Aug. 14

I went to bed with a splitting headache. I slept well, but I still have the headache. So I will write what I can.

We went down to breakfast around 7:45 a.m. I'm not sure how we were able to go down so early on a morning when I slept in until 5:30 a.m.

We had our usual foods. Scarlett doesn't like oatmeal by itself, but if it is mixed with yogurt and congee, she eats it without complaint. Sienna again fixated on her two new favorite breakfast foods: baked beans (popular in England, especially if served on toast) and scrambled eggs.

After breakfast, I tried to call Brian, but his cell phone line was busy. I tried again and it still was busy. I called his mother and her line was busy, so I knew the boys were awake. I called my mother and spoke to her briefly because we were in a hurry. I tried to reach Brian again and got his voice mail. I left a message stating that we would be at their hotel between 9:20 and 9:30 a.m. As soon as I left the message I tried him again, but his voice mail picked up.

Just then our guide for the day, Daniel, knocked on our door. Peter told him we would need five more minutes. We scrambled to get ready. All of the other adoptive families in our group were going on a bus to the Guangzhou Zoo. However, the six of us were slated to go to White Cloud Mountain. We would have been happy with the zoo, but no one gave us the option. (The travel agent simply selected our activities.) Going on our own worked out, though, because it meant that our van could go and pick up Mark and Brian at their hotel. They stayed at "A China Hotel, A Marriott Hotel." It is 12 minutes away by cab ($2). They said that since they requested a non-smoking room they were upgraded to a "deluxe room" that was quite spacious.

We got to their hotel and they weren't in the lobby. Peter called their room and learned that Brian was in the shower. They hadn't gotten my message about the pick up time. I was under the impression that we had set the pick up time the night before and that my call was a wake up call for them. But apparently they hadn't understood that. It took them 30 minutes to come out to the van. Fortunately we didn't have other families waiting. The girls didn't seem to mind sitting in the van with me either. The boys ate some breakfast items I brought with me on our ride.

White Cloud Mountain wasn't very far from the city center. When we arrived, the guide purchased our tickets and we boarded aeriel trams to take us up the mountain. I was a bit nervous because the mountain is more than 8,000 high (and my body doesn't tolerate high altitudes well), but we didn't go to the extreme top. Plus 8,000 feet is a lot lower than the Andes Mountains of Peru where last summer I did have some problems with the altitude (at 14,000 feet).

There were rules posted on the aerial tram which we read on our long journey to the top. They were a bit funny to read -- particularly the rule about not riding the tram if you have "bibulosity." We honestly didn't know what the translator was trying to convey, and we laughed heartily all morning about it. (I have since Googled the term and now believe they were trying to say that you shouldn't ride the tram if you have been drinking heavily.) Our guide pointed out the tallest building in Guangzhou (near the U.S. consulate), and Peter asked him what the tallest building was in Beijing. The guide replied, "The tallest building in Beijing is in Shanghai." We found this to be funny, too! Again, we knew we shouldn't laugh because we know very little Chinese and shouldn't judge, but it still seemed humorous.

Even though there were a lot of steps to go up and down, I was glad we had the girls in their strollers. It is easier to carry a girl in a stroller up and down steps than it is to carry just a girl. And the strollers also restrain the girls from running off or getting into (most but not all forms of) mischief.

Mark and Brian have been a big help. They helped with the strollers and would entertain the girls. They help us keep an eye on the twins. We have been sticking with the red and brown colors to help them quickly distinguish between the girls from all angles.

We looked out at the city which was far below us. We weren't sure if it was really a "white cloud" that we were seeing or if "white cloud" were a euphemistic term spun by a public relations guru in lieu of "smog."

Before going down the mountain, I took Sienna to the restroom. The only available stalls had squat toilets and she refused to use them. Finally a woman emerged from the one stall with a Western toilet. Sienna was happy to use it. However, there was no sink in the restroom for us to wash our hands. Right outside the restroom there was one sink for both men and women to use, but it wasn't working! I felt so unclean.

We all rode back to the White Swan. Peter insisted on stopping to see the koi at the waterfall, but we stayed for only a moment. My hands felt so unclean that I couldn't stand it. I just hand to wash them.

So we went up to the room. By now it was time for lunch. We ate sandwiches and muffins in the room. Scarlett ate one of the big jars of turkey and rice baby food sent by her Granny. She again ate every bite -- although this jar was twice the size of the one she had the day before. Sienna's version of a sandwich is merely a slice of bread. She refuses to have anything on it.

Brian took a few moments on the computer to download a photo with all six of us so that he could put it on his MySpace page. Meanwhile, Mark and I went down to pick up our laundry and to get some water at 7-11. We noticed that they sell chicken feet in a package (similar to a beef jerky package), and you could see the actual claws and everything. I went back to the room to get ready for our next event, and Mark stayed down for 15 more minutes to see some of the other vendors' wares.

We all had to get on the bus at 2:30 p.m. so that we could go to the U.S. consulate to get the girls' visas (in their Chinese passports). Sienna always heads straight for the back of the bus since that is were we sat the first time when we came from the airport. Each bus is a little different, but they all have five seats across the back. One time a little boy from another family insisted on sitting back there with us. We had no problem with that and neither did his parents.

The girls also sat in seats with Mark and Brian. They have no problem being with their new uncle and cousin -- even if Peter and I aren't in sight. It has been helpful to have "extra hands," too. That will be particularly important as we enter into the final phase of our trip when we no longer have a guide with us.

On the way to the consulate, the twins took an interest in the Lay's Stax potato chips I had gotten at 7-11. They were lime flavored. There were hardly any chips in the tall canister. Sienna liked to play with them and eat one every now and then. Scarlett like the can itself. She also accepted quite a few bites of the chips. Even though chips are "junk food," I was pleased that she would BITE into something so dry. All of the other foods she has accepted have been soft and watery and require minimal chewing. So this seemed like progress.

There were many adoptive families going to the U.S. consulate at the same time. It was an excellent opportunity for photos -- except that cameras aren't allowed in the building. I would estimate that there were about 40 adoptive families there (which amounted to about 100 people). The parents had to stand and take an oath that affirmed that all of the information provided to complete the documents was "true to the best of our abilities and beliefs."

We were given some additional paperwork as well. We will need to come through the Non-U.S. Citizens line when we land in Hononlulu. (We change planes in Guam, but we won't go through U.S. Customs until we get to Hawaii.) We will present the paperwork and the girls' Chinese passports. Once their passports are stamped, they will officially become U.S. citizens. It will take 45 days to get the paperwork in the mail though. If we want to get them U.S. passports (to travel to England), we learned that we can take their stamped passports to a passport agency in the States and request an expedited passport. It was cost about $300 each which is perhaps three times the normal price.

After we left the consulate, some of the people in our group boarded a van that took them to the airport to fly back to the U.S. The rest of us got on our regular bus and went back to the White Swan for one more night before going our separate ways. Some people are going to fly home from Guangzhou and some will spend time in Hong Kong and fly out from there. (We are heading to Shenzhen and Hong Kong and will fly out of Hong Kong in three days.)

When we got back to the room, Peter made some tea and the rest of us had some sort of snack. We had been planning to take turns riding the bike, but the weather was now very windy and somewhat rainy.

Eventually the five of us (all but Peter) went down to the gift shop/laundry to see Stella. We were able to get squeaky shoes for the girls in the same color and style. However, the shoes are too small for Sienna already. But the sandals cost only $3 a pair, and she didn't seem to mind the fit. She can just wear them as a demonstration for everyone who has never seen or heard squeaky shoes. At first Scarlett's shoes didn't squeak when she walked, but she quickly figured out how to do it. After a while, the squeaking becomes annoying. I think that is why the shoes only come in small sizes (because smaller children walk less than older ones, so there is less squeaking to deal with). Brian and Mark selected a few items, too.

The boys took the girls over to a video store while I went up to the room to get Peter for dinner. We still wanted to get the food "to go," but he wanted to come along. We went to Lucy's which had a Westernized menu. We ordered basil and cheese pasta, mashed potatoes and broccoli. Mark and Brian both ordered cheeseburgers and fries.

Sienna was misbehaving in the restaurant and refused to sit in her stroller, so Peter and I took the girls back to the room after we ordered. Mark and Brian went to 7-11 to get drinks (Mark got Coke and Brian got mint-flavored Sprite which another customer in the store told him is unique to China). Then they brought the food to our room (in POURING rain).

Meanwhile, Peter had made a big pot of instant noodles for the girls. They were hungry and couldn't wait. When the food arrived, I cut the broccoli in pieces and mixed it in with the mashed potatoes, and Scarlett loved it! They had had their fill of noodles, so Peter and I got to enjoy them ourselves. Mark and Brian said their hamburger meat was different than in the States, but they gave it high marks. Brian said the mint-flavored Sprite was unusual. He drank the whole bottle, but he said he prefers regular Sprite. (I wonder which flavor the Buddha prefers as an offering?)

After dinner, Mark and Brian went downstairs to get a cab. I hope they didn't have a long wait like they did last time. They said there was a big line of people waiting for taxis the previous night and not many cabs were coming in. Since the weather was again rainy, it seemed likely that it might take a while to get a ride.

Peter gave the girls a bath while I laid on the bed with a splitting headache. I helped dry off the girls and put them into their pajamas. They cuddled with me in my bed as the three of us fell asleep. Peter then put the girls in their respective cribs. Sienna seems like she would like to have her own "big girl" bed, while Scarlett will probably need a crib at home -- at least to begin with.

It's almost time to get the girls up, but first I will have a bath. Thank goodness my headache is nearly gone as today will be a big day with a lot of packing and logistics to worry about.