It has been quite an eventful few weeks since our last post. We received our Travel Authorization (TA), then waited anxiously for almost two full weeks before we received word of our Consulate Appointment (CA). It was when this date was established (12/19) that we had a firm date of when we had to be in China (12/11).
So next came the exhausting, mind-numbing, excruciating experience of trying to find good tickets for good prices to China with about two weeks of notice. We had a myriad of choices... do we fly out of Gainesville or Jacksonville... do we fly into Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, or Kunming... at what stage in our travel do we give control over to CWTS (the in-country adoption travel agency)... do we fly home from Guangzhou or Hong Kong... do we leave on 12/7, 12/8, 12/9, or 12/10... do we come back on 12/20, 12/21, or 12/22?
As you can see, there was a lot to think about. After much thought and prayer, spending hours on various recommended travel sites (everyone seems to have a different favorite site), and talking to multiple travel agents, we chose our dates, and purchased our tickets today! Here is our itinerary:
12/8 - Fly out of Jacksonville on a 6:15am flight and land in Beijing on 12/9 at 10:20pm (27 hours 55 minutes total travel time with stops in Atlanta and Seattle). We will stay in a hotel in Beijing.
12/10 - Tour the Great Wall of China outside of Beijing.
12/11 - Tour the Forbidden City. Fly to Kunming in the afternoon.
12/12 - GOTCHA DAY!!!! This is the day that we meet Li Rose for the first time, and she is ours forever!
12/13 - Fill out paperwork (this is where Li Rose is officially ours according to China), maybe do some shopping.
12/14 - More sightseeing and shopping. Scheduled tours of Green Lake and Grand View Tower.
12/15 - Still more sightseeing and shopping. Scheduled tours of Golden Palace and East and West Temple Tower.
12/16 - Li Rose is issued her Chinese passport. We fly out to Guangzhou.
12/17 - Medical appointment for Li Rose. Local shopping and sightseeing.
12/18 - More shopping and sightseeing. Scheduled tour of Yuntai Garden or Zhongshan. We are contemplating going down to see the foster home that is caring for Asa (see our previous blog post). This home is about a hour and a half drive south of Guangzhou.
12/19 - Appointment at the US Consulate where Li Rose is sworn in as an American Citizen (this is where Li Rose is ours according to the US).
12/20 - Pick up Li Rose's visa in her Chinese passport.
12/21 - Fly out of Guangzhou at 9:00am and arrive in Jacksonville at 10:08pm (26 hours 8 minutes total travel time with stops in Shanghai and Atlanta).
So that is our trip. We are very blessed to get to do some touring that will help us to know and understand Li Rose's culture. We are also thankful for friends who will be house and cat sitting for us while we are gone.
We are very excited about it and cannot wait to hold Li Rose in our arms. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we are in China.
