Saturday, March 13, 2010

Fw: Forbidden City Excursion

Forbidden City Excursion

Photos: at the south gate of the Forbidden City
Roger and Tori with a crane in the background. It is an incense burner and the smoke comes out of it's beak.
The 3 of us at the Forbidden City

This morning we enjoyed a nice breakfast at our hotel and then we went to the Forbidden City. We learned a lot of amazing info about the Emporer's life there (24 emporers actually)It was 600 years old! We only lost Roger once. Thankfully, he found our group again.

Then we went to a silk factory and saw how silk is manufactured. Very interesting! I learned some things there.

Tori was happy to come home to the hotel as she was promised a swim in the pool. We were a little disappointed as we had to purchase swim caps...not the most flattering for me, but I told Tori that she should be a swimmer because she looked really good in it!

This evening the Chongs and us went to a local restuarant for supper. We ate for $55 (the 3 of us). Actually it converted to less than $10 Canadian. And we probably had over 1/2 of our food left. Next time Tori and I will share. We ate the meal with chop sticks, too!

In a few minutes we are leaving the hotel to go to a Kung Fu show.

We leave the hotel at 6:30 am tomorrow to go to the airport to head to Fuzhou and Violet!

Friday, March 12, 2010

Patti's March 12 evening post can be accessed by clicking the following link:

Well, we have arrived in Beijing safe and sound. We've been here less than an hour, I've already had a shower and Tori is already fast asleep. We have opted not to go out looking for food tonight. I've been up for 29 hours straight and only had about 2 hours sleep the night before. YIKES! the bed is looking inviting even though it is smaller than our queen size bed at home. (Looks like a twin even though they called it a double.)

Our flights were uneventful. Tori made out fine on the flight from F'ton to Toronto. The gravol may have helped, but it was a smooth ride.

When we landed in Toronto we had time to stop for some breakfast before our next flight left. While we were at Tim Hortons (go figure, huh...) I saw a family and wondered if it might be the other family coming to Beijing with us.

We saw them again in Vancouver and that's where we introduced ourselves to them. We didn't have seats near them on the plane. But we've had lots of time to get to know each other at the Beijing airport.

We went through customs together and then collected our baggage together. And together we searched for missing luggage. Both of us had lost our strollers that we had checked. After about 45 minutes we were able to find them. Then it was out to meet our guide, Tingting. She was beginning to get worried that we had left the airport without her!

Tingting had a shuttle for us to take us to the hotel. It was about an hour's drive. The hotel is beautiful. (But I'm too tired to explore tonight.) Tomorrow we'll meet Tingting in the hotel lobby and do a little sightseeing.

Enjoy your day everyone. I'm going to enjoy my night. Love to all.

Someday Mom

As a girl I had a common dream, to be a mom someday.

My baby would have eyes of blue and hair the hue of hay.

But now my dreams have been transformed. New visions fill my head.

Now the tresses that I long to stroke are raven black instead.

And in my dreams those eyes are not so big or blue or round.

Now in my dreams they're almond shape and colored cocoa brown.

And in my dream my arms can stretch across enormous seas.

They reach half-way around the world and hold you close to me.

As you grow in your mother's womb, carefully knit together,

Your also growing in my heart, where you will stay forever.

And in my dreams the moment that your mother says good-bye,

I'll be right there to comfort you and hold you as you cry.

Our features may not look alike; we're different as can be.

But still I know the Father has created you for me.

And though I've not yet seen your face, or held your tiny hands,

And though we're half a world apart in very different lands.

I'll be right there to get you just as soon as God allows.

But til he says the time is right I give to you this vow.

I'll pray for your protection every night on bended knee

for God will hold you in his arms, until you're home with me!