The jet lag has really not been an issue at all. I was so not looking forward to that part, and I had bought some of those "No Jet Lag" pills. I had planned on using them. I did kind of on the way there, but I slept so did not take them as much as I was suppose to. And then on the way home, I forgot to take them on the international part until we were almost to L.A. But I did take them from there till home, so maybe they helped a little bit. I was tired for the first day or two, and then was back to normal. I think it also helped that our flights (the long ones) were night time flights, so we could (or tried to) sleep. I do think that helped a great deal getting us back on the right time.
Anyway, I will try to recapture my thoughts from the beginning.
For several days before we left I was not feeling very well. The girls had been sick, and I did not know if I was now getting it, or if it was nerves. Probably nerves. I freaked out a little bit about our luggage, and was trying to keep within the weight limits of both the checked bags and the carry ons. I'm sorry but there is just no freaking way anybody could manage to have a 10 pound carry on. Just the bags were at least 6 pounds with nothing in them. Looking back I wish I had just packed them the way I wanted to. If I had only known that they did not weigh them, I would have.
On March 24th, I did not get everthing done that I had wanted to before we left. I wanted to clean the house again, and wash the sheets on our bed. I did manage to wash them, but never got to put them back on. I hated leaving with a mess for Mimi to have to deal with.
We checked Lily out of school so that she could also go with us to the airport. I did not want her to be jealous that Madilyn got to go. At 2:56 we had just sat down after checking in, and were now waiting to board our first of many flights. I had to get something to eat, I had not eaten anything all day, I was too busy, and nervous.
DH about died when I pulled out flat Stanley to take pictures. Everybody was looking, but nobody said anything.
At 4 p.m. the plane took off, and I was so relieved that we were on time, cause our layover in Atlanta was only 45 minutes, and I did not want to miss that flight.
When we got to Atlanta, we were actually early, but then they just sat there. They were waiting for a gate. By the time we got off the plane we only had about 20 minutes till our next flight. We booked it through the airport, and of course it was not in the same terminal. When we got close, they announced that it was the last call for our flight, and we just started running.
I have never flown internationally before, and the L.A. airport was quite interesting. While we were in line to check in for our China flight, we met up with another adoptive family. They were behind us in line, and I figured that they were adopting also, mainly because the four of us were the only Americans anywhere to be seen. I wanted to ask them but didn't. After a few minutes the husband asked us if we were adopting. They were in our travel group, with the same agency also. I was hoping that someone else would be on this flight with us. It was really great getting to meet people face to face that you have chatted with through the computer for so long.
We had a three hour layover here, but it went by really fast, I was starving, and had to get a cheeseburger before we got on the next plane, I did not know when or if they would be feeding us. The terminal for China Southern airlines was packed! I am so glad we went with the premium economy, it kept us from having to wait in the really long lines. The only bad thing was that the plane was on the other side of the airport, and we had to get on buses to go to the plane. We were crammed in there like on a cattle car.
I can not say enough good things about this airline. We were so impressed! As soon as we found our seats they brought us juice or water, and then a warm wash cloth, before we even took off! The seats were so nice and roomy too! For such a long flight, this was the best by far. I was so worried about being on a plane for that length of time, but it really went by quickly. I did get a good bit of sleep. Our seats leaned back pretty good, and we had a foot rest that would come up like sitting in a recliner. Only about an hour into the flight they brought us a meal. And again a couple of hours before landing they brought breakfast. I was still not feeling great, and took a Zofran. I did not want to be throwing up on an airplane!
Oh, I forgot to mention, they also gave us some slippers, earphones, and a little case with stuff in it, toothbrush, toothpast, an eye mask, and lotion.
We had pillows and blankets, and felt quite spoiled! I would highly recommend this airline to anyone! The only down side is the inflight entertainment. It was pretty much non existent. There was a personal t.v. hidden inside our armrest, but there was not much to choose from, and most of it was in Chinese. But, considering this was a red eye flight, it did not matter too much, I slept, and did not care to watch anything anyway. I did check it every once in a while, to see the map of where we were at. About an hour before landing we both took a fever reducer just in case they were still checking them upon landing.
When we landed in Guangzhou it was about 6 a.m. so the airport was not too busy. We went through customs pretty quickly, and found where we needed to be to catch our next flight. Again I am so glad that there was another family with us, we all kind of stayed together.
This is where we saw our first squatty potties! And this is where I took this photo with flat Stanley and the potty. No, I did not use it, they also had western toilets!
The flight from here to Beijing was not as lovely. For one thing, we were back in coach, and the flight was full! I do have to say though that American airline companies could learn a thing or two from the Chinese ones. This flight was just under 3 hours, and they fed us breakfast. And also, they take off right on time, every time! I did learn not to ask for a Coke. When the ladies came around with the drink cart, I saw the Coke bottle, but when I asked for a Coke, she poured me a cup with coconut milk in it. It was tasty, but not what I really wanted.
When we got to Beijing, we had to go collect our luggage, and then found our guide Grace. She had to stay at the airport to wait for other families, but she did take us to our driver. The ride was very interesting to say the least. You have never seen crazy driving until you go to China! We got to the hotel and checked in. We were both tired, and could have called it a night, but I knew if we did, then we would be up in the middle of the night, so we set the alarm clock, and took a nap. I was STILL not feeling great, but knew I needed to eat something, so we went down to a Chinese restaraunt in the hotel. THAT WAS FUN! We could not understand much they were saying, and vice versa, but we did get some nutrition. We ordered some noodles, and dumplings. It was good, but the noodles, in the broth could have used some salt, it was pretty bland. Oh, and I did learn what to ask for when I want a Coke. They call it Cola, or something that sounds like that.
After we ate, we did go back to our room, where I took a relaxing bath, and we hit the sack early.
This was the view from our room at the Poly Plaza.
Well, that is the first of my recap posts, so stay tuned for more!
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