Yesterday

It is very early in the morning and the girls are still asleep but stirring. We were hoping for a few child free moments to post a few things about the trip, but we will see how it works out. Laura Beth wanted to post last night before bed time, but Mei Mei insisted that she lay down on the bed between her and Eliana, so she didn't feel like she should refuse. Bed time and sleep has been fine every night so far.

Yesterday was a big day and the first in the routine were are going to be in for the next 2.5 weeks. We woke in the morning and got ready for a day of touring in Wu Han. LB gets the girls dressed and then I take them to the lounge for breakfast, so LB gets at least a few minutes peace in the morning to get dressed and ready for the day.

Breakfast is a little challenging, but fortunately I have Bonnie (aka Wai Po) to help coral the girls. Mei Mei has never really been to a western style restaurant and does not understand a lot of the concepts. We have to keep a close eye on her so that she does not go up to the buffet and eat directly off the bar. Yesterday's breakfast was a bit of a disaster ending in a couple of spilled drinks. This hotel mainly caters to business clients, so I can only imagine what the staff must think of us. They are very curious and ask a lot of questions, but would be entirely too polite to say if they disapproved.

After breakfast we headed downstairs to meet our guide, Shirley and headed toward the yellow crane tower. There is a great story behind the yellow crane tower. There was a poor woman who owned a bar. She was poor, but very kind. There was a man dressed in rags to entered the bar one day and ordered a drink. She knew he could not pay, but served him anyway. So, he came back for a drink every day for one year. She always served him, but he never payed for his drinks. At the end of the year he went to the woman and thanked her for her hospitality. As a gift, he drew a picture of a yellow crane on the wall of the bar. He told her that if she clapped her hands three time, it would come and dance for the customers. She tried this and the yellow crane came off the wall and danced. Her bar became very famous and she became extremely wealthy. After a year, the old man returned and asked of the crane had paid for all of his drinks. The woman said yes and he and crane ascended to the heavens.The woman built the tower to honor the man and the bird. Unfortunately the original structure was destroyed in a natural fire in the 1880s, but the reconstructed tower is extremely beautiful.

The interesting thing about site seeing in Wu Han is that, while there are things to see, it is not geared toward westerners at all. In fact, it is very rare for us to see any other westerns here at all. As a result, we get a much more authentic view of how the Chinese view their own country. Also, the gift shops charge the Chinese price (not the western price) so we were able to get a few good deals on souvenirs.

After the yellow crane tower, we went to lunch at a vegetarian restaurant at the Buddhist temple. It was great, because it was we could eat anything they served. (no pork or shellfish, just vegetables) It was one of the best meals we have had on our trip so far. So many different flavor and ways to prepare vegetables and tofu! Mei Mei was much more comfortable here and knew what to do at this family style restaurant. In fact, we were the ones with bad manners! We were given a plate and naturally ate off the plate. We noticed that all of the Chinese people at the table were eating from their bowls. After asking a few probing questions to the guide, we found out that the plate was for gristle and bones. So, we laughed and switched to our bowls.

During lunch, Laura Beth had to take Mei Mei to the bathroom. Of course two minutes later Eliana had to go. As I headed to the bathroom with Eliana, I tried to explain to her that the potty would be different from others she had seen. I explained that it would just be a hole in the floor and she thought that was silly. As soon as we got into the bathroom, she took one look at the squat pot and said "I don't have to go potty" and she held it until we got back to the hotel. She is such a girl.

After lunch we toured the Buddhist temple. It was a really spectacular site. It was founded by a monk who was famous for his kind deeds of burying the dead and caring for widows and children after a long period of war. I did not realize how polytheistic Buddhism was (at least how it is practised in China) It was a real operations temple with many statues of the Buddhist gods. We were asked not to take pictures of them and of course complied out of respect, so no pictures of this event. Sorry.

It was a little strange for me to even be in the temple. I have never been in an active polytheist holy place before and it was frankly a little uncomfortable. There were literally thousands of idols there. They were spectacular works of art. Mei Mei did not show any desire to pray there, but I have no doubt that she would know what do if instructed to pray.

We were tired and headed back to the hotel for some quiet time. Unfortunately, when we got back, LB had left the privacy sign on the door and the room had not been made up. So we trekked the girls over the grandma's room. It was a good afternoon.

In a few hours, the girls were stir crazy and we decided to venture out again.

The previous night, Ben and I ventured out to mall, just the two of us. We found a nice play place for the kids, with ladders, slides and ball pits. So, we decided to take the girls there so that they could run off some energy. It was hugely successful... FINALLY we found the playground that Mei Mei had been asking for for days. Again, we were the only westerners there and we attracted a lot of attention. There was a nice lady who was married to an American. She spoke perfect English and kept telling Laura Beth that Eliana was too cold. She gave us some nice fresh fruit out of her bag before we left. The Mandarin oranges were really great. There were a few other people who spoke English and they all sought us out, because they wanted to practice.

After the play place, we had a small dinner adventure. There was a food court, but there were some weird rules about getting a card and not paying cash. We decided that would be to complicated to figure out, so we went to the sit down restaurant next store. Turns out it was a Korean restaurant and there was no picture menu for westerners. No one except me liked the Korean tea. We had no idea what to order and no one spoke any English. I looked at a few things on the menu and picked something for the family. Turns out we got something akin to Bi Bim Bop, which is one of my favorite Korean dishes. There were also vegetables and beef served with it. The dinner was very good and we were relieved, because we were not sure what we were going to get after we ordered. We were close to melt down point before the food arrive, but all felt better with a full stomach. At that point, we were confident enough to order dessert. Another table had a good looking fruit salad and we ordered that.

We were on our way back to the hotel. After we got back we went to the lounge for something to drink. Mei Mei took a 7up, Ben some Pepsi, Eliana preferred apple juice, I had sparkling water, and LB had a glass of wine. With a big smile on her face, Mei Mei picked up her glass and clinked mine and said in a very loud voice "Gambei!" which is something like cheers or l'chiam in Chinese. There were a couple of Australians having a drink in the lounge who thought that was very funny.

After that bed time and all was good.

In the comments, I noticed that a couple of people have asked about how Ben and Eliana were doing. I have to say that all things considered they are being angels. Eliana is developing a relationship with Mei Mei and they play together sometimes. Mei Mei is used to taking care of a younger foster brother and tries to mother Eliana, but Eliana won't have any of that. Eliana is her usual bundle of enthusiasm about most things. At the Yellow crane tower she insisted in taking the stairs and not the elevator. She took every step up five flights and would not let Ben and I help. She has been a good eater and remarkable understanding about sharing mama. That said, she is still assertive about her needs (always has been) and is doing well. Yesterday, she turned to Laura Beth in the car and asked if we can keep Mei Mei. Very cute!

As far as Ben goes, I am amazed by him on this trip. Somewhere along the line he has turned into a man. He has exhibited, judgement, foresight and initiative. He intuitively understands what he can do to help and does it without being asked. He has been really great. He enjoyed our outing the other night and is contemplating buying some knockoff toys in the mall. He has taken pictures of all of the ultra man stuff he sees. We are truly blessed as a family and foresee great things as a family of five.

Sorry this has been such a long post. Thanks for following along.

Adam