different members of the imperial army and were set up near the emperor’s tomb to protect it from attack after he was buried. Very odd to consider. But, the emperor started building them when he was only 13 years old. So, guess he just didn’t know better??? Jason–you’d be proud of Mark. He told me he’d give me 100 yuan if I jumped the wall and got up on one of the terracotta horses and pretended to ride it. Can you imagine my facial expression back? I think I’d be getting myself a quick ticket out of China if I took him up on it. We also visited a lacquer furniture workshop and shop where they create new terracotta warriors and learned how they make them. They actually fire them in cave like areas under ground using coal. We got some prizes there for our kids (cannot say what they are since they read these posts, but can you guess?) and had one last really good lunch in Xi’an. We have decided that we are terrible at ordering. Every meal we ordered ourselves pretty much stunk. The meals that guides ordered for us have been amazing. So, we quit. If we have to eat out again with no guide, I may very well go to a neighboring table and just ask some random Chinese person to order for us.

We then headed to the airport to head to Guangzhou for the last leg of our trip. Nearly at the same time, my parents are heading home and handing the baton off to Mark’s mom at home. I thought about them a lot as we were leaving. My mom has sent us daily emails summing up their days which have been good to read, and we’ve been skyping them at least once a day. That’s so fun to do–Ashlyn especially is so excited about Lydia and wants us to just set the computer up so that she can just watch whatever she’s doing. Evan’s been a real trooper despite his broken foot, a tooth falling out, and now an ear infection. And, Drew, well, he’s more interested in playing wii than talking to us. Sounds like he’s been a real handful. And, they have been spoiled to death. As one of my mom’s emails read, “Can a body get too many chicken nuggets?” The kids may not want us to come home!

We were quite the attraction at the airport especially because our flight was delayed 2 hours so were there a very long time. Every one was oogling at Lydia. I am shocked how Chinese people will come up to us and just put their arms up asking to hold her. It’s always this uncomfortable situation as we just sort of turn away, and they are standing their disappointed. And, they just keep speaking to me in Chinese about her. I don’t know what they were saying except that I am sure it had to do with her not being dressed warm enough and that she shouldn’t suck on her fingers. Those are pretty much the things we hear most often…in addition to how cute she is, of course. I was so tired from our day that I used the men’s room—yup, I did. As if the women’s rooms aren’t scary enough, I went right into the men’s room at the airport. Didn’t realize it until I came out and noticed our “audience” giggling while covering their mouths. Nice.

She was a champ on the 2 hour flight to Guangzhou—hope she is still a champ on that LONG flight home. We didn’t get into Guangzhou until late, but I gotta say I was pretty darn happy when we drove around to the White Swan. It was all dark except for pretty lights on the water and the colorful lights on the ferry boats. Having spent a week in a busy city and a long day traveling, I felt like we just entered the Disney World of China. And, entering the hotel confirmed that (if you disregard the lovely Chinese karaoke rendition of “Wonderful Tonight” as we came in). The waterfall and koi pond and marble, etc. is just gorgeous. Plus, everyone here pretty much are adoptive families. I’m really looking forward to reuniting with our travel group today and meeting their little girls.