We left the hotel this morning at 8:30am and did not return until 7:30pm. There are seven families in our group and we all met this morning for our hotel's breakfast buffet. George, our guide, had a very full day in store for us. Our first stop was the Jade Factory. We saw the workmanship of the jade carvers and got to do some shopping. I bought a jade pendant for Lily, as well as some gifts. Next, we headed for the Great Wall. It was beautiful, inspiring and amazing. Mike and I hiked up for a good 45 minutes. The lower sections were very crowded and I honestly think coming down was harder on my knees then going up! We took so many photos. We left the Great Wall around 1pm and went to lunch. George ordered a delicious feast for our group; soup, dumplings, crispy chicken, beef and vegtables, fish and fried rice. After lunch, we drove to Olympic Village, where the 2008 Beijing Olympics were held. It was fun to see all of the buildings that we had come to know while watching the games on tv. The Birds Nest and the Water Cube were quite a sight. The entire area was so well maintained and the crowds were huge. We left there and headed back into the city for a Chinese Acrobat show. The preformers were very talented and there was a lively audience.
Tomorrow is another travel day, so we must get organized and packed. Our bags have to be in the lobby by 7:10am and we will leave for the airport at 8:00am. We are headed to Zhengzhou City, Henan Provence. All of the babies in our group are from Henan, but different orphanages. At some point this afternoon, we all realized that we will be meeting our babies in less then 48 hours....there is definitely excitement in the air!
Hopefully, we will be able to sleep past 3am. While talking at breakfast this morning, it seems like everyone is waking up at 3am. My internal clock thinks that is when it is time to start the day. Here are a few photos from today - they are taking forever to download tonight, so I will just post a few for now. Internet service has been great so far, so hopefully it will continue to work well in Henan. I will try to post a quick update tomorrow, once we arrive in our new hotel. Mike and I cannot stop thinking about Lily. We kept looking at eachother all day, not needing any words to describe our emotions. I have that feeling like I am holding my breath. We are less then 48 hours from meeting our daughter!
Love to my boys...your mei mei is almost here!
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