In Taiyuan

We just arrived in our hotel like 5 minutes ago...and they have a computer and free internet in your room! Beijing was awesome to say the least, but as awesome as it was, I am absolutely enthralled by Taiyuan. Everything seems so real, and all too beautiful. Maybe that's just because this is Reese's world, but I think it is gorgeous.

Our converters didn't have a converter for a 3 prong laptop plug so I can't post pictures until we get me a converter that does. So all there is for now is words. The Forbidden City was beautiful, particularly the gardens that were for the concubines. But The Great Wall was awe inspiring. Unlike many adoptive families, we went to Juyongguan, I think it was (something like that) instead of Badaling. It was beautiful. We went up the less difficult side (there was less difficult and more difficult-no easy) and made it to the first tower. I had to literally climb parts because I'm 5' 1" and many of the steps went up past my knees. :) I got a plaque fpr 40 yuan (about $5) that says I climbed the wall, engraved with my name and the date. And at the friendship store/restaurant that we stopped at on the way, we went through a cloisonne factory, so I felt obligated to buy some from the factory we went through, just for the sake of it. I bought 3 little charms for 20 yuan (a little over $2) a piece. I got a blue monkey for Reese, a black and blue horse for me, and gorgeous little blue cat. About an inch tall, maybe smaller.

Our flights were fairly uneventful. Our flight from Little Rock to Minneapolis had no AC...so the time on the ground when there was no air flow was horrible. I was turning pink. Once we were in the air, and the air started moving from that, I was freezing. It was a 2-aisle-2 plane But I was asleep so, oh well. I slept off and on on the flight from MSP to Tokyo on a 747.Everything was very comfortable and we got like 3 good feedings. First, I had chicken sukiyaki with rice, then I got fried rice for "breakfast" (it was 1 or 2 am in Arkansas), and they gave us ham and cheese mini-subs...and PRETZELS! LOL. We landed in Tokyo and pretty much ran from our landing terminal to the terminal for our flight to Beijing. They were already boarding when we got there. The plane from Tokyo to Beijing was on a plane that was 2-4-2. It was VERY quiet. Asians apparently don't speak on flights or something. We got to our hotel and I passed out quite promptly.

Last night we went out with the Moates (the family that will be with us in Beijing and Guangzhou) at Subway. Yummy. Then we had Baskin-Robbins, once again, yummy. We flew to Taiyuan today. 3-aisle-3 plane. Chinese airlines are much more generous witht their food. We got a small bottle of water (12 oz. or so) each and a whole row of grain cookies, which are pretty good.

Anyway, that's all for now. I'll post again later, hopefully with pictures. :)