Our Trip to Ella Revisited

Recently I have had several conversations and inquiries about my first blog.  It was our trip to China to get our daughter Ella.  It was a wonderful time and my first introduction to “blogging”.  It proved to be a great way to keep in touch with family & friends and feel a bit connected to home with [...]

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Ella has Landed

We made it home. And get this.. they actually let us bring Ella! It is a mind bender that she is actually here. She is beautiful, smart and a pure joy.
The plane ride home was uneventful, just long. We are still recovering from a bit of jet lag. Which is working out just fine as [...]

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So Long White Swan

12/12/06 6:30PM Here at the White Swan Hotel it is like staying in a stateside resort. Big buffet breakfast, pools, overpriced restaurants & shops… feels like a vacation resort. I can’t wait to leave. And we are doing just that tomorrow morning. We are going to pack up and head to the airport at 7:00AM.
In [...]

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A Glimpse of Guangzhou

This city is huge. Last night we took a river cruise down the Pearl River, which splits Guangzhou in half. The high rises and hotels seem to go on forever. You could easily fit 20 Seattle Metro areas into this one city. It’s also completely different how the government treats it. All the buildings are [...]

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Final Countdown

12/12/06 7:30 AM Well this is it. Final full day in China and I don’t think everyone could be happier. We have had a wonderful time but two weeks is plenty; all sharing small spaces and small beds, thinking about what you’re eating all the time and just missing friends & family.
Today we will go [...]

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She’s Back! Party of Five Please.

We are now a family traveling as five. Confucius say ‘when sick in China see Chinese doctor’. Deb saw a local doctor and got some meds and is now on her feet. Glad to see her smile again and glad to have help with diaper duty:)
Today we saw two temples and they were beautiful. I [...]

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A Night of Noodles & Nothing More

12/9/06 7:20 PM Ella had a fairly traumatic time with doctors poking and prodding, measuring listening and looking here and there. She cried a lot and did not like the doctors at all. I must say it was kind of frightening. With all the doctors wearing these big white facemasks and talking a million miles [...]

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Hello Guangzhou – Yet Another Side of China

12/9/06 1:30 PM Well we made it to China’s third largest city, 10 million people. And it is a major change. Roads & sidewalks are put together and fully functional. Big beautiful buildings, neon lights and nightclubs all lighting the river at night. Some sections look like Vegas on a river. I have not had [...]

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Snapshot of Nanning

12/8/06 Nanning is a very large city. It also has the largest amount of scooters per capita for all of China. Everywhere you go people are zipping around on all types of scooters and small motorcycles. Crossing the street is a real challenge there are very few streetlights and virtually no crossing signs. You just [...]

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Leaving Nanning

12/8/06 11:50 AM Today we leave Nanning. We will board a plane for Guangzhou, the location of the American Consulate. We will have to visit a few doctors and then finish our stay in China at the consulate. I am ready to leave Nanning and anxious to see how this short flight goes with Ella.

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