We visited the Chinese embassy in London three times in our attempts to get visas for the trip. The first vist we were sure we had everything but the complex nature of detailing the paper trail from adopting a Chinese child to her becoming a US citizen and then receiving British citizenship could not easily be shown. We not only had to produce our current passports but our previous passports with the previous visas, our daughters previous passports and her original Chinese passport. The adoption paperwork, originals and copies were needed and we fell down because some of the paperwork was not A4, it was an American size. This coupled with the adoption certificate not being an original and our itinerary not being fully evidenced tipped us over into having to make another journey.
Remember, cross the Ts and dot the Is.
I must say the man doing the checking was befuddled with the scope of paperwork in front of him and I have every sympathy. I asked his name and was unusually patient and pleasant as he bound up our paperwork. My sympathy grew as the next person he dealt with was a very loud and very angry Australian man pointing at pieces of paper and protesting at the rigorous process he was being forced to follow. We trudged off out into London crest-fallen but wiser for the experience.
I returned alone a week later and asked for Eric by name, and a little 'yes sir, no sir' went a long way. Our correctly sized paperwork, original documentation and a very detailed itinerary, did the trick and he smiled and stamped each and every document, bundled them up and gave me three receipts.
He then explained the current regulations, in full, and why my wife's visa duration was significantly shorter. he then outlined the costs in detail and the proceedure for collection. I smiled and nodded in a way I hoped indicated I understood his every word, in reality I just kept hearing 'your visas will now be processed'. Oddly there were different Australians applying for visas on this occasion, and they too were shouting and frustratedly forcing paperwork through tiny windows in a vain attempt to sway the decision making process. I am pretty sure it did not work for them either.
Another week later and the best part of £500 spent we collected our passports and visas and believed ourselves clever for having endured the experience. All in all we were exhausted and this was only the beginning, but it was however a good lesson in patience and how to apply for official Chinese documentation.
我们去了中国驻伦敦大使馆三次，我们试图获得这次旅行的签证。第一次办理过程中我们都确信我们准备好了所有数据，但不是容易显示详细说明文件线索，从收养中国孩子到她成为美国公民，然后取得英国公民身份的复杂性。我们不仅要拿出我们现有的护照，而且还要拿出我们以前的护照和以前的签证，我们的女儿以前的护照和她原来的中国护照。收养的文件，原本和副本都需要，我们栽了，因为一些文件不是A4，而是美国文件的大小。这加上收养证书不是一个原版，我们的行程没有被充分证明，也使我们不得不进行另一个旅程。
我们必须确定每个细节我们都注意到了
我必须说，做检查的人与他面前的文件的范围混淆了，我有同感。当他绑定我们的文件时，我问了他的名字，并且异常耐心和愉快。我逐渐同情他，因为他处理的下一个人，是一个说话非常大声且非常愤怒的澳大利亚人，他指着纸张并在严格的过程中抗议他被迫遵循。我们闯入了伦敦的山峰，但是对于这种经历更为聪明。
我一个星期后独自回来，并用Eric的名字问他大有帮助，有一点'是的,先生，没有,先生'。我们正确大小的文件，原始文件和一个非常详细的行程，获得成功，他微笑和再每一个文件盖了章，捆绑起来，给了我三份收据。
然后，他解释了全部当前的规定，为什么我的妻子的签证时间明显短了些。 他然后概述了详细的成本和收集的程序。 我微笑着点点头，希望表示我明白他的每一个字，实际上我只是不断听到“你的签证将被处理”。奇怪的是，有不同的澳大利亚人在这个时候申请签证，他们也大喊和沮丧地将文件推进通过微小的窗户，试图摆脱决策过程。 我很确定它对他们也不起作用。
另一个星期后，最好的部分是花了500英镑来收集我们的护照和签证，并相信我们能够体验这些经验。总而言之，我们精疲力尽，这只是开始，但它是一个很好的教训，耐心和如何申请官方中文文件。
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Day 15 was the 30th December 2016
Day 15 was the 30th December 2016 and it was our last day, but our flight was a night flight so we had one last full day before we flew back to England.
We planned a slow morning to pack and get ourselves together for a long day and night. We filled one suitcase with clothes and one with souvenirs, then forced our remaining clothes and shoes into the third case which we took to a local charity shop. They looked a bit confused but once we had explained we did not want any money they took it gladly.
We checked out and put our luggage into the hotel store and set off to Victoria peak. It was not a holiday but the queues were still staggeringly long, so we opted for a taxi, that took us straight up and cost significantly less than the tram. The weather was not clear but the views were still good and we again avoided the throng of people by using the free look-outs rather than the paid ones. We walked up to the Governor's house and around the grounds and out came the sun and I did some yoga and our daughter some handstands on a remote view point.
It began to feel like the last day and our energy levels began to wane, so we took our last taxi down to the tram office and then walked through the botanical gardens and zoo as the light faded. We watched the monkeys tucking in for the night and the local feral cats coming out for their evening prowl.
In hindsight I wish we had gone down to the harbour to see the lights but the truth was I was glad to see the airport and to sit and wait patiently for the flight home.
We cashed in our Octopus cards and brought sweets with the money and I pooled the remainder of my wife's money and mine to buy a garish orange watch. This last purchase was a nod to my one previous visit to this airport ten years ago. Then with my son in tow I brought a garish orange watch and we ate at Popeye's, now ten years later, with my daughter in tow, we did exactly the same.
In some ways this trip had been as much of an exploration for me as it had for our daughter. Here she 'fitted in' in a way I had never seen her fit in before, she was at home amongst her own people. Her westernisation was inevitable but her roots would always be in the East.
My journal was written and I sat on the plane as it roared through the night sky. I could make rash comments about seeking new horizons and expanding my worldly view, the truth of the matter is our son, dogs and bed were all we craved and in a matter of hours we would be home.
我们计划花漫长的早晨进行打包，让我们一起度过漫长的白天和黑夜。我们装满衣服在一个手提箱和另外一个手提箱装满纪念品，然后把剩下的衣服和鞋子放入第三个手提箱，我们将它带到当地慈善商店。他们看起来有点困惑，但一经我们解释，我们不想要任何钱，他们很高兴地接下它。
我们退了房，把我们的行李寄放在酒店，出发到维多利亚山顶。今天不是假日，但排队的队伍仍然惊人的长，所以我们选择了一辆出租车，带我们直接上山顶，费用明显低于电车。天气不太晴朗，但景色仍然很好，我们宁可使用付费的瞭望台，再次避开一大群人使用免费的瞭望台。我们走到总督府和周围的广场，太阳出来后，在遥远的观景台上我做了一些瑜伽，我们的女儿做了一些倒立。
现在开始感觉像最后一天，我们的能量水平开始下降，所以我们最后一次搭出租车到电车办公室，然后走过植物园和动物园，随着阳光渐淡。我们看着猴子在夜晚睡觉，和当地的野猫在晚上出来觅食。
事后看来，我希望我们有下到海港去看灯光，但事实是我很高兴看到机场，坐下来耐心等待回家。
我们兑现了我们的八达通卡，用这些钱带了糖果，我把我妻子的钱和我的剩余部分集中起来买了一个耀眼的橙色手表。这最后一次购买是一个默契，我前一次到这个机场是十年前。然后我和我的儿子一起，买了一只耀眼的橙色手表，我们在大力水手餐厅吃晚餐，现在十年后，我和我的女儿在一起，我们做了完全一样的事。
在某些方面，这次旅行对我来说和我们女儿一样是一种探索，在这里，她以一种我以前从未见过她的方式装扮，她是以在自己家里的一种方式。她的西化是不可避免的，但她的根将永远在东方。
我坐在飞机上写我的日记，当飞机吼叫穿过夜空。我能轻率的下评论，可是我没有办法厘清关于寻求新的视野，和扩展我的世界观，因为事实是，我们的儿子，狗和床都是我们现在所渴望的，在几个小时内我们将会到家。
We planned a slow morning to pack and get ourselves together for a long day and night. We filled one suitcase with clothes and one with souvenirs, then forced our remaining clothes and shoes into the third case which we took to a local charity shop. They looked a bit confused but once we had explained we did not want any money they took it gladly.
We checked out and put our luggage into the hotel store and set off to Victoria peak. It was not a holiday but the queues were still staggeringly long, so we opted for a taxi, that took us straight up and cost significantly less than the tram. The weather was not clear but the views were still good and we again avoided the throng of people by using the free look-outs rather than the paid ones. We walked up to the Governor's house and around the grounds and out came the sun and I did some yoga and our daughter some handstands on a remote view point.
It began to feel like the last day and our energy levels began to wane, so we took our last taxi down to the tram office and then walked through the botanical gardens and zoo as the light faded. We watched the monkeys tucking in for the night and the local feral cats coming out for their evening prowl.
In hindsight I wish we had gone down to the harbour to see the lights but the truth was I was glad to see the airport and to sit and wait patiently for the flight home.
We cashed in our Octopus cards and brought sweets with the money and I pooled the remainder of my wife's money and mine to buy a garish orange watch. This last purchase was a nod to my one previous visit to this airport ten years ago. Then with my son in tow I brought a garish orange watch and we ate at Popeye's, now ten years later, with my daughter in tow, we did exactly the same.
In some ways this trip had been as much of an exploration for me as it had for our daughter. Here she 'fitted in' in a way I had never seen her fit in before, she was at home amongst her own people. Her westernisation was inevitable but her roots would always be in the East.
My journal was written and I sat on the plane as it roared through the night sky. I could make rash comments about seeking new horizons and expanding my worldly view, the truth of the matter is our son, dogs and bed were all we craved and in a matter of hours we would be home.
第15天是2016年12月30日，这是我们的最后一天，但我们的航班是一个夜航，所以在我们飞回英国前我们有最后的一整天。
我们计划花漫长的早晨进行打包，让我们一起度过漫长的白天和黑夜。我们装满衣服在一个手提箱和另外一个手提箱装满纪念品，然后把剩下的衣服和鞋子放入第三个手提箱，我们将它带到当地慈善商店。他们看起来有点困惑，但一经我们解释，我们不想要任何钱，他们很高兴地接下它。
我们退了房，把我们的行李寄放在酒店，出发到维多利亚山顶。今天不是假日，但排队的队伍仍然惊人的长，所以我们选择了一辆出租车，带我们直接上山顶，费用明显低于电车。天气不太晴朗，但景色仍然很好，我们宁可使用付费的瞭望台，再次避开一大群人使用免费的瞭望台。我们走到总督府和周围的广场，太阳出来后，在遥远的观景台上我做了一些瑜伽，我们的女儿做了一些倒立。
现在开始感觉像最后一天，我们的能量水平开始下降，所以我们最后一次搭出租车到电车办公室，然后走过植物园和动物园，随着阳光渐淡。我们看着猴子在夜晚睡觉，和当地的野猫在晚上出来觅食。
事后看来，我希望我们有下到海港去看灯光，但事实是我很高兴看到机场，坐下来耐心等待回家。
我们兑现了我们的八达通卡，用这些钱带了糖果，我把我妻子的钱和我的剩余部分集中起来买了一个耀眼的橙色手表。这最后一次购买是一个默契，我前一次到这个机场是十年前。然后我和我的儿子一起，买了一只耀眼的橙色手表，我们在大力水手餐厅吃晚餐，现在十年后，我和我的女儿在一起，我们做了完全一样的事。
在某些方面，这次旅行对我来说和我们女儿一样是一种探索，在这里，她以一种我以前从未见过她的方式装扮，她是以在自己家里的一种方式。她的西化是不可避免的，但她的根将永远在东方。
我坐在飞机上写我的日记，当飞机吼叫穿过夜空。我能轻率的下评论，可是我没有办法厘清关于寻求新的视野，和扩展我的世界观，因为事实是，我们的儿子，狗和床都是我们现在所渴望的，在几个小时内我们将会到家。
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Day 14 was the 29th December 2016
Day 14 was the 29th December 2016 and if we had not realised we were back in a more western environment today would be our crash landing.
Disney Hong Kong is best described in pictures, but if I never see 'Grizzly Gulch' again, it will be too soon.
Disney is recognisable wherever in the world you find it and Hong Kong was pretty much standard stuff, except the sweets and snacks. I had Korean squid, turkey legs and sweetcorn on a stick, no cows this time but rather hungry sparrows followed us around in a similarly menacing way. Chocolate was in short supply and the usual array of sugary treats was absent, with the exception of oddly coloured candy floss.
I did enjoy the special MTR train that took us there and, after the grand parade at the days end, back again. It was much more sedate than the rollercoaster rides and merry-go-rounds of the day.
Our daughter thought the day was great, and that was really the point, and secretly I had a great time too, with a particular favourite being the Lion King spectacular. It was meant to have been an antidote to the potential traumas of returning to the orphanage and to escape the ravages of our time in China. In reality I longed to be back in Ning Yuan and particularly among the people who had shown us such hospitality and understanding, but it seemed like a distant memory now, now we were squashed on the MTR and in the Hong Kong rush hour.
第14天是2016年12月29日，如果我们没有意识到今天我们要回到一个更西方的环境，那将会是突然的转变。
香港迪斯尼最好描述在图片，但我再也不要回到“灰熊山谷”，这真是太快。
迪斯尼在世界上任何地方都是一样的，香港除了糖果和小吃之外，其实是很标准的。 我吃韩国鱿鱼，火鸡腿和甜玉米棒，这一次没有牛，但相当饥饿的麻雀以相同险恶的方式跟在我们周围。巧克力供应不足，除了奇怪的彩色棉花糖之外，没有任何含糖的食物。
在大游行后结束这天，再次回到酒店。我的确很享受在那里的特别地铁列车，它比今天的过山车和旋转木马更平静。
我们的女儿认为这一天是美好的，这是真正的重点，不可思议地，我也过得很愉快，我特别喜爱狮子王的壮观。这是为了解决返回孤儿院和摆脱我们在中国时潜在创伤的解决方案。在现实生活中，我渴望回到宁远，特别是在这些人当中，向我们表达如此好客热情和理解，但现在看起来像一个遥远的记忆，现在我们被挤在地铁和香港的高峰时段。
Disney Hong Kong is best described in pictures, but if I never see 'Grizzly Gulch' again, it will be too soon.
Disney is recognisable wherever in the world you find it and Hong Kong was pretty much standard stuff, except the sweets and snacks. I had Korean squid, turkey legs and sweetcorn on a stick, no cows this time but rather hungry sparrows followed us around in a similarly menacing way. Chocolate was in short supply and the usual array of sugary treats was absent, with the exception of oddly coloured candy floss.
I did enjoy the special MTR train that took us there and, after the grand parade at the days end, back again. It was much more sedate than the rollercoaster rides and merry-go-rounds of the day.
Our daughter thought the day was great, and that was really the point, and secretly I had a great time too, with a particular favourite being the Lion King spectacular. It was meant to have been an antidote to the potential traumas of returning to the orphanage and to escape the ravages of our time in China. In reality I longed to be back in Ning Yuan and particularly among the people who had shown us such hospitality and understanding, but it seemed like a distant memory now, now we were squashed on the MTR and in the Hong Kong rush hour.
第14天是2016年12月29日，如果我们没有意识到今天我们要回到一个更西方的环境，那将会是突然的转变。
香港迪斯尼最好描述在图片，但我再也不要回到“灰熊山谷”，这真是太快。
迪斯尼在世界上任何地方都是一样的，香港除了糖果和小吃之外，其实是很标准的。 我吃韩国鱿鱼，火鸡腿和甜玉米棒，这一次没有牛，但相当饥饿的麻雀以相同险恶的方式跟在我们周围。巧克力供应不足，除了奇怪的彩色棉花糖之外，没有任何含糖的食物。
在大游行后结束这天，再次回到酒店。我的确很享受在那里的特别地铁列车，它比今天的过山车和旋转木马更平静。
我们的女儿认为这一天是美好的，这是真正的重点，不可思议地，我也过得很愉快，我特别喜爱狮子王的壮观。这是为了解决返回孤儿院和摆脱我们在中国时潜在创伤的解决方案。在现实生活中，我渴望回到宁远，特别是在这些人当中，向我们表达如此好客热情和理解，但现在看起来像一个遥远的记忆，现在我们被挤在地铁和香港的高峰时段。
Day 13 was the 28th December 2016
Day 13 was the 28th December 2016 and we needed an antidote to our first day in Hong Kong, so we caught the MTR out to Lantau island and caught a cable car up to see the Tian Tan Buddha, the Po Lin monastery and to walk the wisdom path.
The cable car was spectacular, but we dodged the package tour and caught the standard, non glass bottomed, car. This was again a good call as the package was expensive and would have meant we were on the conveyor belt again. It transpired the queues for the glass bottomed cars were longer and we were on our way fairly quickly. We had ginger tea at the top and with the clean fresh air we were enlivened. The grounds had free roaming cows and dogs and we interacted with the cows and watched as they stole snacks from unsuspecting passers by; all were in good condition.
We had an early vegetarian lunch at Po Lin and lit huge amounts on incense in the temple grounds. The temple itself was modern and too affluent for my tastes, I preferred the first Tin Hau temple near the hotel. We then climbed up the steep stairs to see the giant sitting Buddha and admire the views, it too was a modern manifestation but felt less 20th century.
We decended and picked up the wisdom path and walked up a steep and rather precarious path to find a large rock. It boasted a great view of the Buddha but also of the surrounding island and bay, a bay we later found on the map that appeared to be a penal colony!
Our return journey saw us stop again for ginger tea but also again to watch the sacred cows, that turned out to be spoilt bullys. They pestered, harassed and even injured a poor unsuspecting lady in their attempts to steal snacks, mainly cooked sweet corn and sweet potatoes, but generally anything that was or looked edible. Paper cups, bags and packaging disappeared and a handbag was uncerimoniously stolen, upturned and its contents investigated for edibility. They were clearly not very enlightened.
The visit was quite a highlight and one we would recommend to anyone visiting Hong Kong. The journey down, although the queue was longer to get down, was as equally spectacular and the day proved to be the required antidote.
We returned to Tin Hau and had a Thai meal before our now customary evening walk in Victoria park, we had a lot to reflect on but the naughty cows were the talk of the day!
第13天是2016年12月28日，在香港的第一天我们需要一个好点子，所以我们搭了地铁到大屿山，搭缆车去看天坛佛，宝莲寺，走心经简林。
缆车是很壮观的，但我们避开包套旅行，搭标准非玻璃底车。这又是一个好主意，因为包套是昂贵的，而且意味着我们必须再一次跟着制式行程走。同时我们也发现排玻璃底车的队伍更长，所以用走路的相对地快了一些。我们在山顶上享用了姜茶，和呼吸干净的新鲜空气，让我们活跃了起来。牧场有自由漫游的牛和狗，我们与牛互动，看着他们从毫无戒心的路人窃取小吃; 所有牛都很健康。
我们在宝林提前吃素食午餐，在寺庙的地方点燃了大量的香。 寺庙本身是现代的，对我的品味来说太过多了，我喜欢酒店附近的第一个天后寺庙。 然后，我们爬上陡峭的楼梯，看到巨大的坐佛，欣赏这里景色，它也是一个现代的表现，但感觉少于20世纪。
我们走下坡，接续心经简林，走上一条陡峭岌岌可危的路，发现一颗大石头。 它自诩可看见一个很大的佛像，还有周围的岛屿和海湾，那个海湾我们后来发现在地图上似乎是一个囚犯的流放地！
回程我们再次停下来喝生姜茶，但也再次看到神圣的牛，牠变成了被宠坏的恶霸。 牠们偷窃，骚扰，甚至伤害一个可怜的不知情的女士，他们试图窃取小吃，主要是煮熟的甜玉米和红薯，但一般是任何东西，或看起来可食用。 纸杯，袋子和包装消失了，一个手提包不经意地被偷了，被翻过，并探查里面是否有可吃的东西。 显然是他们未经开导。
这次游览是一个亮点，我们会推荐给任何来香港玩的人。旅程下来，虽然排队很长，但景色同样壮观，这一天证明是必需的解方。
我们回到天后，并吃泰国菜，我们现在习惯晚上在维多利亚公园散步，我们有很多回忆，但淘气的牛是当天的话题！
The cable car was spectacular, but we dodged the package tour and caught the standard, non glass bottomed, car. This was again a good call as the package was expensive and would have meant we were on the conveyor belt again. It transpired the queues for the glass bottomed cars were longer and we were on our way fairly quickly. We had ginger tea at the top and with the clean fresh air we were enlivened. The grounds had free roaming cows and dogs and we interacted with the cows and watched as they stole snacks from unsuspecting passers by; all were in good condition.
We had an early vegetarian lunch at Po Lin and lit huge amounts on incense in the temple grounds. The temple itself was modern and too affluent for my tastes, I preferred the first Tin Hau temple near the hotel. We then climbed up the steep stairs to see the giant sitting Buddha and admire the views, it too was a modern manifestation but felt less 20th century.
We decended and picked up the wisdom path and walked up a steep and rather precarious path to find a large rock. It boasted a great view of the Buddha but also of the surrounding island and bay, a bay we later found on the map that appeared to be a penal colony!
Our return journey saw us stop again for ginger tea but also again to watch the sacred cows, that turned out to be spoilt bullys. They pestered, harassed and even injured a poor unsuspecting lady in their attempts to steal snacks, mainly cooked sweet corn and sweet potatoes, but generally anything that was or looked edible. Paper cups, bags and packaging disappeared and a handbag was uncerimoniously stolen, upturned and its contents investigated for edibility. They were clearly not very enlightened.
The visit was quite a highlight and one we would recommend to anyone visiting Hong Kong. The journey down, although the queue was longer to get down, was as equally spectacular and the day proved to be the required antidote.
We returned to Tin Hau and had a Thai meal before our now customary evening walk in Victoria park, we had a lot to reflect on but the naughty cows were the talk of the day!
第13天是2016年12月28日，在香港的第一天我们需要一个好点子，所以我们搭了地铁到大屿山，搭缆车去看天坛佛，宝莲寺，走心经简林。
缆车是很壮观的，但我们避开包套旅行，搭标准非玻璃底车。这又是一个好主意，因为包套是昂贵的，而且意味着我们必须再一次跟着制式行程走。同时我们也发现排玻璃底车的队伍更长，所以用走路的相对地快了一些。我们在山顶上享用了姜茶，和呼吸干净的新鲜空气，让我们活跃了起来。牧场有自由漫游的牛和狗，我们与牛互动，看着他们从毫无戒心的路人窃取小吃; 所有牛都很健康。
我们在宝林提前吃素食午餐，在寺庙的地方点燃了大量的香。 寺庙本身是现代的，对我的品味来说太过多了，我喜欢酒店附近的第一个天后寺庙。 然后，我们爬上陡峭的楼梯，看到巨大的坐佛，欣赏这里景色，它也是一个现代的表现，但感觉少于20世纪。
我们走下坡，接续心经简林，走上一条陡峭岌岌可危的路，发现一颗大石头。 它自诩可看见一个很大的佛像，还有周围的岛屿和海湾，那个海湾我们后来发现在地图上似乎是一个囚犯的流放地！
回程我们再次停下来喝生姜茶，但也再次看到神圣的牛，牠变成了被宠坏的恶霸。 牠们偷窃，骚扰，甚至伤害一个可怜的不知情的女士，他们试图窃取小吃，主要是煮熟的甜玉米和红薯，但一般是任何东西，或看起来可食用。 纸杯，袋子和包装消失了，一个手提包不经意地被偷了，被翻过，并探查里面是否有可吃的东西。 显然是他们未经开导。
这次游览是一个亮点，我们会推荐给任何来香港玩的人。旅程下来，虽然排队很长，但景色同样壮观，这一天证明是必需的解方。
我们回到天后，并吃泰国菜，我们现在习惯晚上在维多利亚公园散步，我们有很多回忆，但淘气的牛是当天的话题！
Day 12 was the 27th December 2016
Day 12 was the 27th December 2016 and we had planned to go to Victoria peak but it was a holiday and the queues were horrendous so we gave it a miss. Our first stop was Victoria park, then we visited Tin Hau temple and walked across Hong Kong island, caught the Star Ferry to Kowloon and were overwhelmed by the shops, visited another Tin Hau temple, went to the Temple Street jade market, walked the avenue of stars, caught the Star Ferry back to Hong Kong island and returned to Habib's for another curry, walked around Victoria park again and collapsed having walked for the whole day.
We clearly over did the sightseeing but did not like Kowloon as it was too western and too commercial. The jade market was fun and in full knowledge we were not buying actual jade we bargained and bartered our way to a bag full of souvenirs. The iconic Star Ferry was great, albeit a short journey but my memory of the day was Victoria park in the morning, watching the martial arts and people of Hong Kong, if I lived here it would be my daily ritual too.
第12天是2016年12月27日，我们计划去维多利亚山顶，但今天是假日，排队的队伍是可怕的，所以我们避开时间。我们的第一站是去维多利亚公园，然后我们参观天后庙，穿过香港岛，搭天星渡轮到九龙，那里到处都是商店，游览另一间天后庙，前往庙街玉石商场，走在明星大道，搭了天星渡轮回香港岛，然后回到哈比卜吃另一个咖哩餐，再次走过维多利亚公园，走了一整天真是累瘫了。
在观光游览以后我们很清楚，我们不太喜欢九龙，因为它太西方，太商业化。玉石市场很有趣，在充分了解的情况下，我们没有购买实际的玉石，我们讨价还价，用我们自己的方式，将袋子装满纪念品。天星标志的渡轮是很棒的，虽然是一个短暂的旅程，但我最记得的是早上在维多利亚公园，看着武术演练和香港人，如果我住在这里，这可能也是我的每天的例行公事。
We clearly over did the sightseeing but did not like Kowloon as it was too western and too commercial. The jade market was fun and in full knowledge we were not buying actual jade we bargained and bartered our way to a bag full of souvenirs. The iconic Star Ferry was great, albeit a short journey but my memory of the day was Victoria park in the morning, watching the martial arts and people of Hong Kong, if I lived here it would be my daily ritual too.
第12天是2016年12月27日，我们计划去维多利亚山顶，但今天是假日，排队的队伍是可怕的，所以我们避开时间。我们的第一站是去维多利亚公园，然后我们参观天后庙，穿过香港岛，搭天星渡轮到九龙，那里到处都是商店，游览另一间天后庙，前往庙街玉石商场，走在明星大道，搭了天星渡轮回香港岛，然后回到哈比卜吃另一个咖哩餐，再次走过维多利亚公园，走了一整天真是累瘫了。
在观光游览以后我们很清楚，我们不太喜欢九龙，因为它太西方，太商业化。玉石市场很有趣，在充分了解的情况下，我们没有购买实际的玉石，我们讨价还价，用我们自己的方式，将袋子装满纪念品。天星标志的渡轮是很棒的，虽然是一个短暂的旅程，但我最记得的是早上在维多利亚公园，看着武术演练和香港人，如果我住在这里，这可能也是我的每天的例行公事。
Day 11 was the 26th December 2016
Day 11 was the 26th December 2016 and today we were on the move again. This time from Guilin to Hong Kong, again by train, but this time we were going across a border and although technically not leaving China we were on our way back to the West.
Chris brought Guilin noodles for breakfast but we stashed them in our rucksacks for the journey. Mainly because this was the day we said goodbye to Chris, and it was tinged with a little sadness, but also we had to pack and make our way to Guilin North station for the 11 O'clock train.
We said goodbye to Chris and for the first time entered a station unsupervised, we need not have worried as it was old hat now, and without hiccup we found the waiting room and sat. I managed to purchase some snacks and watched the world go by. It was then a young lady began to ask questions, mainly about our daughter, but my answers did not seem to dissuade her curiosity. My well versed and stock answers came to an end and I asked her if she spoke English. The answer was no, so she continued to ask in questions in Mandarin. It was a little frustrating but I learned more during that conversation than any other in out time in China. In hindsight I wish I had been pushed in that manner during the whole trip.
The train journey was similar to our other rail experiences, fast and efficient. We watched China whistle by and even saw NanJing, the home town of a good friend in the UK. And before we knew it we were in ShenZhen alighting the train with all of the other passengers as it was the terminal station. Then we were alone and with no idea where to go, so after a little wander we found a strict young woman in uniform and I asked how to get to Hong Kong, 'Red, line number 4' she barked, so off we went and duly found the queue for a transfer train. We purchased some tokens and spoke to some South Africans who were also making the journey to Hong Kong, together we then followed the masses to the train and the border. On arrival we filled out our departure cards, stood in more queues and were then stared at by border control, then we walked out of mainland China into Hong Kong. To be confronted by more queues to exchange our money into Hong Kong dollars. Then over a glass bridge, through more checks and finally onto the MTR and our final train of the day that took us through Hong Kong to Tin Hau on Causeway bay.
We purchased our Octopus cards, a very good idea if you ever go to Hong Kong, before we traveled and kept those for our visit. They did however morph into crustacean, crab and cuttlefish cards during our stay!
By the time we reached Tin Hau we were very tired and the sight of the hotel was very welcome indeed. Although once again we found we were short on beds, as this was a boutique hotel, but as very tired travelers, we did what we had always done, we just got on with it.
Showered and refreshed we venture out and in true British style we went for an Indian meal at Habib's, followed by a stroll in Victoria park. It was warm, dry and felt like the antithesis of England in December. We also now had access to Facebook, Twitter and Google, and although we had been emailing friends and family throughout the trip, it felt as though we had shifted back into the 21st century.
第11天是2016年12月26日，今天我们再次移动。这次从桂林到香港，再次搭乘火车，但这次我们正经过一个边境，虽然技术上没有离开中国，但我们回到了西方。
克里斯带来了桂林的面条当作早餐，但我们把他们收藏在这次旅行的背包。主要是因为这天我们跟克里斯说再见，这不仅有点忧伤，而且我们必须打包好行李，并走到桂林北站搭11点钟火车。
我们跟克里斯说再见，第一次无人照看进入一个车站，我们并不担心，因为现在已经很熟了，没有波折，我们找到了等候室坐下来。我设法买了一些小吃，看着人来人往。 这时一个年轻女士问我些问题，主要是关于我们的女儿，但我的答案似乎并没有劝阻她的好奇心。我所精通和能够用的答案都用尽了，我问她是否会说英语。但答案是否定的，所以她继续用普通话问我。这虽然有点令人沮丧，但我在这次对话中比在中国的任何其他时间学到的更多。事后看来，我希望在整个旅行期间能以这样的方式进行。
火车旅程与我们其他铁路体验相似，速度和效率都很高。我们看着中国呼啸而过，甚至看到英国一个好朋友的家乡南京。在我们知道之前，我们与所有其他乘客一起在深圳下火车，因为它是终端站。然后我们独自走出，不知道该往哪里去，所以有点彷徨之后，我们发现了一个严肃穿着制服的年轻女子，我问她如何去香港，她大声喊出“红，第4号线”，所以我们走去，的确找到了接驳车的队伍。我们购买了一些代币，并与一些正在排队前往香港的南非人交谈，然后我们跟着群众坐车以及到离境处。抵达后，我们填写了我们的出境卡，排在更多人的队伍，被边界管制人员盯着，然后我们从中国大陆走进香港。面对更多的队伍，把我们的钱兑换成港元。然后经过一座玻璃桥，通过更多的验票，最后搭上这天最后一班地铁，带我们通过香港到铜锣湾天后。
我们购买了八达通卡，如果你曾去过香港，这是一个很好的主意，我们以前来过，为了这次到访我们又买了几张。 然而他们在我们停留期间变身为甲壳类动物，螃蟹和墨鱼卡！
当我们到达天后，我们非常累了，看到这酒店的确是非常受欢迎。虽然我们又发现我们的床短少一张，因为这是一家精品酒店，但我们已经非常累了，我们只好再做同样的事，把床倂在一起就可以了。
淋过浴恢复了精神后，我们走出酒店，以真正的英国风格，我们去了一家哈比卜的印度餐厅，然后在维多利亚公园漫步。它是温暖，干燥，感觉起来正好与12月的英国相反。 我们现在也可以访问Facebook，Twitter和谷歌，虽然在整个行程我们一直在发送电子邮件给朋友和家人，它感觉好像我们已经回到了21世纪。
Chris brought Guilin noodles for breakfast but we stashed them in our rucksacks for the journey. Mainly because this was the day we said goodbye to Chris, and it was tinged with a little sadness, but also we had to pack and make our way to Guilin North station for the 11 O'clock train.
We said goodbye to Chris and for the first time entered a station unsupervised, we need not have worried as it was old hat now, and without hiccup we found the waiting room and sat. I managed to purchase some snacks and watched the world go by. It was then a young lady began to ask questions, mainly about our daughter, but my answers did not seem to dissuade her curiosity. My well versed and stock answers came to an end and I asked her if she spoke English. The answer was no, so she continued to ask in questions in Mandarin. It was a little frustrating but I learned more during that conversation than any other in out time in China. In hindsight I wish I had been pushed in that manner during the whole trip.
The train journey was similar to our other rail experiences, fast and efficient. We watched China whistle by and even saw NanJing, the home town of a good friend in the UK. And before we knew it we were in ShenZhen alighting the train with all of the other passengers as it was the terminal station. Then we were alone and with no idea where to go, so after a little wander we found a strict young woman in uniform and I asked how to get to Hong Kong, 'Red, line number 4' she barked, so off we went and duly found the queue for a transfer train. We purchased some tokens and spoke to some South Africans who were also making the journey to Hong Kong, together we then followed the masses to the train and the border. On arrival we filled out our departure cards, stood in more queues and were then stared at by border control, then we walked out of mainland China into Hong Kong. To be confronted by more queues to exchange our money into Hong Kong dollars. Then over a glass bridge, through more checks and finally onto the MTR and our final train of the day that took us through Hong Kong to Tin Hau on Causeway bay.
We purchased our Octopus cards, a very good idea if you ever go to Hong Kong, before we traveled and kept those for our visit. They did however morph into crustacean, crab and cuttlefish cards during our stay!
By the time we reached Tin Hau we were very tired and the sight of the hotel was very welcome indeed. Although once again we found we were short on beds, as this was a boutique hotel, but as very tired travelers, we did what we had always done, we just got on with it.
Showered and refreshed we venture out and in true British style we went for an Indian meal at Habib's, followed by a stroll in Victoria park. It was warm, dry and felt like the antithesis of England in December. We also now had access to Facebook, Twitter and Google, and although we had been emailing friends and family throughout the trip, it felt as though we had shifted back into the 21st century.
第11天是2016年12月26日，今天我们再次移动。这次从桂林到香港，再次搭乘火车，但这次我们正经过一个边境，虽然技术上没有离开中国，但我们回到了西方。
克里斯带来了桂林的面条当作早餐，但我们把他们收藏在这次旅行的背包。主要是因为这天我们跟克里斯说再见，这不仅有点忧伤，而且我们必须打包好行李，并走到桂林北站搭11点钟火车。
我们跟克里斯说再见，第一次无人照看进入一个车站，我们并不担心，因为现在已经很熟了，没有波折，我们找到了等候室坐下来。我设法买了一些小吃，看着人来人往。 这时一个年轻女士问我些问题，主要是关于我们的女儿，但我的答案似乎并没有劝阻她的好奇心。我所精通和能够用的答案都用尽了，我问她是否会说英语。但答案是否定的，所以她继续用普通话问我。这虽然有点令人沮丧，但我在这次对话中比在中国的任何其他时间学到的更多。事后看来，我希望在整个旅行期间能以这样的方式进行。
火车旅程与我们其他铁路体验相似，速度和效率都很高。我们看着中国呼啸而过，甚至看到英国一个好朋友的家乡南京。在我们知道之前，我们与所有其他乘客一起在深圳下火车，因为它是终端站。然后我们独自走出，不知道该往哪里去，所以有点彷徨之后，我们发现了一个严肃穿着制服的年轻女子，我问她如何去香港，她大声喊出“红，第4号线”，所以我们走去，的确找到了接驳车的队伍。我们购买了一些代币，并与一些正在排队前往香港的南非人交谈，然后我们跟着群众坐车以及到离境处。抵达后，我们填写了我们的出境卡，排在更多人的队伍，被边界管制人员盯着，然后我们从中国大陆走进香港。面对更多的队伍，把我们的钱兑换成港元。然后经过一座玻璃桥，通过更多的验票，最后搭上这天最后一班地铁，带我们通过香港到铜锣湾天后。
我们购买了八达通卡，如果你曾去过香港，这是一个很好的主意，我们以前来过，为了这次到访我们又买了几张。 然而他们在我们停留期间变身为甲壳类动物，螃蟹和墨鱼卡！
当我们到达天后，我们非常累了，看到这酒店的确是非常受欢迎。虽然我们又发现我们的床短少一张，因为这是一家精品酒店，但我们已经非常累了，我们只好再做同样的事，把床倂在一起就可以了。
淋过浴恢复了精神后，我们走出酒店，以真正的英国风格，我们去了一家哈比卜的印度餐厅，然后在维多利亚公园漫步。它是温暖，干燥，感觉起来正好与12月的英国相反。 我们现在也可以访问Facebook，Twitter和谷歌，虽然在整个行程我们一直在发送电子邮件给朋友和家人，它感觉好像我们已经回到了21世纪。
Friday, January 20, 2017
Day 10 was the 25th December 2016
Day 10 was the 25th December 2016 and it rained, and it rained, and it rained!
It was strange to wake up on Christmas morning and be so far removed from the occasion, it did however grow on me and the truth is, it was a liberating feeling not to be confined to the Christmas stereotypes. I took off alone for an early morning walk around the local streets and watched the shops and markets come alive.
We went to Elephant hill and climbed the karst rock there, up to the hilltop pagoda and down to the cave of 1000 Buddhas. There was quite a lot of scaffolding being erected in preparation for the New Year celebrations, so we had to forego some of the scenery. A wine cave, unfortunately locked, smelled quite enticing and we had to duck into the souvenir shop to view the local wares. This did include a large vat of dead black ants that had something to do with an arthritic remedy, we did not indulge, but did buy some wine for the folks at home. The gardens were wet but were worth a look around and sported some peculiar statues and baffling descriptions. Some of the cave writing was very old and in the darker recesses history had been etched for all to see. Newer barriers barred the way in some areas and Chris regaled tales of previous visits with access to rather dangerous rocky outcrops we were glad to have missed.
We then walked across to the other side of the hotel and up to Fubo hill, where we again climbed up to the crowning pagoda. The view was shrouded by the mist and rain of the day, but that maintained a mysterious veil over the surrounding city and proud rocks. We walked the grounds and saw the sword stone, the giant cooking pot and gong, and the obligatory caves.
With aching legs we set off back towards the hotel and Chris found a near empty restaurant for us to enjoy our festive feast. I got involved with the ordering, pushing my Mandarin to its limits in the hope the vegetables would not be meat laden. It seemed to work and we had one of the best meals of the trip, except I managed to confuse a chickens leg with a head and it ended up on our daughter's plate. It was quickly removed and Chris shifted other heads and feet to a nearby napkin to avoid any further upset.
We returned to the hotel and left our daughter in the warm and then set off for a little late shopping, we got Chris a present and landed a few souvenirs, with some expert haggling by my wife. The rain still fell and so we gave in and also returned to the warm embrace of out hotel. This was our last night in mainland China, so I felt uncomfortable wasting it indoors, so once again I took off alone, this time at night, for one last look. I felt strangely sad, I had expected to be relieved, but I wanted to stay and soak up more. I walked along the river and the karst rocks of Seven Star park were up lit against the low clouds. The rain subsided and Guilin hummed with life, the mob of angry mopeds began to swarm again and only then was it time to call it a night. I walked back under the bridge and, in our quest to leave us much of our belongings behind, left my jacket and jumper on the bars of a sleeping mans bicycle.
第10天是2016年12月25日，下雨了，下雨了，下雨了！
在圣诞节的早晨醒来，并且在这个时节远离很奇怪，可是它确实改变我的想法，事实是，这是一种解放的感觉，不被设限在圣诞节的刻板印象。清晨我独自一个人在当地的街道上散步，看着商店和市场活络起来。
我们去了大象山，爬上喀斯特石灰岩，到山顶宝塔，到1000诸佛的洞穴。那里架设了很多脚手架，正在筹备新年的庆祝活动，所以我们不得不舍弃一些景点。 一个酒窖不幸被锁着，闻起来相当诱人，我们不得不进入纪念品商店看看当地的商品。 这包括一大桶死黑蚂蚁，与治疗关节炎有关，我们并不爱喝酒，但却为了亲戚买了一些酒放在家里。这个花园是淋湿了，但值得一看，而且有一些特有的雕像和难以理解的描述。一些洞穴的铭刻非常古老，在更黑暗的深处可看到历史的蚀刻。在一些区域有较新的障碍挡在路上，克里斯不亦乐乎说明先前游览过的事，进去那里的岩石露出地表是相当危险，但我们很高兴没去。
我们接着走到酒店的另一边，直到富博山，在那里我们再次爬上了加冠的宝塔。 这个景色被这天的薄雾和雨所覆盖，在周围的城市和傲人的岩石仍保持着神秘的面纱。我们走在广场，看到了剑石，巨锅和锣，和必看的洞穴。
带着疼痛的腿，我们回到酒店，克里斯找到一个几乎空的餐厅，享受我们的节日盛宴。我参与了点菜，把我的普通话推到极限，希望蔬菜里没有肉。看起来似乎奏效，我们享用了旅程其中最好的一餐，除了我把鸡腿和头搞混了，最后在我们的女儿的盘子上。但它很快被拿掉了，克里斯很快地把其他的头和脚移到附近的餐巾纸，以避免任何进一步的烦恼。
我们回到了酒店，留下我们的女儿在温暖的饭店里，那时出发去购物有点晚，我们准备买给克里斯一个礼物，买到了一些纪念品，有一些由我专门讨价还价的妻子买的。雨依然在下，所以我们只好回到酒店温暖的怀抱。这是我们在中国大陆的最后一天晚上，所以我不想把时间浪费在室内，所以我再次独自一人出去，这次是在晚上，最后再看一看。我感到莫名的难过，原本我预期将会松口气，但我想留下来吸收更多。我沿着河边走，七星公园的岩溶岩点亮了低云。雨势稍歇，桂林开始忙忙碌碌的生活，发动着的轻便摩托车再次蜂拥而至，直到那时才满足地结束这一天。我走回桥下，在我们的讨论之下，决定留下我们的物品，所以把我的夹克挂在一辆自行车的长杆上给一个流浪汉。
It was strange to wake up on Christmas morning and be so far removed from the occasion, it did however grow on me and the truth is, it was a liberating feeling not to be confined to the Christmas stereotypes. I took off alone for an early morning walk around the local streets and watched the shops and markets come alive.
We went to Elephant hill and climbed the karst rock there, up to the hilltop pagoda and down to the cave of 1000 Buddhas. There was quite a lot of scaffolding being erected in preparation for the New Year celebrations, so we had to forego some of the scenery. A wine cave, unfortunately locked, smelled quite enticing and we had to duck into the souvenir shop to view the local wares. This did include a large vat of dead black ants that had something to do with an arthritic remedy, we did not indulge, but did buy some wine for the folks at home. The gardens were wet but were worth a look around and sported some peculiar statues and baffling descriptions. Some of the cave writing was very old and in the darker recesses history had been etched for all to see. Newer barriers barred the way in some areas and Chris regaled tales of previous visits with access to rather dangerous rocky outcrops we were glad to have missed.
We then walked across to the other side of the hotel and up to Fubo hill, where we again climbed up to the crowning pagoda. The view was shrouded by the mist and rain of the day, but that maintained a mysterious veil over the surrounding city and proud rocks. We walked the grounds and saw the sword stone, the giant cooking pot and gong, and the obligatory caves.
With aching legs we set off back towards the hotel and Chris found a near empty restaurant for us to enjoy our festive feast. I got involved with the ordering, pushing my Mandarin to its limits in the hope the vegetables would not be meat laden. It seemed to work and we had one of the best meals of the trip, except I managed to confuse a chickens leg with a head and it ended up on our daughter's plate. It was quickly removed and Chris shifted other heads and feet to a nearby napkin to avoid any further upset.
We returned to the hotel and left our daughter in the warm and then set off for a little late shopping, we got Chris a present and landed a few souvenirs, with some expert haggling by my wife. The rain still fell and so we gave in and also returned to the warm embrace of out hotel. This was our last night in mainland China, so I felt uncomfortable wasting it indoors, so once again I took off alone, this time at night, for one last look. I felt strangely sad, I had expected to be relieved, but I wanted to stay and soak up more. I walked along the river and the karst rocks of Seven Star park were up lit against the low clouds. The rain subsided and Guilin hummed with life, the mob of angry mopeds began to swarm again and only then was it time to call it a night. I walked back under the bridge and, in our quest to leave us much of our belongings behind, left my jacket and jumper on the bars of a sleeping mans bicycle.
第10天是2016年12月25日，下雨了，下雨了，下雨了！
在圣诞节的早晨醒来，并且在这个时节远离很奇怪，可是它确实改变我的想法，事实是，这是一种解放的感觉，不被设限在圣诞节的刻板印象。清晨我独自一个人在当地的街道上散步，看着商店和市场活络起来。
我们去了大象山，爬上喀斯特石灰岩，到山顶宝塔，到1000诸佛的洞穴。那里架设了很多脚手架，正在筹备新年的庆祝活动，所以我们不得不舍弃一些景点。 一个酒窖不幸被锁着，闻起来相当诱人，我们不得不进入纪念品商店看看当地的商品。 这包括一大桶死黑蚂蚁，与治疗关节炎有关，我们并不爱喝酒，但却为了亲戚买了一些酒放在家里。这个花园是淋湿了，但值得一看，而且有一些特有的雕像和难以理解的描述。一些洞穴的铭刻非常古老，在更黑暗的深处可看到历史的蚀刻。在一些区域有较新的障碍挡在路上，克里斯不亦乐乎说明先前游览过的事，进去那里的岩石露出地表是相当危险，但我们很高兴没去。
我们接着走到酒店的另一边，直到富博山，在那里我们再次爬上了加冠的宝塔。 这个景色被这天的薄雾和雨所覆盖，在周围的城市和傲人的岩石仍保持着神秘的面纱。我们走在广场，看到了剑石，巨锅和锣，和必看的洞穴。
带着疼痛的腿，我们回到酒店，克里斯找到一个几乎空的餐厅，享受我们的节日盛宴。我参与了点菜，把我的普通话推到极限，希望蔬菜里没有肉。看起来似乎奏效，我们享用了旅程其中最好的一餐，除了我把鸡腿和头搞混了，最后在我们的女儿的盘子上。但它很快被拿掉了，克里斯很快地把其他的头和脚移到附近的餐巾纸，以避免任何进一步的烦恼。
我们回到了酒店，留下我们的女儿在温暖的饭店里，那时出发去购物有点晚，我们准备买给克里斯一个礼物，买到了一些纪念品，有一些由我专门讨价还价的妻子买的。雨依然在下，所以我们只好回到酒店温暖的怀抱。这是我们在中国大陆的最后一天晚上，所以我不想把时间浪费在室内，所以我再次独自一人出去，这次是在晚上，最后再看一看。我感到莫名的难过，原本我预期将会松口气，但我想留下来吸收更多。我沿着河边走，七星公园的岩溶岩点亮了低云。雨势稍歇，桂林开始忙忙碌碌的生活，发动着的轻便摩托车再次蜂拥而至，直到那时才满足地结束这一天。我走回桥下，在我们的讨论之下，决定留下我们的物品，所以把我的夹克挂在一辆自行车的长杆上给一个流浪汉。
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Day 9 was the 24th December 2016
Day 9 was the 24th December 2016 and we were up early to enjoy a river cruise on the LiJiang. We were treated to some local Guilin noodles for breakfast and as a rice based noodle I ate them without fear of upset. They were some of the best noodles I have ever had!
Chris ushered us to a coach at 7.30 am and we set off on a circular tour of Guilin to collect other passengers. The guide who only spoke in Mandarin was clearly used to dealing with the hard of hearing and shouted her information for the entire journey. I did pick up that the local speciality meats were duck and, unfortunately, dog. We eventually arrived at the river dock and boarded a flat bottomed boat and were shown to some very comfortable seats around a table. This is were we sat for the journey and tea was served as we set off down the river.
The trip was a geographical feast, with karst rocks appearing out of the mist, with some circling birds of prey. We saw plenty of ducks and corvid type birds and at one point some goats displaying their adeptness at mountain climbing. But it was mainly the scenery and the clean fresh air and water that filled us with a renewed energy. I only saw one horse on the 'painted hill of nine horses' but did see the spectacular hills printed on the 20￥note, Guan Yin hill and, whilst standing on the upper deck, just took in this beautiful and unique landscape.
After four hours we arrived at YangShou and transferred via an electric car to the coach for the journey back to Guilin. The low point of the day is we were hearded into a jade factory for a 'lecture' that turned out to be a sales pitch. As it was in Mandarin we slipped out the door back to the coach, but found a small lake to enjoy whilst our fellow tourers enjoyed some retail therapy.
We continued on our journey and were treated to some quick stop tours on the way, including a Buddhist temple, the Grand Banyan tree scenic area at ChuanYan, Moon Hill rock and another cave system.
At the Grand Banyan tree our daughter was photographed sitting on a buffalo, a picture that will grace the family album forever, and at Moon Hill we parked next to a market where they were selling 'magic beans' that Chris told me could improve my love life 'x10'!!! The caves were again gaudily lit but equally spectacular once you got over the lighting. We had our ears touched for luck and again found a retail opportunity within the caves should we need to buy more souvenirs.
As we left the sun went down and the rest of our journey was in darkness. The journey was long, everyone was tired and we got stuck in a long traffic jam. I did however enjoy it immensely as we went off road, in a coach, drove on the wrong side of the road and into oncoming traffic. The roads were dire and we bounced all the way back to Guilin, reaching the hotel at 9 pm.
It had been a long day and we again slept like logs!
Footnote:
It was when we arrived back at Guilin and proceeded to drive around dropping our fellow travelers back at their hotels that we began to see the tanks and cages stacked up outside of the restaurants. We had been exposed to animal welfare issues on our first visit to China, so it was not a shock, but still saddening having to explain the why's and wherefore's to our daughter. Of our time in China this was the most difficult sight to deal with, because of our line of work, but it was also a reality check to remind us we were not in England and in China this was normality.
第9天是2016年12月24日，我们很早就在丽江享受江上游览。早餐我们享用一些桂林当地的面条, 这些是米做的面条，我很放心地吃了。那是我曾经吃过的最好的面条！
克里斯在上午7时30分带我们到一辆游览车，我们出发去桂林，游览车环城招揽其他乘客，这位只说普通话的导游显然习惯很大声说话，在整个路程中她都用喊的来传达她的信息。我确实明白了当地的特色肉是-鸭肉，和不幸的是狗肉。我们最终到达了河码头，登上一艘平底船，并在一个桌子周围看到一些非常舒适的座位。 我们整个旅程都是坐在座位上，饮茶是在我们下河的时候端上的。
Chris ushered us to a coach at 7.30 am and we set off on a circular tour of Guilin to collect other passengers. The guide who only spoke in Mandarin was clearly used to dealing with the hard of hearing and shouted her information for the entire journey. I did pick up that the local speciality meats were duck and, unfortunately, dog. We eventually arrived at the river dock and boarded a flat bottomed boat and were shown to some very comfortable seats around a table. This is were we sat for the journey and tea was served as we set off down the river.
The trip was a geographical feast, with karst rocks appearing out of the mist, with some circling birds of prey. We saw plenty of ducks and corvid type birds and at one point some goats displaying their adeptness at mountain climbing. But it was mainly the scenery and the clean fresh air and water that filled us with a renewed energy. I only saw one horse on the 'painted hill of nine horses' but did see the spectacular hills printed on the 20￥note, Guan Yin hill and, whilst standing on the upper deck, just took in this beautiful and unique landscape.
After four hours we arrived at YangShou and transferred via an electric car to the coach for the journey back to Guilin. The low point of the day is we were hearded into a jade factory for a 'lecture' that turned out to be a sales pitch. As it was in Mandarin we slipped out the door back to the coach, but found a small lake to enjoy whilst our fellow tourers enjoyed some retail therapy.
We continued on our journey and were treated to some quick stop tours on the way, including a Buddhist temple, the Grand Banyan tree scenic area at ChuanYan, Moon Hill rock and another cave system.
At the Grand Banyan tree our daughter was photographed sitting on a buffalo, a picture that will grace the family album forever, and at Moon Hill we parked next to a market where they were selling 'magic beans' that Chris told me could improve my love life 'x10'!!! The caves were again gaudily lit but equally spectacular once you got over the lighting. We had our ears touched for luck and again found a retail opportunity within the caves should we need to buy more souvenirs.
As we left the sun went down and the rest of our journey was in darkness. The journey was long, everyone was tired and we got stuck in a long traffic jam. I did however enjoy it immensely as we went off road, in a coach, drove on the wrong side of the road and into oncoming traffic. The roads were dire and we bounced all the way back to Guilin, reaching the hotel at 9 pm.
It had been a long day and we again slept like logs!
Footnote:
It was when we arrived back at Guilin and proceeded to drive around dropping our fellow travelers back at their hotels that we began to see the tanks and cages stacked up outside of the restaurants. We had been exposed to animal welfare issues on our first visit to China, so it was not a shock, but still saddening having to explain the why's and wherefore's to our daughter. Of our time in China this was the most difficult sight to deal with, because of our line of work, but it was also a reality check to remind us we were not in England and in China this was normality.
第9天是2016年12月24日，我们很早就在丽江享受江上游览。早餐我们享用一些桂林当地的面条, 这些是米做的面条，我很放心地吃了。那是我曾经吃过的最好的面条！
克里斯在上午7时30分带我们到一辆游览车，我们出发去桂林，游览车环城招揽其他乘客，这位只说普通话的导游显然习惯很大声说话，在整个路程中她都用喊的来传达她的信息。我确实明白了当地的特色肉是-鸭肉，和不幸的是狗肉。我们最终到达了河码头，登上一艘平底船，并在一个桌子周围看到一些非常舒适的座位。 我们整个旅程都是坐在座位上，饮茶是在我们下河的时候端上的。
这次旅行是一趟地理盛宴，岩溶岩出现在雾中，有一些盘旋准备捕食的鸟。我们看到了很多鸭子和鸭科类的鸟，在某一点上可以看到一些山羊正展示他们老练的爬山技巧。但主要是风景和清新的空气和水，使我们充满新的活力。在这像画着九匹马的山我只看到一匹马，但的确看到印在20元人民币纸钞上的观音山壮观的山丘，虽然站在上甲板，但刚好拍到这个美丽而独特的风景。
四个小时后，我们到达阳朔，并经由电动车转搭游览车(大巴)回到桂林。这一天的低点是，我们被赶进一家个玉器工厂，在那里被强迫推销。因为那里只说普通话，所以我们溜出门回到游览车，当我们的同行者正享受一些购物疗法时，但我们发现一个小湖可欣赏。
我们继续我们的旅程，并在途中快速地游览一些景点，包括佛教寺庙，春艳大榕树风景区，月亮山岩石和另一个洞穴系统。
在大悦榕庄拍摄我们的女儿坐在水牛，一张照片将永远典藏在家庭相册里，在月亮山，我们停在一个市场旁边，他们卖的魔术豆，克里斯告诉我可以提高我的性爱生活十倍！洞穴又一次点亮，如果一旦照亮同样壮观。他们轻碰我们的耳朵带给我好运，在洞穴又发现有一个贩卖摊，我们是否应该需要买更多的纪念品。
当我们离开时，太阳已下山，我们剩下来的行程是在黑暗中度过。旅途漫长，当我们出发上路时每个人都累了，而且有一段漫长的塞车。但我确实玩得很痛快，在大巴里，彷佛看到车子开错车道和迎面而来的车流。看起来很可怕，我们一路颠簸回到桂林，到达酒店已经晚上9点了。
这是一个漫长的一天，我们再次睡de很好！
脚注：
当我们回到桂林，车子把我们的同行一一带回他们的酒店，我们开始看到水槽和笼子堆在餐厅外面。在我们第一次来中国时，我们已经知道了许多的动物福利问题，所以这不惊讶，但仍然很难对我们的女儿解释。我们在中国的这段时间里，这是最难处理的景象，因为我们的工作，但它也是一个事实查核，提醒我们，我们不是在英国，但在中国这是常态。
四个小时后，我们到达阳朔，并经由电动车转搭游览车(大巴)回到桂林。这一天的低点是，我们被赶进一家个玉器工厂，在那里被强迫推销。因为那里只说普通话，所以我们溜出门回到游览车，当我们的同行者正享受一些购物疗法时，但我们发现一个小湖可欣赏。
我们继续我们的旅程，并在途中快速地游览一些景点，包括佛教寺庙，春艳大榕树风景区，月亮山岩石和另一个洞穴系统。
在大悦榕庄拍摄我们的女儿坐在水牛，一张照片将永远典藏在家庭相册里，在月亮山，我们停在一个市场旁边，他们卖的魔术豆，克里斯告诉我可以提高我的性爱生活十倍！洞穴又一次点亮，如果一旦照亮同样壮观。他们轻碰我们的耳朵带给我好运，在洞穴又发现有一个贩卖摊，我们是否应该需要买更多的纪念品。
当我们离开时，太阳已下山，我们剩下来的行程是在黑暗中度过。旅途漫长，当我们出发上路时每个人都累了，而且有一段漫长的塞车。但我确实玩得很痛快，在大巴里，彷佛看到车子开错车道和迎面而来的车流。看起来很可怕，我们一路颠簸回到桂林，到达酒店已经晚上9点了。
这是一个漫长的一天，我们再次睡de很好！
脚注：
当我们回到桂林，车子把我们的同行一一带回他们的酒店，我们开始看到水槽和笼子堆在餐厅外面。在我们第一次来中国时，我们已经知道了许多的动物福利问题，所以这不惊讶，但仍然很难对我们的女儿解释。我们在中国的这段时间里，这是最难处理的景象，因为我们的工作，但它也是一个事实查核，提醒我们，我们不是在英国，但在中国这是常态。
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Day 8 was the 23rd December 2016 - 依依不舍
Day 8 was the 23rd December 2016 and we had to leave Ning Yuan and make our way to Guilin. The journey, again, had to be completed on road, so a van had been booked. We had packed up and Chris arrived with some dumplings to sustain us on the journey and after the rush hour traffic had subsided we set off.
Our experiences over the past two days made it difficult to leave (依依不舍), the institute director came to see us off and after a short goodbye we were back on the road. The sights of Ning Yuan passed us by, including a moped with a dead sheep on the back, and suddenly we were back in the countryside.
The road to Guilin was good and the journey fast, if a little dangerous, and before we knew it we had arrived at the foyer of the Hotel Universal Guilin. It was diametrically opposite to the Yong Shun in Ning Yuan, open, modern and clean. However, it was undergoing modernization so we had not escaped the noise. It did however boast a wonderful view of the LiJiang and the some of the stunning Karst rocks and geography GuangXi is famous for.
It also had a Christmas tree in the foyer, a timely reminder of the season we had left behind, and oddly a taste of the decorations to come when exploring Guilin itself.
After a tea break, some unpacking and flopping in some much needed modernity, we ventured out into the moped infested city. Having crossed the river we almost immediately found ourselves at the gates of the Seven Star Park and, having paid our 70 ￥each entrance fee, we entered a large garden area that extended into a greater park that boasted some karst rocks ready to be climbed. It also had a zoo, which we avoided, and some signs warning us of the dangers of the local monkeys that we did not see. We did however descend into a large cave complex and took the guided tour, it was gaudily lit and had an odd souvenir stall half way down, but was well worth the time and effort. We then returned to the park and climbed our first karst rock of the visit to a spectacular view of the city.
We filled our lungs with the fresh air and sat and watched the scenery unfold. Now we had time to reflect and absorb some of the events of the trip thus far. The thought kept resurfacing that our first visit to China had been a stressful one and we had transposed that onto our surroundings, this trip was very different and we had been able to see a more accurate, unclouded China.
Our walk back down and out of the park was punctuated by water on slate calligraphy and an old lady firing questions at Chris about these foreigners who appeared to have a Chinese child. This was becoming a regular occurrence and my vocabulary improved to mitigate the questions as we went.
Back at the hotel I squared up with Chris, another 1800 ￥ for the transfer and 1000 ￥ for the following days boat trip. The evening meal was an event not worth recounting, except to say the vegetarian option mainly consisted of pork. We returned to our clean, warm and comfortable beds, via a shop that sold red wine, for some well earned rest and a little television to catch up on world events.
We were here for three days, and having achieved our daughters desire to return to her orphanage, we now felt able to relax and enjoy the rest of our time in China and this had been a good start.
第8天是2016年12月23日，我们不得不离开宁远到桂林。我们收拾好行李，登上一辆已经预订的面包车，克里斯带来一些饺子，女儿吃过后，等上下班尖峰时间一过，忙碌的交通已经平息，我们打包好行李，再次踏上旅程。
在过去两天的经历使得我们难以离开（依依不舍），福利院主任来为我们送行，在简短的说再见之后，我们回到了路上。宁远的景色过去了，途中一台摩托车后面载着一只死了的绵羊，突然地也消失了。
通往桂林的道路很好，车程很快，如果要说我们知道有点危险之前，我们已到达桂林酒店的门厅。它和宁远的永舜酒店正好相反，开放，现代和干净。然而正在进行现代化装修，所以我们没有办法避免噪音。桂林的丽江确实有一个美丽的景色，及一些令人惊叹的喀斯特岩石(岩溶岩石)，这是广西闻名的地理风貌。
大厅里也摆放着一棵圣诞树，及时提醒我们抛下的节日，奇怪的是，当我们探索桂林时随处可见装饰着圣诞节的感觉。
在茶歇后，在解开一些行李以及暂时喘了口气舒服躺下过后，我们就外出到这摩托车污染的城市探险。过了河，我们立刻警觉已在七星公园的门口，并付了每人70元人民币的门票，我们进入一个大花园区，从这儿延伸到另一个更大的公园，这里自诩有一些岩溶岩石可攀登。里头还有一个动物园，我们避开那里，因为从一些迹象告诉我们，当地的猴子是相当危险，这是我们所没有看到。然而，我们一路走下坡到一个大的洞穴群，带着导览图，里面有灿烂七彩的灯光，一个奇怪的纪念品摊挡在半路，但是这洞穴群是非常值得看的。后来，我们返回公园，我们爬上第一个岩溶的岩石，全览了这个城市的壮观景色。
我们呼吸清新的空气，坐着看着风景。现在我们有时间仔细想，和吸收到目前为止旅程中的一些事件。这个想法不断地重复，我们第一次来中国时感觉压力很大，现在我们已经可以把它转移到我们的周围环境，所以这次旅行非常不同，我们已经能够更准确、更清楚地去看中国。
我们步行下来，走出公园，看到一个人在岩板写书法，一个老太太问克里斯，这些外国人身边有一个中国孩子的问题。这似乎是习以为常的事，而我的中文已有改善，足以应付我们面对的问题。
回到酒店，我和克里斯结清，另外1800元人民币车资，1000元人民币用在接下来的乘船游览。晚餐是一个不值得记述的事，除了说素食可选择外，主要是菜肴里有猪肉。我们回到了我们干净，温暖和舒适的床，经过一家出售红葡萄酒的商店买了一瓶红酒，这是为了能好好的休息，同时看了一会儿电视知道世界新闻。
我们在这里待了三天，并且实现了我们的女儿回到她的孤儿院的愿望，我们现在能够放松和享受我们在中国的其余时间，这是一个好的开始。
Our experiences over the past two days made it difficult to leave (依依不舍), the institute director came to see us off and after a short goodbye we were back on the road. The sights of Ning Yuan passed us by, including a moped with a dead sheep on the back, and suddenly we were back in the countryside.
The road to Guilin was good and the journey fast, if a little dangerous, and before we knew it we had arrived at the foyer of the Hotel Universal Guilin. It was diametrically opposite to the Yong Shun in Ning Yuan, open, modern and clean. However, it was undergoing modernization so we had not escaped the noise. It did however boast a wonderful view of the LiJiang and the some of the stunning Karst rocks and geography GuangXi is famous for.
It also had a Christmas tree in the foyer, a timely reminder of the season we had left behind, and oddly a taste of the decorations to come when exploring Guilin itself.
After a tea break, some unpacking and flopping in some much needed modernity, we ventured out into the moped infested city. Having crossed the river we almost immediately found ourselves at the gates of the Seven Star Park and, having paid our 70 ￥each entrance fee, we entered a large garden area that extended into a greater park that boasted some karst rocks ready to be climbed. It also had a zoo, which we avoided, and some signs warning us of the dangers of the local monkeys that we did not see. We did however descend into a large cave complex and took the guided tour, it was gaudily lit and had an odd souvenir stall half way down, but was well worth the time and effort. We then returned to the park and climbed our first karst rock of the visit to a spectacular view of the city.
We filled our lungs with the fresh air and sat and watched the scenery unfold. Now we had time to reflect and absorb some of the events of the trip thus far. The thought kept resurfacing that our first visit to China had been a stressful one and we had transposed that onto our surroundings, this trip was very different and we had been able to see a more accurate, unclouded China.
Our walk back down and out of the park was punctuated by water on slate calligraphy and an old lady firing questions at Chris about these foreigners who appeared to have a Chinese child. This was becoming a regular occurrence and my vocabulary improved to mitigate the questions as we went.
Back at the hotel I squared up with Chris, another 1800 ￥ for the transfer and 1000 ￥ for the following days boat trip. The evening meal was an event not worth recounting, except to say the vegetarian option mainly consisted of pork. We returned to our clean, warm and comfortable beds, via a shop that sold red wine, for some well earned rest and a little television to catch up on world events.
We were here for three days, and having achieved our daughters desire to return to her orphanage, we now felt able to relax and enjoy the rest of our time in China and this had been a good start.
第8天是2016年12月23日，我们不得不离开宁远到桂林。我们收拾好行李，登上一辆已经预订的面包车，克里斯带来一些饺子，女儿吃过后，等上下班尖峰时间一过，忙碌的交通已经平息，我们打包好行李，再次踏上旅程。
在过去两天的经历使得我们难以离开（依依不舍），福利院主任来为我们送行，在简短的说再见之后，我们回到了路上。宁远的景色过去了，途中一台摩托车后面载着一只死了的绵羊，突然地也消失了。
通往桂林的道路很好，车程很快，如果要说我们知道有点危险之前，我们已到达桂林酒店的门厅。它和宁远的永舜酒店正好相反，开放，现代和干净。然而正在进行现代化装修，所以我们没有办法避免噪音。桂林的丽江确实有一个美丽的景色，及一些令人惊叹的喀斯特岩石(岩溶岩石)，这是广西闻名的地理风貌。
大厅里也摆放着一棵圣诞树，及时提醒我们抛下的节日，奇怪的是，当我们探索桂林时随处可见装饰着圣诞节的感觉。
在茶歇后，在解开一些行李以及暂时喘了口气舒服躺下过后，我们就外出到这摩托车污染的城市探险。过了河，我们立刻警觉已在七星公园的门口，并付了每人70元人民币的门票，我们进入一个大花园区，从这儿延伸到另一个更大的公园，这里自诩有一些岩溶岩石可攀登。里头还有一个动物园，我们避开那里，因为从一些迹象告诉我们，当地的猴子是相当危险，这是我们所没有看到。然而，我们一路走下坡到一个大的洞穴群，带着导览图，里面有灿烂七彩的灯光，一个奇怪的纪念品摊挡在半路，但是这洞穴群是非常值得看的。后来，我们返回公园，我们爬上第一个岩溶的岩石，全览了这个城市的壮观景色。
我们呼吸清新的空气，坐着看着风景。现在我们有时间仔细想，和吸收到目前为止旅程中的一些事件。这个想法不断地重复，我们第一次来中国时感觉压力很大，现在我们已经可以把它转移到我们的周围环境，所以这次旅行非常不同，我们已经能够更准确、更清楚地去看中国。
我们步行下来，走出公园，看到一个人在岩板写书法，一个老太太问克里斯，这些外国人身边有一个中国孩子的问题。这似乎是习以为常的事，而我的中文已有改善，足以应付我们面对的问题。
回到酒店，我和克里斯结清，另外1800元人民币车资，1000元人民币用在接下来的乘船游览。晚餐是一个不值得记述的事，除了说素食可选择外，主要是菜肴里有猪肉。我们回到了我们干净，温暖和舒适的床，经过一家出售红葡萄酒的商店买了一瓶红酒，这是为了能好好的休息，同时看了一会儿电视知道世界新闻。
我们在这里待了三天，并且实现了我们的女儿回到她的孤儿院的愿望，我们现在能够放松和享受我们在中国的其余时间，这是一个好的开始。
Day 7 was the 22nd December 2016 - part 2
Day 7 was the 22nd December 2016 and as it was log has been split in to two parts.
We left the institute and returned to the hotel, the emotion was palpable and it was clear we were drained. We needed to walk and process our thoughts thus far and at Chris' suggestion we set off to walk the streets of Ning Yuan. He had walked out the night before to reconnoiter a Confucian temple for such an occasion, or to walk off the local brew, and it was the perfect antidote to a draining morning.
It was an interesting afternoon, marrying the heritage and philosophy of the temple and grounds. We were shown the beautiful stone carved dragon pillars and formal temple buildings, with their serious-faced statues. Interestingly there was a hall lined with photographs of local adults and students who had obtained recognition for their studies and the educational philosophy of Confucianism was very much to the fore. The grounds were scented and it was clear this building had been here significantly longer than its neighbors.
As we walked back to the hotel, Ning Yuan was coming alive as children began to erupt from school, spilling onto the surrounding streets and in turn the scooters loaded with parents and children swarmed the area.We ducked off the main road into a market street and almost immediately my wife nearly got run over, having told us on numerous occasions to 'mind out'! The shops were open-fronted and an array of foods and dry goods lined the shelves and paved areas outside. The smells merged but some dried fish smells lingered in the nose for minutes. The sights, mainly of red decorations, were quite blinding and we tried not to touch anything as our unfamiliarity meant we had little idea of what many things were.
Our daughter brought some biscuits and for 10￥came away with an enormous bag that lasted until the end of our Guilin visit. The staring was now part of our daily experience, we ignored it in the main but it was clear in Ning Yuan we stuck out like fireflies in a dark wood, it did not detract from our experience and actually meant we saw and discovered more. It really felt as though we were touching Ning Yuan and its people, the genetic pool that bore our daughter, and for a fleeting time became part of this maelstrom.
On our return to the hotel we were advised the director and his team from the institute would again join us for dinner. We paused, wrote notes, washed and changed and made our way down to the restaurant. To say the day was a busy one would be a gross understatement.
At dinner we followed the same path as the previous night and the local brew was once again rolled out. I tried one glass and can now speak from experience; an experience I will not be repeating! Our daughter sat next to Ài and we managed to communicate enough to swap details and organised to link up on WeChat after we left China. We were also joined by a journalist who wanted to write about our daughters return to Ning Yuan and through Chris managed to ask many questions throughout the meal.
The article URL at time of writing was working:
http://m.voc.com.cn/wxhn/article/201612/201612231539201647.html?from=singlemessage&isappinstalled=1
At the end of the meal we said our goodbyes, I think we were too tired to do anything else, so I paid for the meal and at 400 ￥ for a banquet was quite a steal. The hotel remained its noisy self but it did not stop us collapsing and sleeping like logs until the next morning.
第7天是2016年12月22日 - 第2部分
第7天是2016年12月22日，因为日志太長我分成两部分。
我们离开了福利院，回到酒店，情绪是显而易见的，很明显，我们已被耗尽。我们需要步行和进一步理清我们到目前为止的想法，在克里斯的建议下，我们出发走在宁远的街道上。在晚上以前他走了出去，机缘巧合下察看一下孔庙，或许释放掉晚餐中喝过的酒精，这也对一个已耗竭的早晨来说，是一个完美的解方。
这是一个有趣的下午，结合古迹和寺庙的哲学和广场。我们看到美丽的石刻龙柱和正统的寺庙建筑，与严肃面孔的雕像。有趣的是，有一个大厅布满了当地成年人和学生学习获得认可的照片，显示儒家的教育哲学是非常重要的。这广场有着香味，很清楚可以知道，这个建筑在这里明显比其他邻近的更长。
当我们回到酒店时，宁远活络了起来，孩子们开始从学校奔出，散落在周围的街道上，反过来，骑着摩托车准备来接孩子的父母聚集在这个区域。我们从主要道路走进一条市场街，我的妻子差点被辗到，已经告诉我们很多次“注意”！商店是开放式的，一系列食品、干货物排列在货架，同时延伸摆放到外面的铺砌区域。这气味不但合并一些干燥的鱼味，且在鼻子里停留了几分钟。风景名胜，主要是红色装饰，是相当盲目的，由於我们的不熟悉，所以我们试图不触摸任何东西，因为我们不知道的事情还很多。
我们的女儿带了一些饼干，花了10元人民币就有一大袋，持续吃到桂林的最后一天才吃完。现在每天都有很多眼睛看着我们，基本上我们不去理会，但很明显，在宁远，我们看上去像是在黑暗的树林中的萤火虫那样突出，但这样并没有减少我们的经验，实际上我们看到和发现更多。这真的使我们感觉到正在触摸着宁远和它的人民，我们的女儿的基因库，这样短暂的时间就将成为这个漩涡的一部分。
我们回到酒店，我们得知主任和福利院的团队将和我们一起吃晚餐。我们稍作休息一下，作了笔记，梳洗更衣后，我们下来走去餐厅。要说这天是忙碌的一天，那只是轻描淡写的说法。
晚餐我们循着前一天晚上相同的路径，再次拿出本地酿造的酒。我喝了一杯，所以现在我已经可以说; 经验告诉我，我不会再喝第二杯！我们的女儿坐在艾旁边，我们设法沟通并交换彼此的生活细节，并打算在我们离开中国后可以用微信联系。在晚餐时还有一位记者加入我们，他想写有关我们的女儿回宁远的事，透过克里斯翻译在晚餐中提出了很多问题。
http://m.voc.com.cn/wxhn/article/201612/201612231539201647.html?from=singlemessage&isappinstalled=1
在晚餐结束时，我们告别了他们，我想我们太累了，不能做其他任何事情，所以我付了这餐费，400元人民币一餐相当便宜。酒店依然很嘈杂，但这并没有阻止我们一睡到天亮。
We left the institute and returned to the hotel, the emotion was palpable and it was clear we were drained. We needed to walk and process our thoughts thus far and at Chris' suggestion we set off to walk the streets of Ning Yuan. He had walked out the night before to reconnoiter a Confucian temple for such an occasion, or to walk off the local brew, and it was the perfect antidote to a draining morning.
It was an interesting afternoon, marrying the heritage and philosophy of the temple and grounds. We were shown the beautiful stone carved dragon pillars and formal temple buildings, with their serious-faced statues. Interestingly there was a hall lined with photographs of local adults and students who had obtained recognition for their studies and the educational philosophy of Confucianism was very much to the fore. The grounds were scented and it was clear this building had been here significantly longer than its neighbors.
As we walked back to the hotel, Ning Yuan was coming alive as children began to erupt from school, spilling onto the surrounding streets and in turn the scooters loaded with parents and children swarmed the area.We ducked off the main road into a market street and almost immediately my wife nearly got run over, having told us on numerous occasions to 'mind out'! The shops were open-fronted and an array of foods and dry goods lined the shelves and paved areas outside. The smells merged but some dried fish smells lingered in the nose for minutes. The sights, mainly of red decorations, were quite blinding and we tried not to touch anything as our unfamiliarity meant we had little idea of what many things were.
Our daughter brought some biscuits and for 10￥came away with an enormous bag that lasted until the end of our Guilin visit. The staring was now part of our daily experience, we ignored it in the main but it was clear in Ning Yuan we stuck out like fireflies in a dark wood, it did not detract from our experience and actually meant we saw and discovered more. It really felt as though we were touching Ning Yuan and its people, the genetic pool that bore our daughter, and for a fleeting time became part of this maelstrom.
On our return to the hotel we were advised the director and his team from the institute would again join us for dinner. We paused, wrote notes, washed and changed and made our way down to the restaurant. To say the day was a busy one would be a gross understatement.
At dinner we followed the same path as the previous night and the local brew was once again rolled out. I tried one glass and can now speak from experience; an experience I will not be repeating! Our daughter sat next to Ài and we managed to communicate enough to swap details and organised to link up on WeChat after we left China. We were also joined by a journalist who wanted to write about our daughters return to Ning Yuan and through Chris managed to ask many questions throughout the meal.
The article URL at time of writing was working:
http://m.voc.com.cn/wxhn/article/201612/201612231539201647.html?from=singlemessage&isappinstalled=1
At the end of the meal we said our goodbyes, I think we were too tired to do anything else, so I paid for the meal and at 400 ￥ for a banquet was quite a steal. The hotel remained its noisy self but it did not stop us collapsing and sleeping like logs until the next morning.
第7天是2016年12月22日 - 第2部分
第7天是2016年12月22日，因为日志太長我分成两部分。
我们离开了福利院，回到酒店，情绪是显而易见的，很明显，我们已被耗尽。我们需要步行和进一步理清我们到目前为止的想法，在克里斯的建议下，我们出发走在宁远的街道上。在晚上以前他走了出去，机缘巧合下察看一下孔庙，或许释放掉晚餐中喝过的酒精，这也对一个已耗竭的早晨来说，是一个完美的解方。
这是一个有趣的下午，结合古迹和寺庙的哲学和广场。我们看到美丽的石刻龙柱和正统的寺庙建筑，与严肃面孔的雕像。有趣的是，有一个大厅布满了当地成年人和学生学习获得认可的照片，显示儒家的教育哲学是非常重要的。这广场有着香味，很清楚可以知道，这个建筑在这里明显比其他邻近的更长。
当我们回到酒店时，宁远活络了起来，孩子们开始从学校奔出，散落在周围的街道上，反过来，骑着摩托车准备来接孩子的父母聚集在这个区域。我们从主要道路走进一条市场街，我的妻子差点被辗到，已经告诉我们很多次“注意”！商店是开放式的，一系列食品、干货物排列在货架，同时延伸摆放到外面的铺砌区域。这气味不但合并一些干燥的鱼味，且在鼻子里停留了几分钟。风景名胜，主要是红色装饰，是相当盲目的，由於我们的不熟悉，所以我们试图不触摸任何东西，因为我们不知道的事情还很多。
我们的女儿带了一些饼干，花了10元人民币就有一大袋，持续吃到桂林的最后一天才吃完。现在每天都有很多眼睛看着我们，基本上我们不去理会，但很明显，在宁远，我们看上去像是在黑暗的树林中的萤火虫那样突出，但这样并没有减少我们的经验，实际上我们看到和发现更多。这真的使我们感觉到正在触摸着宁远和它的人民，我们的女儿的基因库，这样短暂的时间就将成为这个漩涡的一部分。
我们回到酒店，我们得知主任和福利院的团队将和我们一起吃晚餐。我们稍作休息一下，作了笔记，梳洗更衣后，我们下来走去餐厅。要说这天是忙碌的一天，那只是轻描淡写的说法。
晚餐我们循着前一天晚上相同的路径，再次拿出本地酿造的酒。我喝了一杯，所以现在我已经可以说; 经验告诉我，我不会再喝第二杯！我们的女儿坐在艾旁边，我们设法沟通并交换彼此的生活细节，并打算在我们离开中国后可以用微信联系。在晚餐时还有一位记者加入我们，他想写有关我们的女儿回宁远的事，透过克里斯翻译在晚餐中提出了很多问题。
http://m.voc.com.cn/wxhn/article/201612/201612231539201647.html?from=singlemessage&isappinstalled=1
在晚餐结束时，我们告别了他们，我想我们太累了，不能做其他任何事情，所以我付了这餐费，400元人民币一餐相当便宜。酒店依然很嘈杂，但这并没有阻止我们一睡到天亮。
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Day 7 was the 22nd December 2016 - part 1.
Day 7 was the 22nd December 2016 and it was the day we had planned the trip around, no pressure there then!
Only our daughter ate breakfast, not because we were nervous but because we had eaten so much the night before. I spent some time writing down some questions for the director and after a few nervous visits to the toilet Chris rang us to tell us the director had arrived to drive us to the welfare institute.
We packed all of the gifts, our older clothes and some pens and paper and off we went. The journey was short and the streets of Ning Yuan were pulsing with commuters and transporters; many of them staring at the foreigners haplessly wandering around. We finally drove down a side street, and were immediately distracted by three puppies also wandering around, then a tight left through some gates and there we were, the focal point of our journey.
The building was a robust concrete block with bars on the windows, golden characters above the entrance and a drive punctuated by a large landscaped roundabout and a badminton net. We alighted and went straight in, and were led up stairs to the directors office and sat down. Tea was served, in small plastic cups, and I presented the director with the watch as a gift, again trying to articulate our feelings in Mandarin. We were joined by the assistant director of the civil affairs office and our daughter's orphanage mother, who I later found out to be called Ài Zhēn Yún 艾珍云; who we later began to call Ài. Our daughter gave Ài a gift, which was initially taken by the civil affairs office staff, but quickly returned. This had been hastily sourced the night before as we were unaware of Ài's existence but now felt an immediate bond that needed to be recognized.
Chris once again mediated and we began to ask questions, initially we asked some cultural and geographical questions, firstly to start the ball rolling but also to help us with creating a better understanding of the Ning Yuan people. Buddhism and Confucianism seemed to be the predominant belief systems, with tofu and pork balls, duck with duck blood and chicken in vinegar the favorite dishes. Weightlifting, ping pong and badminton the chosen sports and Confucius day, children's day and Guan yin day the celebrated holidays. Agriculturally spice, peanuts, rice, vegetables and tobacco are grown as the main crops and porcelain objects are manufactured. We asked about local fables and stories but were only shown a children's storybook authored by a friend of the institute.
We began to ask about our daughter specifically and were told the original records were no longer available. Her Chinese name was derived from Yong Zhou's 'Yong', Ning Yuan's 'Ning' and because she was the third child in that rotation 'Chang' from the dictionary. That her date of birth was estimated, with a 1 or 2 day margin of error, from her umbilicus and how it had healed. It had been suggested initially she had been abandoned at four weeks and this was exceptional, that was debunked straight away and we were told it was quite normal. The scar on her hip we had thought was a mark from her biological parents was examined by Ài and explained as the effect of the cord on her string pants rubbing her skin. Ài also went on to explain she remembered our daughter very well and had kept a photo of her for some time after the adoption, but was upset and put it away, only for it to get lost. She remembered our daughter as a quiet child, who would either walk or stand still and watch the world go by. She ate a lot and went to the toilet a lot, and was never naughty. But, if she could reach something it went in her mouth.
It would have been very clinical without Ài's input, she seemed very genuine and was tearful on occasion but did make a big fuss of our daughter at every turn. The institute was just that and the fact they had 'nothing else on file' seemed to bring the visit to an end.
However, as we spoke one child came in and out of the office to elicit fruit from the director's table and having shared it with us we followed her out into the corridor to see other children walking around. There were only eleven at the institute now, in 2007 there had been around 200 at a time, so the picture would have been quite different when our daughter was here. The emphasis now was on the aged. We were shown down the corridor into the dormitories and into the lives of the children there and apart from a few head lice they all looked in good health. I sometimes find situations like this difficult, too intense, and so took out three satsuma like fruits from my pocket and juggled for the child who had been in the director's office, she smiled and laughed and together we diffused my creeping tension. She then held my hand and we proceeded with the tour.
After a while we returned to the car park and the director's car and proceeded back onto the streets of Ning Yuan. It was not long before we parked in front of the communist party school and alighted to view some concrete steps outside. This was our daughter's finding place, the place her biological family had seen fit to leave her and left her to fate's mercy in the hope there was a better future for their child. The suggestion was they were either living locally or, more likely, had come to town to work, for economic reasons from the surrounding countryside. And it was here, on the steps of this school they said goodbye. I could not help but notice a bus stop outside the school, on this busy arterial road running through Ning Yuan, and my mind began to dwell on the logistics of how she would have been left here.
We returned to the institute to be taken to the local civil affairs office next door to drink some warm water and with Chris' help 'chew the fat' with the director of the welfare institute and the assistant director of the civil affairs department. We talked about kids and the similarities between our lives and countries and they then took us to lunch. The food was simple but appeared to be traditional Húnán, it was a little spicy and a whole lot delicious, and we sat, ate, talked, ate more, drank, toasted and ate even more for some time. The Chinese food culture and dynamic was becoming very clear, and as much as my Mandarin was not progressing very well, my cultural understanding was increasing exponentially.
Although our visit to the institute could have been very two dimensional, the staff and children, the sights and smells and the cultural insight had created a very colorful and vivid memory. One that I hope will support our daughter's understanding of who she is, so she can be more positive about her past and the people who looked after her when she needed them.
第7天是2016年12月22日 - 第1部分。
第7天是2016年12月22日，这是我们计划旅行的一天，那里是没有压力！
只有我们的女儿吃早餐，不是因为我们紧张，而是前一天晚上我们已吃了很多。我花了一些时间写下一些问题，一点紧张地等待家人上完厕所后，克里斯告诉我们，主任已经抵达，要带我们去福利院。
我们收拾好所有的礼物，我们的旧衣服、一些笔和纸，我们就出发了。路途很短，虽然宁远的街道上有通勤的人和交通工具; 其中很多人无助地徘徊看着我们。最后我们开进一条小巷，立刻转移三只四处游荡小狗的注意力。然后很快地左转通过一些门后，我们抵达了那里。
这个建筑物是坚固的混凝土构造，铁条围在窗户上，在入口上方可看见几个金光闪闪的大字，车道环绕一个大型的园景和一个羽毛球网。我们下车，直接上楼到主任办公室坐，他们端茶给我们，把我们带来的手表送给主任作为礼物。民政办公室的副主任和福利院我们女儿的奶妈也加入我们，后来我发现她叫“艾珍云”。后面都会以”艾”称呼她，我们的女儿给了艾一个礼物，民政办公室副主任确认过后交还给她。
透过克里斯翻译，我们开始问些问题，刚开始我们问一些文化和地理问题，逐步地帮助我们更理解宁远人。佛教和儒家思想似乎是主要的信仰体系，豆腐和猪肉球(狮子头)、鸭血豆腐和醋溜仔鸡是他们最喜欢的菜。举重，乒乓球和羽毛球是他们的运动项目，孔子诞辰日、儿童节和观音诞辰日是他们庆典节日。农业香料，花生，大米，蔬菜和烟草是这里主要的作物，这里也有瓷器制造。我们问关于当地的寓言和故事，但他们只展示了一个由福利院的朋友所作的童书。
我们开始问些有关我们的女儿更具体的事，但原先的记录已不可考。她的中文名字来自于永州的永，宁远的宁，因为她是第三个从字典中轮到畅的孩子。她的出生日期是从脐带愈合程度估计，大概是1天或2天的误差范围。一开始有人说她是在四个星期后被抛弃的，我以为那样是例外，但他们告诉我们这是相当正常。她臀部的疤痕，我们原以为是她的原生父母所标记的，但艾检查并解释，那是因为裤子上的绳子摩擦她的皮肤所造成。艾也继续解释，她记得我们的女儿很好，而且在她被领养后她仍保存她的照片一段时间，但是感觉很失落，心烦意乱，就把它给丢了。她记得我们的女儿是一个安静的孩子，不论是走路或站着，总是看着人来人往。她吃了很多，也拉了很多，从来不淘气。但是如果有东西她就往她的嘴里塞。
艾她说得很有感觉，她看起来很真实，有时含着眼泪，也确实很关心我们女儿的每一个举动。福利院有的信息就只有这些，事实上一直到访问结束，他们也没有什么其他有关我们女儿的资料。
然而，当我们正在谈话中，一个孩子进出办公室，从主任的桌子拿了水果，并与我们分享，我们跟着她走到走廊，看到其他孩子四处走着。现在在福利院只有十一个小孩，在2007年时约有200个，所以这景象已是大不相同。现在的重点是老年人。我们沿着走廊进入宿舍参观，并进入看那里孩子的生活，除了有几个头上有头虱外，他们看起来都很健康。我发现有时这样太紧绷了，所以我从我的口袋里拿出三个像水果的无核蜜柑，为那个在主任办公室的孩子耍弄戏法，她笑了笑，笑声一起弥漫开来也缓和了我的紧张。然后她握着我的手，我们继续参观。
过了一会儿，我们回到了停车场，上了主任的车，然后回到宁远的街道上。我们停在共产党学校前面没有太久，下车看看外面的一些混凝土台阶。这是发现我们女儿的地点，她的原生父母认为在那里是离开她比较适合地方，任她由命运摆布，希望他们的孩子未来有一个更好的地方。根据福利院同仁的说法，是有几种可能性，可能他们是住在本地，或更有可能他们是从周围的乡村来到城里工作，出于经济原因，他们才会在这里，在这所学校的台阶上跟她说再见。因为这个公共汽车站牌是在学校旁边，这是条人们通往宁远繁忙的主干道。
我们回到民政办公室，并带我们到隔壁的地方民政办公室喝一些温开水，在克里斯的协助下与福利院主任和民政部助理主任闲话家常。我们谈论孩子和我们的生活，以及国家之间的相似之处，然后他们带我们去吃午饭。食物很简单，但似乎是传统的湖南菜，有点辣，一大堆好吃的，我们坐，吃，说话，吃了很多，喝，烤，甚至吃了很久的时间。我们对中国的食物文化和动态越来越清楚，虽然我的普通话没有很大的进展，但我对文化的理解却正呈指数般增长。
Only our daughter ate breakfast, not because we were nervous but because we had eaten so much the night before. I spent some time writing down some questions for the director and after a few nervous visits to the toilet Chris rang us to tell us the director had arrived to drive us to the welfare institute.
We packed all of the gifts, our older clothes and some pens and paper and off we went. The journey was short and the streets of Ning Yuan were pulsing with commuters and transporters; many of them staring at the foreigners haplessly wandering around. We finally drove down a side street, and were immediately distracted by three puppies also wandering around, then a tight left through some gates and there we were, the focal point of our journey.
The building was a robust concrete block with bars on the windows, golden characters above the entrance and a drive punctuated by a large landscaped roundabout and a badminton net. We alighted and went straight in, and were led up stairs to the directors office and sat down. Tea was served, in small plastic cups, and I presented the director with the watch as a gift, again trying to articulate our feelings in Mandarin. We were joined by the assistant director of the civil affairs office and our daughter's orphanage mother, who I later found out to be called Ài Zhēn Yún 艾珍云; who we later began to call Ài. Our daughter gave Ài a gift, which was initially taken by the civil affairs office staff, but quickly returned. This had been hastily sourced the night before as we were unaware of Ài's existence but now felt an immediate bond that needed to be recognized.
Chris once again mediated and we began to ask questions, initially we asked some cultural and geographical questions, firstly to start the ball rolling but also to help us with creating a better understanding of the Ning Yuan people. Buddhism and Confucianism seemed to be the predominant belief systems, with tofu and pork balls, duck with duck blood and chicken in vinegar the favorite dishes. Weightlifting, ping pong and badminton the chosen sports and Confucius day, children's day and Guan yin day the celebrated holidays. Agriculturally spice, peanuts, rice, vegetables and tobacco are grown as the main crops and porcelain objects are manufactured. We asked about local fables and stories but were only shown a children's storybook authored by a friend of the institute.
We began to ask about our daughter specifically and were told the original records were no longer available. Her Chinese name was derived from Yong Zhou's 'Yong', Ning Yuan's 'Ning' and because she was the third child in that rotation 'Chang' from the dictionary. That her date of birth was estimated, with a 1 or 2 day margin of error, from her umbilicus and how it had healed. It had been suggested initially she had been abandoned at four weeks and this was exceptional, that was debunked straight away and we were told it was quite normal. The scar on her hip we had thought was a mark from her biological parents was examined by Ài and explained as the effect of the cord on her string pants rubbing her skin. Ài also went on to explain she remembered our daughter very well and had kept a photo of her for some time after the adoption, but was upset and put it away, only for it to get lost. She remembered our daughter as a quiet child, who would either walk or stand still and watch the world go by. She ate a lot and went to the toilet a lot, and was never naughty. But, if she could reach something it went in her mouth.
It would have been very clinical without Ài's input, she seemed very genuine and was tearful on occasion but did make a big fuss of our daughter at every turn. The institute was just that and the fact they had 'nothing else on file' seemed to bring the visit to an end.
However, as we spoke one child came in and out of the office to elicit fruit from the director's table and having shared it with us we followed her out into the corridor to see other children walking around. There were only eleven at the institute now, in 2007 there had been around 200 at a time, so the picture would have been quite different when our daughter was here. The emphasis now was on the aged. We were shown down the corridor into the dormitories and into the lives of the children there and apart from a few head lice they all looked in good health. I sometimes find situations like this difficult, too intense, and so took out three satsuma like fruits from my pocket and juggled for the child who had been in the director's office, she smiled and laughed and together we diffused my creeping tension. She then held my hand and we proceeded with the tour.
After a while we returned to the car park and the director's car and proceeded back onto the streets of Ning Yuan. It was not long before we parked in front of the communist party school and alighted to view some concrete steps outside. This was our daughter's finding place, the place her biological family had seen fit to leave her and left her to fate's mercy in the hope there was a better future for their child. The suggestion was they were either living locally or, more likely, had come to town to work, for economic reasons from the surrounding countryside. And it was here, on the steps of this school they said goodbye. I could not help but notice a bus stop outside the school, on this busy arterial road running through Ning Yuan, and my mind began to dwell on the logistics of how she would have been left here.
We returned to the institute to be taken to the local civil affairs office next door to drink some warm water and with Chris' help 'chew the fat' with the director of the welfare institute and the assistant director of the civil affairs department. We talked about kids and the similarities between our lives and countries and they then took us to lunch. The food was simple but appeared to be traditional Húnán, it was a little spicy and a whole lot delicious, and we sat, ate, talked, ate more, drank, toasted and ate even more for some time. The Chinese food culture and dynamic was becoming very clear, and as much as my Mandarin was not progressing very well, my cultural understanding was increasing exponentially.
Although our visit to the institute could have been very two dimensional, the staff and children, the sights and smells and the cultural insight had created a very colorful and vivid memory. One that I hope will support our daughter's understanding of who she is, so she can be more positive about her past and the people who looked after her when she needed them.
第7天是2016年12月22日 - 第1部分。
第7天是2016年12月22日，这是我们计划旅行的一天，那里是没有压力！
只有我们的女儿吃早餐，不是因为我们紧张，而是前一天晚上我们已吃了很多。我花了一些时间写下一些问题，一点紧张地等待家人上完厕所后，克里斯告诉我们，主任已经抵达，要带我们去福利院。
我们收拾好所有的礼物，我们的旧衣服、一些笔和纸，我们就出发了。路途很短，虽然宁远的街道上有通勤的人和交通工具; 其中很多人无助地徘徊看着我们。最后我们开进一条小巷，立刻转移三只四处游荡小狗的注意力。然后很快地左转通过一些门后，我们抵达了那里。
这个建筑物是坚固的混凝土构造，铁条围在窗户上，在入口上方可看见几个金光闪闪的大字，车道环绕一个大型的园景和一个羽毛球网。我们下车，直接上楼到主任办公室坐，他们端茶给我们，把我们带来的手表送给主任作为礼物。民政办公室的副主任和福利院我们女儿的奶妈也加入我们，后来我发现她叫“艾珍云”。后面都会以”艾”称呼她，我们的女儿给了艾一个礼物，民政办公室副主任确认过后交还给她。
透过克里斯翻译，我们开始问些问题，刚开始我们问一些文化和地理问题，逐步地帮助我们更理解宁远人。佛教和儒家思想似乎是主要的信仰体系，豆腐和猪肉球(狮子头)、鸭血豆腐和醋溜仔鸡是他们最喜欢的菜。举重，乒乓球和羽毛球是他们的运动项目，孔子诞辰日、儿童节和观音诞辰日是他们庆典节日。农业香料，花生，大米，蔬菜和烟草是这里主要的作物，这里也有瓷器制造。我们问关于当地的寓言和故事，但他们只展示了一个由福利院的朋友所作的童书。
我们开始问些有关我们的女儿更具体的事，但原先的记录已不可考。她的中文名字来自于永州的永，宁远的宁，因为她是第三个从字典中轮到畅的孩子。她的出生日期是从脐带愈合程度估计，大概是1天或2天的误差范围。一开始有人说她是在四个星期后被抛弃的，我以为那样是例外，但他们告诉我们这是相当正常。她臀部的疤痕，我们原以为是她的原生父母所标记的，但艾检查并解释，那是因为裤子上的绳子摩擦她的皮肤所造成。艾也继续解释，她记得我们的女儿很好，而且在她被领养后她仍保存她的照片一段时间，但是感觉很失落，心烦意乱，就把它给丢了。她记得我们的女儿是一个安静的孩子，不论是走路或站着，总是看着人来人往。她吃了很多，也拉了很多，从来不淘气。但是如果有东西她就往她的嘴里塞。
艾她说得很有感觉，她看起来很真实，有时含着眼泪，也确实很关心我们女儿的每一个举动。福利院有的信息就只有这些，事实上一直到访问结束，他们也没有什么其他有关我们女儿的资料。
然而，当我们正在谈话中，一个孩子进出办公室，从主任的桌子拿了水果，并与我们分享，我们跟着她走到走廊，看到其他孩子四处走着。现在在福利院只有十一个小孩，在2007年时约有200个，所以这景象已是大不相同。现在的重点是老年人。我们沿着走廊进入宿舍参观，并进入看那里孩子的生活，除了有几个头上有头虱外，他们看起来都很健康。我发现有时这样太紧绷了，所以我从我的口袋里拿出三个像水果的无核蜜柑，为那个在主任办公室的孩子耍弄戏法，她笑了笑，笑声一起弥漫开来也缓和了我的紧张。然后她握着我的手，我们继续参观。
过了一会儿，我们回到了停车场，上了主任的车，然后回到宁远的街道上。我们停在共产党学校前面没有太久，下车看看外面的一些混凝土台阶。这是发现我们女儿的地点，她的原生父母认为在那里是离开她比较适合地方，任她由命运摆布，希望他们的孩子未来有一个更好的地方。根据福利院同仁的说法，是有几种可能性，可能他们是住在本地，或更有可能他们是从周围的乡村来到城里工作，出于经济原因，他们才会在这里，在这所学校的台阶上跟她说再见。因为这个公共汽车站牌是在学校旁边，这是条人们通往宁远繁忙的主干道。
我们回到民政办公室，并带我们到隔壁的地方民政办公室喝一些温开水，在克里斯的协助下与福利院主任和民政部助理主任闲话家常。我们谈论孩子和我们的生活，以及国家之间的相似之处，然后他们带我们去吃午饭。食物很简单，但似乎是传统的湖南菜，有点辣，一大堆好吃的，我们坐，吃，说话，吃了很多，喝，烤，甚至吃了很久的时间。我们对中国的食物文化和动态越来越清楚，虽然我的普通话没有很大的进展，但我对文化的理解却正呈指数般增长。
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Day 6 was on the 21st December 2016 and it was raining.
Day 6 was on the 21st December 2016 and it was raining. We started the day by packing, again, and loading a large pink teddy bear into a minibus for our journey to NingYuan. We needed to stop at the civil affairs office in ChangSha to obtain a permit to visit the welfare institute. We had been to this office before, it was the place where our daughter was handed to us on the 26th of February 2007.
This is where Chris came into his own, he had booked the appointment and rung the night before to remind the office we were coming, he steered the staff, as soon as we arrived, into filling out the form and getting the all important stamp. It just remained to hand over the 900￥and we were ready to go, but the familiarity of the building stopped us from leaving. I asked if we could see the room where we sat waiting for our daughter to arrive, where we finally became four. Without question we were guided into an all too familiar room and sat in the same chair looking into the expanse of a now cavernous and quiet space. We viewed pictures of children on the wall and were given warm water to drink and as we left the morning exercise routine for the staff began and the door closed behind us.
The journey to NingYuan took about five hours and cost 4000￥, a very expensive trip but it was the only way to get to the back of beyond and the principal destination of our trip. The weather changed and the sky slowly cleared, the dirty streets of ChangSha became an almost Scotland like countryside, beautiful houses, rolling hills and terraced fields, with lakes and rivers. The most noticeable feature though was the soil, it was a deep rich red, and Chris told us it was good for growing spices and tobacco. It was not until we reached NingYuan that the concrete began again.
The hotel was the Yong Shun holiday hotel and right off the bat we knew it was 'not the Dalton', but it was what it was and we were not here to be pampered. However the banging music up to midnight and the semi clad ladies on the calling cards slipped under the door gave us a clue as to the primary business of this establishment. The windows did not fit the frames and the bedding, although clean, had seen better days.
Chris informed us the director of the welfare institute had organised an evening meal in a local restaurant, so we decided to take a walk beforehand to explore our daughters place of origin, we were the only non Chinese in town. We followed the main road down to the Leng Jiang and watched the river flow by. A man sat washing his vegetables in the flowing river, which initially looked nice, but as we walked upstream and came across an open sewer emptying into the river, it took on a rather different meaning. So we distracted ourselves by admiring a pagoda and playing on the exercise machines on the way back.
The evening meal was huge and six people turned up plus another child, so we were eleven. The director was a small but amiable man, I think a nephew of his was next to him, curiously holding a jerrycan, a stern lay who turned out to be the assistant director of the local civil affairs office, three other ladies and the child. One of these ladies was presented as our daughter's orphanage mother, but more about her later. My feelings of distance began to disappear and we were presented as a family and our daughter was among her own, a child of Húnán.
I was my usual sceptical self, but it was hard to maintain, especially when the jerrycan came into its own as it contained the local hooch and faces began to flush and the talk got louder. I tried to say a few words in Chinese, I know what I wanted to say but who knows how it came out! It was then I realized we were seeing Chinese culture at its finest, food and family. I felt jealous and then sad, as it became clear I had brought many preconceptions to this meal, all of which were wrong.
The only downer was a large plated fish was presented mid banquet and I was told we were very honored as this was a rare local river fish. Our animal welfare roots made it difficult to accept this gift but having visited the local river made it harder to eat.
The director paid for the meal and we arranged to do the same the following night but we would pay to return the gift they had given us that night.
It was interesting to see Chris with a flushed face wobble happily from the restaurant.
第6天是2016年12月21日，下雨。我们再次背起行囊，和把一个大的粉红色泰迪熊装入一辆小巴，今天我们要去宁远。我们必须停在长沙民政办公室，获得访问福利院的许可。我们以前去过这个办公室，这是在2007年2月26日他们把我们的女儿交给我们的地方。
这是克里斯来到自己的地方，他已经预约好了，并在前一天晚上打电话提醒他们说，我们会来到办公室，他指导工作人员，一旦我们到达，填妥表格，获得所有重要的图章。这只须缴交900元人民币，我们准备去福利院，但熟悉的建筑阻止我们离开。我问他们，我们是否可以参观坐在那里等待我们的女儿到达的房间，那是我们终于变成了四个人的地方。毫无疑问地，我们被带领进到那个很熟悉的房间，坐在同一把椅子，看着一个现在篓空和安静的空间。我们看到墙上的孩子们的照片，并给我们一杯温水喝，当我们离开后工作人员的日常晨练才开始，大门也在我们离开后关上。
到宁远的旅程花了大约五个小时，费用4000元，一次非常昂贵的旅行，但它是唯一要到偏远的地方的办法，这是我们这次旅行的主要目的地。天气变了，天空慢慢地清了，从长沙肮脏的街道几乎变成像苏格兰农村，美丽的房子，连绵起伏的丘陵和梯田，湖泊和河流。最明显的特征是土壤，它是一种深红色，克里斯告诉我们，这对于种植香料和烟草是很好的。直到我们到达宁远，才又看到混凝土。
酒店是永舜度假酒店，我们马上就知道这不是道尔顿，但它是什么，我们不是来这里享受的。然而，直到午夜还有轰隆的音乐声，以及可看到一些半裸女士的名片滑落在门下，这给我们提供了关于这家店主要业务的线索。窗户不是很合窗框，床上用品还算干净，但尚可过个几天。
克里斯告诉我们，今晚福利院主任在当地的一家餐馆组织了一顿晚餐，所以我们决定事先散步去，探索我们女儿的出生地，我们是城里唯一的非中国人。我们沿着主干道走到冷江路，顺着河流看去。一个人在流动的河水里坐着洗他的蔬菜，最初看起来不错，但当我们向上游走去，看到一个开放的下水道直接排放到河里，这呈现了相当不同的意义。所以在回来的路上，我们藉着欣赏一座宝塔和玩着运动器具，来分散我们自己的注意力。
晚餐是盛大的，六个人出现再加上一个孩子，加上我们十一个人。主任是一个身高不高但很亲切的人，我认为他的侄子在他旁边，他好奇地拿着罐子，一位严肃的女士，原来是当地民政办公室副主任，其他三个女士和孩子。其中一个女士是代表我们女儿的孤儿院母亲，以后会提到更多关于她。我的距离感开始消失，我们被当作一个家庭介绍我们，而我们女儿则是代表她自己，一个湖南的孩子。
我是我通常怀疑自己，但很难维持，尤其是宴席中他们喝了点酒，加上一喝立即就脸红的当地烈酒和更大声谈话，这样让我放松了不少。我试着说几句中文，我知道我想说什么，但谁知道它是怎么出来的！就在那时我意识到我们正看到中国文化的最高境界-食物和家庭，我感到嫉妒，然后难过，因为很明显地，我先前对于这顿饭，已有先入为主的成见，但所有这一切都错了。
唯一令人沮丧的是一大盘的鱼呈现在宴会中，并告诉我们，这是非常荣幸地以一条当地河里罕见的鱼招待我们。使得身为动物保护成员的我们很难接受这种礼物，尤其看过了当地的河流，使得我们吃起来更加困难。
主任付了这顿饭钱，我们安排在第二天晚上回请他们，以回报他们那天晚上招待我们。
有趣的是，看到克里斯红着的脸从餐厅里快乐地摇晃走出来。
This is where Chris came into his own, he had booked the appointment and rung the night before to remind the office we were coming, he steered the staff, as soon as we arrived, into filling out the form and getting the all important stamp. It just remained to hand over the 900￥and we were ready to go, but the familiarity of the building stopped us from leaving. I asked if we could see the room where we sat waiting for our daughter to arrive, where we finally became four. Without question we were guided into an all too familiar room and sat in the same chair looking into the expanse of a now cavernous and quiet space. We viewed pictures of children on the wall and were given warm water to drink and as we left the morning exercise routine for the staff began and the door closed behind us.
The journey to NingYuan took about five hours and cost 4000￥, a very expensive trip but it was the only way to get to the back of beyond and the principal destination of our trip. The weather changed and the sky slowly cleared, the dirty streets of ChangSha became an almost Scotland like countryside, beautiful houses, rolling hills and terraced fields, with lakes and rivers. The most noticeable feature though was the soil, it was a deep rich red, and Chris told us it was good for growing spices and tobacco. It was not until we reached NingYuan that the concrete began again.
The hotel was the Yong Shun holiday hotel and right off the bat we knew it was 'not the Dalton', but it was what it was and we were not here to be pampered. However the banging music up to midnight and the semi clad ladies on the calling cards slipped under the door gave us a clue as to the primary business of this establishment. The windows did not fit the frames and the bedding, although clean, had seen better days.
Chris informed us the director of the welfare institute had organised an evening meal in a local restaurant, so we decided to take a walk beforehand to explore our daughters place of origin, we were the only non Chinese in town. We followed the main road down to the Leng Jiang and watched the river flow by. A man sat washing his vegetables in the flowing river, which initially looked nice, but as we walked upstream and came across an open sewer emptying into the river, it took on a rather different meaning. So we distracted ourselves by admiring a pagoda and playing on the exercise machines on the way back.
The evening meal was huge and six people turned up plus another child, so we were eleven. The director was a small but amiable man, I think a nephew of his was next to him, curiously holding a jerrycan, a stern lay who turned out to be the assistant director of the local civil affairs office, three other ladies and the child. One of these ladies was presented as our daughter's orphanage mother, but more about her later. My feelings of distance began to disappear and we were presented as a family and our daughter was among her own, a child of Húnán.
I was my usual sceptical self, but it was hard to maintain, especially when the jerrycan came into its own as it contained the local hooch and faces began to flush and the talk got louder. I tried to say a few words in Chinese, I know what I wanted to say but who knows how it came out! It was then I realized we were seeing Chinese culture at its finest, food and family. I felt jealous and then sad, as it became clear I had brought many preconceptions to this meal, all of which were wrong.
The only downer was a large plated fish was presented mid banquet and I was told we were very honored as this was a rare local river fish. Our animal welfare roots made it difficult to accept this gift but having visited the local river made it harder to eat.
The director paid for the meal and we arranged to do the same the following night but we would pay to return the gift they had given us that night.
It was interesting to see Chris with a flushed face wobble happily from the restaurant.
第6天是2016年12月21日，下雨。我们再次背起行囊，和把一个大的粉红色泰迪熊装入一辆小巴，今天我们要去宁远。我们必须停在长沙民政办公室，获得访问福利院的许可。我们以前去过这个办公室，这是在2007年2月26日他们把我们的女儿交给我们的地方。
这是克里斯来到自己的地方，他已经预约好了，并在前一天晚上打电话提醒他们说，我们会来到办公室，他指导工作人员，一旦我们到达，填妥表格，获得所有重要的图章。这只须缴交900元人民币，我们准备去福利院，但熟悉的建筑阻止我们离开。我问他们，我们是否可以参观坐在那里等待我们的女儿到达的房间，那是我们终于变成了四个人的地方。毫无疑问地，我们被带领进到那个很熟悉的房间，坐在同一把椅子，看着一个现在篓空和安静的空间。我们看到墙上的孩子们的照片，并给我们一杯温水喝，当我们离开后工作人员的日常晨练才开始，大门也在我们离开后关上。
到宁远的旅程花了大约五个小时，费用4000元，一次非常昂贵的旅行，但它是唯一要到偏远的地方的办法，这是我们这次旅行的主要目的地。天气变了，天空慢慢地清了，从长沙肮脏的街道几乎变成像苏格兰农村，美丽的房子，连绵起伏的丘陵和梯田，湖泊和河流。最明显的特征是土壤，它是一种深红色，克里斯告诉我们，这对于种植香料和烟草是很好的。直到我们到达宁远，才又看到混凝土。
酒店是永舜度假酒店，我们马上就知道这不是道尔顿，但它是什么，我们不是来这里享受的。然而，直到午夜还有轰隆的音乐声，以及可看到一些半裸女士的名片滑落在门下，这给我们提供了关于这家店主要业务的线索。窗户不是很合窗框，床上用品还算干净，但尚可过个几天。
克里斯告诉我们，今晚福利院主任在当地的一家餐馆组织了一顿晚餐，所以我们决定事先散步去，探索我们女儿的出生地，我们是城里唯一的非中国人。我们沿着主干道走到冷江路，顺着河流看去。一个人在流动的河水里坐着洗他的蔬菜，最初看起来不错，但当我们向上游走去，看到一个开放的下水道直接排放到河里，这呈现了相当不同的意义。所以在回来的路上，我们藉着欣赏一座宝塔和玩着运动器具，来分散我们自己的注意力。
晚餐是盛大的，六个人出现再加上一个孩子，加上我们十一个人。主任是一个身高不高但很亲切的人，我认为他的侄子在他旁边，他好奇地拿着罐子，一位严肃的女士，原来是当地民政办公室副主任，其他三个女士和孩子。其中一个女士是代表我们女儿的孤儿院母亲，以后会提到更多关于她。我的距离感开始消失，我们被当作一个家庭介绍我们，而我们女儿则是代表她自己，一个湖南的孩子。
我是我通常怀疑自己，但很难维持，尤其是宴席中他们喝了点酒，加上一喝立即就脸红的当地烈酒和更大声谈话，这样让我放松了不少。我试着说几句中文，我知道我想说什么，但谁知道它是怎么出来的！就在那时我意识到我们正看到中国文化的最高境界-食物和家庭，我感到嫉妒，然后难过，因为很明显地，我先前对于这顿饭，已有先入为主的成见，但所有这一切都错了。
唯一令人沮丧的是一大盘的鱼呈现在宴会中，并告诉我们，这是非常荣幸地以一条当地河里罕见的鱼招待我们。使得身为动物保护成员的我们很难接受这种礼物，尤其看过了当地的河流，使得我们吃起来更加困难。
主任付了这顿饭钱，我们安排在第二天晚上回请他们，以回报他们那天晚上招待我们。
有趣的是，看到克里斯红着的脸从餐厅里快乐地摇晃走出来。
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
10 years ago
On the 25th February 2007 we flew from BeiJing to ChangSha and settled into the Dalton hotel, this was our first visit. I can only look back at my notes from that time as the specifics have faded and they read as follows:
26th February 2007 - breakfast was a nervous affair, tables of worried parents picked nervously at their food, we were among them. The evening meal was very different as we had a hungry little girl hell bent on eating everything.
She cried and cried to begin with and who could have blamed her, she was suddenly moved from the familiar to the unfamiliar. She was packed in three layers of clothes and placed in the arms of strangers, bundled onto a coach and whisked away. I stripped off some of her clothes on the coach, as the perspiration was dripping from her head, and opened a window to allow some air to enter into her new life.
It is such a privilege to be a parent and we are privileged to welcome our new daughter into our lives. Part of today was frightening and I was resentful of the mechanical conveyor-belt-like handover. It did not detract from the immediate desire to look after this child, to hold her, to reassure her, to make her life better. The feeling of bond and love was undeniable, she was our daughter, biological or not. I had not expected this quite so soon, but here we were, three were now four.
Our son, who was seven at the time had isolated and cried a lot, he burst today and said 'I have been waiting for two years'. We involved him in many of the chores when we returned to the Dalton, bathing, feeding and entertaining. I was sure he would be a good big brother.
27th February 2007 - in the pool, communicating with no common language, walking, laughing, the brother and sister dynamic, and ChangSha in the rain.
28th February 2007 - brought a stroller from Walmart and went swimming before breakfast.
The 'clothes police' caught us on the street, Chinese women of a certain age who 'know better', sat and made as if cold whilst we were on our way to the park. They dress their babies as if it were arctic conditions and chastise anyone who does otherwise.
1st March 2007 - our daughter was doing very well and her ability to adapt was outstanding. She did poo on the carpet, but hey, nobody's perfect! She was walking and vocalizing well and the brother/sister rapport was going well.
I think it was worth mentioning these notes as it helps put the visit to ChangSha into context, especially the hotel, pool and Walmart. What we did not do or see on the first visit was the orphanage and that was where we were off to next.
26th February 2007 - breakfast was a nervous affair, tables of worried parents picked nervously at their food, we were among them. The evening meal was very different as we had a hungry little girl hell bent on eating everything.
She cried and cried to begin with and who could have blamed her, she was suddenly moved from the familiar to the unfamiliar. She was packed in three layers of clothes and placed in the arms of strangers, bundled onto a coach and whisked away. I stripped off some of her clothes on the coach, as the perspiration was dripping from her head, and opened a window to allow some air to enter into her new life.
It is such a privilege to be a parent and we are privileged to welcome our new daughter into our lives. Part of today was frightening and I was resentful of the mechanical conveyor-belt-like handover. It did not detract from the immediate desire to look after this child, to hold her, to reassure her, to make her life better. The feeling of bond and love was undeniable, she was our daughter, biological or not. I had not expected this quite so soon, but here we were, three were now four.
Our son, who was seven at the time had isolated and cried a lot, he burst today and said 'I have been waiting for two years'. We involved him in many of the chores when we returned to the Dalton, bathing, feeding and entertaining. I was sure he would be a good big brother.
27th February 2007 - in the pool, communicating with no common language, walking, laughing, the brother and sister dynamic, and ChangSha in the rain.
28th February 2007 - brought a stroller from Walmart and went swimming before breakfast.
The 'clothes police' caught us on the street, Chinese women of a certain age who 'know better', sat and made as if cold whilst we were on our way to the park. They dress their babies as if it were arctic conditions and chastise anyone who does otherwise.
1st March 2007 - our daughter was doing very well and her ability to adapt was outstanding. She did poo on the carpet, but hey, nobody's perfect! She was walking and vocalizing well and the brother/sister rapport was going well.
I think it was worth mentioning these notes as it helps put the visit to ChangSha into context, especially the hotel, pool and Walmart. What we did not do or see on the first visit was the orphanage and that was where we were off to next.
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Day 5 was the 20th December 2016
Day 5 was the 20th December 2016 and today was not only the transit from SuZhou to ChangSha but also the end of the first part of our trip. We had wanted to see and enjoy China but we knew there was a business element and that started now. I was happy to come to China but it was our daughters choice to return to the orphanage she came from, the area of China her biological family came from and the people who would recognize her as 湖南人 - Húnán rén - a person from Hunan province.
Now, to help understand why I post as 'the village idiot' it needs to be understood that whilst I know Hú means lake and Nán means south, I had not realized Húnán meant to the south of the lake. I took a much wiser Taiwanese man to point that fact out! With 湖北 being the province to the north of the lake, as 北 - běi - means north. For interest the lake in question is DongTing on the Yángzǐjiāng - or Yangtze river.
Today we were again travelling by train and this was a much longer journey; some five hours. So we packed up, took a taxi to SuZhou north station and waiting in a very crowded waiting room for an hour. Snacks and coke arrived and we watched rush hour SuZhou, I did not use the station toilet but those who did returned with the 1000 mile stare!
The journey was literally fast, with the train exceeding 305 kph. A little sign at the end of the carriage kept us informed of the time, the speed and the next station and I followed our journey on a map of China. We passed through Nánjīng and before we knew it the train stopped at it's terminal station ChangSha - Zhǎngshā - 长沙.
We were now in Húnán and we got down to business straight away, the taxi took us to Walmart. I have been to the Walmart in ChangSha before, ten years ago give or take a few weeks, to buy a new stroller for our newly adopted daughter. This visit was courtesy of my family who had foregone Christmas presents to allow us to donate some gifts to the welfare institute as a bigger gift to begin the process of saying thank you for our beautiful daughter, niece, cousin and grand daughter.
Walmart looked and felt the same, small live animals swam around in tanks awaiting their fate, piles of unfamiliar food packages graced every corner and clothing with odd western slogans hung from racks. I do not know who makes up the slogans but they really need a few lessons in English. We purchased sweets, clothes, blankets, books, hot water bottles and an enormous pink teddy bear. We had brought some gifts from the UK, donated by my wife's friends and colleagues, to add to this pile, so all in all we had a substantial, and to us meaningful, gift to take with us.
As a footnote, thank you all for foregoing a Christmas present and/or donating to this, it really had a special resonance when we handed this lot over.
I also had been given a watch from my father and we managed to get a replacement battery in Walmart, this was destined as a gift for the director of the institute. Chris asked me how much it cost but I did not know, so in true Chinese fashion he asked the watchmaker and a smile appeared on his face, 'This is a very generous gift' Chris said staring at the watch.
We packed everything in the taxi and headed to the Dalton, again a familiar place from our first visit. We checked in to this resplendent hotel and sat looking at our pile of 'stuff' stacked in our room. We packed it up had some tea, donned our swimming costumes and headed for the pool. A pool we had rather cruelly plonked our daughter in ten years before, with her new big nosed parents, and expected her to enjoy herself. We did exactly the same things, we played 'sea horse' and splashed around and I felt as though no time had passed at all, the same laugh rang around the hollow space.
The sauna was also the same, so off I went, inside were a couple of ladies and a young girl, and she made a comment, in Chinese, about my belly. I understood and patted my belly and replied in Chinese. She stood wide eyed and then started rattling off questions to her mother. My wife and daughter came in and, in Chinese, I introduced then as such. The lady next to me spoke in English and I tried to respond in Chinese, I was communicating in Mandarin, it worked and it felt amazing.
The young girl latched onto our daughter and almost immediately began to call her Jiejie or older sister. It was right there and then she looked and felt truly Chinese, she initially looked bewildered and I had to answer some quick fire questions. I cannot imagine how that must have felt, whether it was amazing, scary or both. Either way I could see on her face that the reality of the situation had hit home, she was home. And, our daughter spoke, a little, Mandarin, in a meaningful way, that made her dad very proud.
I can hypothesize all I like as to what this will mean, I do not know if this is a gift or will become a problem as she gets older. I know there will be more questions, questions I have no answers for. How will we ever know, I guess you will need to ask her in 50 years time. But here we were among her Húnán family. The China she could not remember was now staring at her, asking her questions, she now needed to take the reigns and lead her parents on the next part of this journey.
I might be over dramatizing but in my journal I wrote: home, not home - family, not family - people, not people - country, not country. I think I know what I meant but now I am not so sure.
第5天是2016年12月20日，今天不仅是从苏州到长沙，也是我们旅行的第一部分结束。我们本来想看看以及享受中国之旅，但我们知道那里还有一些正事要做，而且从现在开始，我很高兴来到中国，而这是我们女儿选择回到她来自的孤儿院，她原生家庭的中国地区，和认得她是湖南人的湖南省人。
现在我来说明帮助你了解，为什么我以'村庄愚人'发文，这需要被理解的是，虽然我知道”湖南”的湖指的是湖，”湖南”的南是南方的意思，但我没有意识到”湖南”意味着在湖的南部。 我从一个更聪明的台湾人那里知道！ 湖北是湖的北方的省，有趣的是这个湖是在长江上游的洞庭湖。
今天，我们再次乘火车旅行，这是一个更长的旅程; 大约五个小时。 所以我们打包收拾好行李，坐出租车到苏州北站，在一个非常拥挤的候车室等了一个小时。 卖小吃和可乐的经过我们，我们看到苏州忙碌的高峰时间，我没有使用车站厕所，但由他们从厕所回来时目瞪口呆的眼神就知道！
这个旅程真的很快，火车超过每小时305公里。在车厢后面有一个小显示器(跑马灯)让我们知道时间、速度和下一站，我在中国地图上对照我们的旅程。我们通过南京，我们知道火车将停在它的终点站长沙。
我们现在在湖南，一下火车我们立即就开始进行我们的正事，出租车把我们带到了沃尔玛。 我去过长沙的沃尔玛，大概就在十年前这个时候的前后几个星期左右，为我们新收养的女儿买了一辆新的婴儿车。这次拜访带来了我家人的心意，在仪式一开始时，为感谢你们给了我们一个美丽的女儿、侄女、堂妹和孙女，他们放弃了他们的圣诞礼物，让我们能够捐一些礼物给福利院，当作一个更大的礼物。
沃尔玛看起来和感觉中的一样，在那里可看到，活生生的小动物在槽里游着等待他们的命运，成堆的不熟悉的食物包装堆放在每个角落，还有一些带有奇怪的西方标语的衣服挂在架子上。我不知道那是谁作的标语，但他们真的需要加强他们的英文。我们购买了糖果，衣服，毯子，书籍，热水瓶和一个巨大的粉红色的玩具熊。我们从英国带来了一些礼物，由我妻子的朋友和同事捐赠，再加这一堆，所以总言而之，我们带来一些实质需要的物品，也带来了对我们有意义的礼物。
附注，感谢大家前述的圣诞礼物或捐赠，当我们转交这些礼物时，这真的有着特殊的共鸣。
我的父亲也给了我一个手表，我们设法在沃尔玛更换电池，这是指定送给福利院主任的礼物。 克里斯问我花了多少钱，但我不知道，因此以真正中国人的做法，在他问过钟表师后，克里斯盯着手表，他的脸上露出笑容地说，“这是一个非常慷慨的礼物”。
我们把所有的东西放在出租车里，然后直往道尔顿，这是我们第一次来住过熟悉的地方。 我们入住这家金碧辉煌的酒店，我们正坐看着堆在我们房间里的东西。 我们打包好，喝了点茶，穿上我们的游泳衣，去游泳池游泳。在十年前我们相当残忍地将我们的女儿放到游泳池，与她新的大鼻子父母一起，并期望她自娱自乐。 我们的确做了完全相同的事情，我们玩起“海马”，四处溅起水花，我感觉好像时间一点也没有过去，同样的笑声回荡在空荡荡的空间。
桑拿也是一样的，我去过那里，里面有几个女士和一个年轻的女孩，她用中文对我的肚子做了一个评论，我了解并拍拍我的肚子，用中文回答。她睁大眼睛，然后一口气问了她妈妈一些问题。我的妻子和女儿进来了，我用中文介绍。在我旁边的那个女士用英语说话，我试着用中文回答，我可以用普通话沟通，这感觉很好。
年轻的女孩紧跟着我们的女儿，几乎一开始就叫她姐姐。就在那里，那时她看起来像是真正的中国人，一开始她看起来手足无措，我不得不回答一些一连串的问题。 我无法想象这是什么感觉，无论是惊讶，害怕或两者都有。无论哪种方式，我可以从她的脸上看出来，事实上她已经回家了。而且，我们的女儿以有意义的方式说了一点普通话，这使得作为她老爸的我非常自豪。
我可以假设所有我想要的，但至于这将会如何，当她年纪渐长时，我不知道这是否是一个礼物，或将变成一个问题。我知道会有更多的问题，问题是我没有答案。我们怎么会知道，我猜你将需要在50年后问她。但是在这里，我们是她的湖南家人。她不记得的中国现在正盯着她，问她问题，她现在需要自行去掌握，以及带领她的父母走接下来的旅程。
我可能过度戏剧化，但在我的日志我写道：家，不是家- 家人，不是家人 - 人，也不是人 - 国家，也不是国家。我想我知道我的意思，但现在我不太确定。
Now, to help understand why I post as 'the village idiot' it needs to be understood that whilst I know Hú means lake and Nán means south, I had not realized Húnán meant to the south of the lake. I took a much wiser Taiwanese man to point that fact out! With 湖北 being the province to the north of the lake, as 北 - běi - means north. For interest the lake in question is DongTing on the Yángzǐjiāng - or Yangtze river.
Today we were again travelling by train and this was a much longer journey; some five hours. So we packed up, took a taxi to SuZhou north station and waiting in a very crowded waiting room for an hour. Snacks and coke arrived and we watched rush hour SuZhou, I did not use the station toilet but those who did returned with the 1000 mile stare!
The journey was literally fast, with the train exceeding 305 kph. A little sign at the end of the carriage kept us informed of the time, the speed and the next station and I followed our journey on a map of China. We passed through Nánjīng and before we knew it the train stopped at it's terminal station ChangSha - Zhǎngshā - 长沙.
We were now in Húnán and we got down to business straight away, the taxi took us to Walmart. I have been to the Walmart in ChangSha before, ten years ago give or take a few weeks, to buy a new stroller for our newly adopted daughter. This visit was courtesy of my family who had foregone Christmas presents to allow us to donate some gifts to the welfare institute as a bigger gift to begin the process of saying thank you for our beautiful daughter, niece, cousin and grand daughter.
Walmart looked and felt the same, small live animals swam around in tanks awaiting their fate, piles of unfamiliar food packages graced every corner and clothing with odd western slogans hung from racks. I do not know who makes up the slogans but they really need a few lessons in English. We purchased sweets, clothes, blankets, books, hot water bottles and an enormous pink teddy bear. We had brought some gifts from the UK, donated by my wife's friends and colleagues, to add to this pile, so all in all we had a substantial, and to us meaningful, gift to take with us.
As a footnote, thank you all for foregoing a Christmas present and/or donating to this, it really had a special resonance when we handed this lot over.
I also had been given a watch from my father and we managed to get a replacement battery in Walmart, this was destined as a gift for the director of the institute. Chris asked me how much it cost but I did not know, so in true Chinese fashion he asked the watchmaker and a smile appeared on his face, 'This is a very generous gift' Chris said staring at the watch.
We packed everything in the taxi and headed to the Dalton, again a familiar place from our first visit. We checked in to this resplendent hotel and sat looking at our pile of 'stuff' stacked in our room. We packed it up had some tea, donned our swimming costumes and headed for the pool. A pool we had rather cruelly plonked our daughter in ten years before, with her new big nosed parents, and expected her to enjoy herself. We did exactly the same things, we played 'sea horse' and splashed around and I felt as though no time had passed at all, the same laugh rang around the hollow space.
The sauna was also the same, so off I went, inside were a couple of ladies and a young girl, and she made a comment, in Chinese, about my belly. I understood and patted my belly and replied in Chinese. She stood wide eyed and then started rattling off questions to her mother. My wife and daughter came in and, in Chinese, I introduced then as such. The lady next to me spoke in English and I tried to respond in Chinese, I was communicating in Mandarin, it worked and it felt amazing.
The young girl latched onto our daughter and almost immediately began to call her Jiejie or older sister. It was right there and then she looked and felt truly Chinese, she initially looked bewildered and I had to answer some quick fire questions. I cannot imagine how that must have felt, whether it was amazing, scary or both. Either way I could see on her face that the reality of the situation had hit home, she was home. And, our daughter spoke, a little, Mandarin, in a meaningful way, that made her dad very proud.
I can hypothesize all I like as to what this will mean, I do not know if this is a gift or will become a problem as she gets older. I know there will be more questions, questions I have no answers for. How will we ever know, I guess you will need to ask her in 50 years time. But here we were among her Húnán family. The China she could not remember was now staring at her, asking her questions, she now needed to take the reigns and lead her parents on the next part of this journey.
I might be over dramatizing but in my journal I wrote: home, not home - family, not family - people, not people - country, not country. I think I know what I meant but now I am not so sure.
第5天是2016年12月20日，今天不仅是从苏州到长沙，也是我们旅行的第一部分结束。我们本来想看看以及享受中国之旅，但我们知道那里还有一些正事要做，而且从现在开始，我很高兴来到中国，而这是我们女儿选择回到她来自的孤儿院，她原生家庭的中国地区，和认得她是湖南人的湖南省人。
现在我来说明帮助你了解，为什么我以'村庄愚人'发文，这需要被理解的是，虽然我知道”湖南”的湖指的是湖，”湖南”的南是南方的意思，但我没有意识到”湖南”意味着在湖的南部。 我从一个更聪明的台湾人那里知道！ 湖北是湖的北方的省，有趣的是这个湖是在长江上游的洞庭湖。
今天，我们再次乘火车旅行，这是一个更长的旅程; 大约五个小时。 所以我们打包收拾好行李，坐出租车到苏州北站，在一个非常拥挤的候车室等了一个小时。 卖小吃和可乐的经过我们，我们看到苏州忙碌的高峰时间，我没有使用车站厕所，但由他们从厕所回来时目瞪口呆的眼神就知道！
这个旅程真的很快，火车超过每小时305公里。在车厢后面有一个小显示器(跑马灯)让我们知道时间、速度和下一站，我在中国地图上对照我们的旅程。我们通过南京，我们知道火车将停在它的终点站长沙。
我们现在在湖南，一下火车我们立即就开始进行我们的正事，出租车把我们带到了沃尔玛。 我去过长沙的沃尔玛，大概就在十年前这个时候的前后几个星期左右，为我们新收养的女儿买了一辆新的婴儿车。这次拜访带来了我家人的心意，在仪式一开始时，为感谢你们给了我们一个美丽的女儿、侄女、堂妹和孙女，他们放弃了他们的圣诞礼物，让我们能够捐一些礼物给福利院，当作一个更大的礼物。
沃尔玛看起来和感觉中的一样，在那里可看到，活生生的小动物在槽里游着等待他们的命运，成堆的不熟悉的食物包装堆放在每个角落，还有一些带有奇怪的西方标语的衣服挂在架子上。我不知道那是谁作的标语，但他们真的需要加强他们的英文。我们购买了糖果，衣服，毯子，书籍，热水瓶和一个巨大的粉红色的玩具熊。我们从英国带来了一些礼物，由我妻子的朋友和同事捐赠，再加这一堆，所以总言而之，我们带来一些实质需要的物品，也带来了对我们有意义的礼物。
附注，感谢大家前述的圣诞礼物或捐赠，当我们转交这些礼物时，这真的有着特殊的共鸣。
我的父亲也给了我一个手表，我们设法在沃尔玛更换电池，这是指定送给福利院主任的礼物。 克里斯问我花了多少钱，但我不知道，因此以真正中国人的做法，在他问过钟表师后，克里斯盯着手表，他的脸上露出笑容地说，“这是一个非常慷慨的礼物”。
我们把所有的东西放在出租车里，然后直往道尔顿，这是我们第一次来住过熟悉的地方。 我们入住这家金碧辉煌的酒店，我们正坐看着堆在我们房间里的东西。 我们打包好，喝了点茶，穿上我们的游泳衣，去游泳池游泳。在十年前我们相当残忍地将我们的女儿放到游泳池，与她新的大鼻子父母一起，并期望她自娱自乐。 我们的确做了完全相同的事情，我们玩起“海马”，四处溅起水花，我感觉好像时间一点也没有过去，同样的笑声回荡在空荡荡的空间。
桑拿也是一样的，我去过那里，里面有几个女士和一个年轻的女孩，她用中文对我的肚子做了一个评论，我了解并拍拍我的肚子，用中文回答。她睁大眼睛，然后一口气问了她妈妈一些问题。我的妻子和女儿进来了，我用中文介绍。在我旁边的那个女士用英语说话，我试着用中文回答，我可以用普通话沟通，这感觉很好。
年轻的女孩紧跟着我们的女儿，几乎一开始就叫她姐姐。就在那里，那时她看起来像是真正的中国人，一开始她看起来手足无措，我不得不回答一些一连串的问题。 我无法想象这是什么感觉，无论是惊讶，害怕或两者都有。无论哪种方式，我可以从她的脸上看出来，事实上她已经回家了。而且，我们的女儿以有意义的方式说了一点普通话，这使得作为她老爸的我非常自豪。
我可以假设所有我想要的，但至于这将会如何，当她年纪渐长时，我不知道这是否是一个礼物，或将变成一个问题。我知道会有更多的问题，问题是我没有答案。我们怎么会知道，我猜你将需要在50年后问她。但是在这里，我们是她的湖南家人。她不记得的中国现在正盯着她，问她问题，她现在需要自行去掌握，以及带领她的父母走接下来的旅程。
我可能过度戏剧化，但在我的日志我写道：家，不是家- 家人，不是家人 - 人，也不是人 - 国家，也不是国家。我想我知道我的意思，但现在我不太确定。
Monday, January 2, 2017
WiFi
Communication home from within China was mainly by email as most of the hotels had free WiFi. I was warned, and it was wholly accurate, that access to Google, Twitter and the likes of Facebook was difficult, if not impossible. As I am a Google user I was forced to use and old AOL address and this proved an effective way to communicate. Downloading pictures was limited but again with perseverance we managed to keep the family and friends up to speed with our trip. The internet search options on my devices was changed to Yahoo and this allowed some searching to be performed. The locals seemed to be using VPN options but I stayed with the simple stuff I knew.
I did take a large number of photographs and as with digital photography deleted many as I went, but can only recommend take plenty of the explanatory signs as they help with memories and understanding in the quieter moments. I learned a great deal from doing this as we often got caught in the wave of people and information was missed.
This was not the case in Hong Kong where everything went back to normal.
在中国国内和家人的联系主要是用电子邮件，因为大多数酒店有免费的WiFi。，有人警告我说，访问谷歌，Twitter和Facebook之类的是很困难的，这是完全正确的。但这也不是不可能的，由于我是Google用户，我被迫使用旧的AOL地址，证明这是一种有效的沟通方式。下载图片是被限制的，但一再坚持想办法让我们在旅程中和家人、朋友们保持联系，我的手机的网络搜索选项被更改成Yahoo，这可允许执行一些搜索。 当地人似乎使用VPN选项，但是我仍使用我所知道的简单东西。
当我走过的地方，我拍了很多的照片和数位摄影，也删除了许多，我只能建议必须做许多的标注，帮助你在安静的时刻回忆和搞清楚照片。我从做这件事学到很多，因为我们经常陷入人潮，信息被遗漏。
在香港情况并非如此，一切都恢复正常。
I did take a large number of photographs and as with digital photography deleted many as I went, but can only recommend take plenty of the explanatory signs as they help with memories and understanding in the quieter moments. I learned a great deal from doing this as we often got caught in the wave of people and information was missed.
This was not the case in Hong Kong where everything went back to normal.
在中国国内和家人的联系主要是用电子邮件，因为大多数酒店有免费的WiFi。，有人警告我说，访问谷歌，Twitter和Facebook之类的是很困难的，这是完全正确的。但这也不是不可能的，由于我是Google用户，我被迫使用旧的AOL地址，证明这是一种有效的沟通方式。下载图片是被限制的，但一再坚持想办法让我们在旅程中和家人、朋友们保持联系，我的手机的网络搜索选项被更改成Yahoo，这可允许执行一些搜索。 当地人似乎使用VPN选项，但是我仍使用我所知道的简单东西。
当我走过的地方，我拍了很多的照片和数位摄影，也删除了许多，我只能建议必须做许多的标注，帮助你在安静的时刻回忆和搞清楚照片。我从做这件事学到很多，因为我们经常陷入人潮，信息被遗漏。
在香港情况并非如此，一切都恢复正常。
Day 4 was the 19th December 2016 - màn màn chī and chī bǎole
Day 4 was the 19th December 2016 and we were up early, packed, breakfasted and in a taxi to Shanghai train station for the 09.00 to SuZhou. The use of trains for the majority of internal travelling was a conscious decision to allow us to see a China we would not see from plane hopping. It turned out to be the right decision despite the concerns raised by many about the busy and chaotic stations.
The use of Gao Tie (fast trains) was also inspired making the longer journeys more manageable and allowing us to spend more time at the destinations of choice. Also at 39.5￥ each, for this journey, it made good financial sense. The benefits of having Chris along was he did the ordering, buying and initially the shepherding in the station, we just did the travelling. As time went on we became more confident and the chaos and interpretation of the platform and timing hoardings became easier.
The only issue on this journey was the use of a squat toilet on a moving train, need I say more?
We arrived at SuZhou and were plonked into a taxi and off we went to the Overseas Chinese hotel, as this was only for one night we did not unpack but just grabbed some tea and snacks and got straight back into another taxi to spend some time in a formal garden. It is worth mentioning we saw a Kingfisher perched on a tree in the hotel gardens, a rare treat for us and it felt quite auspicious.
Here I would like to add a little advice. The use of taxis were not really a luxury but a necessary mode of transport, during our visit we used tube or underground trains very effectively but taxis were plentiful and on the whole cheap. However, there are taxis and taxis, the SuZhou taxis we used to get to and from The Humble Administrator's garden were the latter. No seatbelts, a cage around the driver, noisy, smelly, fast to the point of risky and to our daughters disgust the driver wound down the window at one point and spat! Personally I thought it was fantastic!
The Humble Administrator's garden cost around 70￥for an adult and was a perfect antidote to the hustle and bustle we had experienced thus far. I sat in a formal tea house and drank green tea, another of my must do's in China, it was perfect. We walked around the gardens and although out of season it remained a glorious spectacle. There we lakes and swathes of bonsai, quintessentially Chinese buildings and architecture, paths and corridors through aromatic bushes and trees, sculptures and art. Chris seemed keen to get round and get to another garden but we wanted to enjoy one properly, so we slowed the pace and got him to sit with us in the sun as we wrote postcards home.
This caused a bit of a spectacle and some Chinese men gathered to watch this strange ritual, I managed to exchange some words and they seemed happy I was a bit of an English eccentric writing illegibly on pieces of card.
This was the first time I had had to reflect on our journey so far and I began to wonder how we were being viewed by the Chinese, odd I expect! I think to this point I had seen a busy, modern version of China, full of smog and bling, not the tea drinking philosophical version in my head. The divide was reinforced in the exploration of the food culture, we are eat and go people, the Chinese sit and eat for hours, talking, socializing, doing business, and drinking; more of that later.
If there was one thing from today, it was I needed to focus more time and energy after our return on learning Mandarin properly, not just for me but to support our daughter in getting this essential language into her life. My use of this language was poor, I could get my meaning across but responses were hard to fathom and my blank stares were causing frustration. However my cultural understanding was improving rapidly, I could see the gaps but also the bridges.
I purchased a new tea mug on the way out. My concerns about it getting broken in transit were assuaged as the lady who sold it to me stood in it to show it strength. I was notably impressed!
My cash reserves were used up on our return to the hotel as we paid Chris for the train tickets for the whole trip and the days taxis.
Shanghai to Suzhou was 133.5￥ for the three of us, SuZhou to ChangSha 1305￥ and Guilin to ShenZhen 636￥, plus a booking fee of 15￥ for each journey. Added to this was 200￥ plus 200￥plus 60￥ for taxis.
I was now going to have to rely on the old credit card, again, more about that later!
第4天是2016年12月19日-慢慢吃和吃饱了
第4天是2016年12月19日，我们很早起，打包行李，吃完早餐，坐出租车到上海火车站搭09:00火车到苏州。我们大部分的国内旅游都坐火车，这是一项明智的决定，这样可以让我们看看中国，而不是只从飞机上跳瞰。尽管许多人建议我们必须考虑车站的繁忙和混乱，但事实证明这是正确的决定。
高铁（快速铁路）的运用也可以让旅行多一些弹性，时速到达300公里/小时使长途旅行更易于掌控，并让我们到目的地有更多的时间。此外每人39.5元，对这次旅程也很经济实惠。在我们旅途中有克里斯随行的好处，是他可以在车站协助预订车票、购物和引导，让我们可以纯粹享受旅行。随着时间的前进，我们变得越来越有自信，经由说明月台和车班时间显示板，这一切的混乱就变得更加容易一些。
在这旅程中唯一问题，是在行驶中的火车上使用蹲式的厕所，这需要我多说吗？
我们抵达苏州，坐进一辆出租车和然后直往华侨酒店，因为只住一晚，我们没有不要解开行李，只随意吃了一些茶点，又直接回到另一辆出租车，目的为了可多花点时间来看一座正式的园林。值得一提的是，我们看到一只翠鸟栖息在酒店花园的一棵树上，这对我们来说感到珍贵的是，它让人感觉很吉祥。
这里我想补充一点建议，使用出租车并不是为了奢华，而是一种交通需要，我们造访期间，使用捷运或搭乘地铁是非常有效率的，这里出租车很多，而且整体价格相当便宜。那里到处都是出租车，用来往返拙政园到苏州，不过我们坐上一辆较差的出租车。出租车里没有安全带，一个笼子把司机围在里面，嘈杂，臭，速度快到危险的地步，我们的女儿厌恶司机把车窗摇下一点向窗外吐痰！但我个人认为那才是真正的中国！
拙政园的门票一位成人要 70 元，对我们到目前为止所经历的熙熙攘攘，这是一种很完美解方(药)。另外一个我在中国所要做的事情，是坐在一个正式的茶馆喝着绿茶，这是很赞的。我们走在园林的周围，虽然是季节不对，但它仍然保持着极好的景色。那里我们可以欣赏湖景和大片的盆景、经典建筑物和结构、 小径、通往芳香灌木和树丛、 雕塑和艺术的走廊。克里斯似乎很想赶快逛完这一个到另一个园林，但我们完全想要慢慢享受一个园林，所以我们放慢脚步，当我们写明信片回家时，他和我们一起坐在阳光底下。
这造成了一点奇观，一些中国人聚集在一起观看这个奇怪的仪式，我设法与他们沟通，他们似乎很高兴地看着我，写一些难以辨认的歪斜英文字在几张卡片上。
这是第一次我不得不反思我们到目前为止的旅程，我开始想知道我们是怎么被中国人看待，我推想一定是奇特的！我认为在这点上我见过的中国，充满了烟雾和金光闪闪，繁忙的现代版本，而不是在我的脑海中饮茶哲学的版本。这鸿沟增强我在饮食文化的探索，我们算是吃得很快的人，但中国人一吃坐了几个小时，说话，社交，做生意和喝酒；或者更多。
如果有一件事从今天起要做，那就是在我们回家后需要集中更多的时间和精力在学习正确的普通话，不仅仅是为了我，而是为了支持我们的女儿，让这种基本的语言进入她的生活。我的普通话还不太好，我的意思可以被人理解，但别人的回应却让我难以捉摸，我茫然应对让我很挫折。然而我对文化的理解正迅速提升，我不但可以看到缺口，也看到如何通过的桥梁。
我在出来的路上买了一个新的茶杯。我担心它在运输过程中被打破了，但卖给我的那女士站在那里展现它的强度。我对它特别有印象 ！
当我们回到酒店，支付克里斯我们整个行程的火车票和出租车的钱后，我的储备现金用完。
上海到苏州我们三个是人民币133.5元，苏州到长沙是1305元人民币和桂林到深圳是636 元人民币，加上每一次旅行预订费15 元。再加这些 200 元 + 200 元 + 60 元出租车钱。
现在我将不得不依靠旧的信用卡，随后会再说明！
The use of Gao Tie (fast trains) was also inspired making the longer journeys more manageable and allowing us to spend more time at the destinations of choice. Also at 39.5￥ each, for this journey, it made good financial sense. The benefits of having Chris along was he did the ordering, buying and initially the shepherding in the station, we just did the travelling. As time went on we became more confident and the chaos and interpretation of the platform and timing hoardings became easier.
The only issue on this journey was the use of a squat toilet on a moving train, need I say more?
We arrived at SuZhou and were plonked into a taxi and off we went to the Overseas Chinese hotel, as this was only for one night we did not unpack but just grabbed some tea and snacks and got straight back into another taxi to spend some time in a formal garden. It is worth mentioning we saw a Kingfisher perched on a tree in the hotel gardens, a rare treat for us and it felt quite auspicious.
Here I would like to add a little advice. The use of taxis were not really a luxury but a necessary mode of transport, during our visit we used tube or underground trains very effectively but taxis were plentiful and on the whole cheap. However, there are taxis and taxis, the SuZhou taxis we used to get to and from The Humble Administrator's garden were the latter. No seatbelts, a cage around the driver, noisy, smelly, fast to the point of risky and to our daughters disgust the driver wound down the window at one point and spat! Personally I thought it was fantastic!
The Humble Administrator's garden cost around 70￥for an adult and was a perfect antidote to the hustle and bustle we had experienced thus far. I sat in a formal tea house and drank green tea, another of my must do's in China, it was perfect. We walked around the gardens and although out of season it remained a glorious spectacle. There we lakes and swathes of bonsai, quintessentially Chinese buildings and architecture, paths and corridors through aromatic bushes and trees, sculptures and art. Chris seemed keen to get round and get to another garden but we wanted to enjoy one properly, so we slowed the pace and got him to sit with us in the sun as we wrote postcards home.
This caused a bit of a spectacle and some Chinese men gathered to watch this strange ritual, I managed to exchange some words and they seemed happy I was a bit of an English eccentric writing illegibly on pieces of card.
This was the first time I had had to reflect on our journey so far and I began to wonder how we were being viewed by the Chinese, odd I expect! I think to this point I had seen a busy, modern version of China, full of smog and bling, not the tea drinking philosophical version in my head. The divide was reinforced in the exploration of the food culture, we are eat and go people, the Chinese sit and eat for hours, talking, socializing, doing business, and drinking; more of that later.
If there was one thing from today, it was I needed to focus more time and energy after our return on learning Mandarin properly, not just for me but to support our daughter in getting this essential language into her life. My use of this language was poor, I could get my meaning across but responses were hard to fathom and my blank stares were causing frustration. However my cultural understanding was improving rapidly, I could see the gaps but also the bridges.
I purchased a new tea mug on the way out. My concerns about it getting broken in transit were assuaged as the lady who sold it to me stood in it to show it strength. I was notably impressed!
My cash reserves were used up on our return to the hotel as we paid Chris for the train tickets for the whole trip and the days taxis.
Shanghai to Suzhou was 133.5￥ for the three of us, SuZhou to ChangSha 1305￥ and Guilin to ShenZhen 636￥, plus a booking fee of 15￥ for each journey. Added to this was 200￥ plus 200￥plus 60￥ for taxis.
I was now going to have to rely on the old credit card, again, more about that later!
第4天是2016年12月19日-慢慢吃和吃饱了
第4天是2016年12月19日，我们很早起，打包行李，吃完早餐，坐出租车到上海火车站搭09:00火车到苏州。我们大部分的国内旅游都坐火车，这是一项明智的决定，这样可以让我们看看中国，而不是只从飞机上跳瞰。尽管许多人建议我们必须考虑车站的繁忙和混乱，但事实证明这是正确的决定。
高铁（快速铁路）的运用也可以让旅行多一些弹性，时速到达300公里/小时使长途旅行更易于掌控，并让我们到目的地有更多的时间。此外每人39.5元，对这次旅程也很经济实惠。在我们旅途中有克里斯随行的好处，是他可以在车站协助预订车票、购物和引导，让我们可以纯粹享受旅行。随着时间的前进，我们变得越来越有自信，经由说明月台和车班时间显示板，这一切的混乱就变得更加容易一些。
在这旅程中唯一问题，是在行驶中的火车上使用蹲式的厕所，这需要我多说吗？
我们抵达苏州，坐进一辆出租车和然后直往华侨酒店，因为只住一晚，我们没有不要解开行李，只随意吃了一些茶点，又直接回到另一辆出租车，目的为了可多花点时间来看一座正式的园林。值得一提的是，我们看到一只翠鸟栖息在酒店花园的一棵树上，这对我们来说感到珍贵的是，它让人感觉很吉祥。
这里我想补充一点建议，使用出租车并不是为了奢华，而是一种交通需要，我们造访期间，使用捷运或搭乘地铁是非常有效率的，这里出租车很多，而且整体价格相当便宜。那里到处都是出租车，用来往返拙政园到苏州，不过我们坐上一辆较差的出租车。出租车里没有安全带，一个笼子把司机围在里面，嘈杂，臭，速度快到危险的地步，我们的女儿厌恶司机把车窗摇下一点向窗外吐痰！但我个人认为那才是真正的中国！
拙政园的门票一位成人要 70 元，对我们到目前为止所经历的熙熙攘攘，这是一种很完美解方(药)。另外一个我在中国所要做的事情，是坐在一个正式的茶馆喝着绿茶，这是很赞的。我们走在园林的周围，虽然是季节不对，但它仍然保持着极好的景色。那里我们可以欣赏湖景和大片的盆景、经典建筑物和结构、 小径、通往芳香灌木和树丛、 雕塑和艺术的走廊。克里斯似乎很想赶快逛完这一个到另一个园林，但我们完全想要慢慢享受一个园林，所以我们放慢脚步，当我们写明信片回家时，他和我们一起坐在阳光底下。
这造成了一点奇观，一些中国人聚集在一起观看这个奇怪的仪式，我设法与他们沟通，他们似乎很高兴地看着我，写一些难以辨认的歪斜英文字在几张卡片上。
这是第一次我不得不反思我们到目前为止的旅程，我开始想知道我们是怎么被中国人看待，我推想一定是奇特的！我认为在这点上我见过的中国，充满了烟雾和金光闪闪，繁忙的现代版本，而不是在我的脑海中饮茶哲学的版本。这鸿沟增强我在饮食文化的探索，我们算是吃得很快的人，但中国人一吃坐了几个小时，说话，社交，做生意和喝酒；或者更多。
如果有一件事从今天起要做，那就是在我们回家后需要集中更多的时间和精力在学习正确的普通话，不仅仅是为了我，而是为了支持我们的女儿，让这种基本的语言进入她的生活。我的普通话还不太好，我的意思可以被人理解，但别人的回应却让我难以捉摸，我茫然应对让我很挫折。然而我对文化的理解正迅速提升，我不但可以看到缺口，也看到如何通过的桥梁。
我在出来的路上买了一个新的茶杯。我担心它在运输过程中被打破了，但卖给我的那女士站在那里展现它的强度。我对它特别有印象 ！
当我们回到酒店，支付克里斯我们整个行程的火车票和出租车的钱后，我的储备现金用完。
上海到苏州我们三个是人民币133.5元，苏州到长沙是1305元人民币和桂林到深圳是636 元人民币，加上每一次旅行预订费15 元。再加这些 200 元 + 200 元 + 60 元出租车钱。
现在我将不得不依靠旧的信用卡，随后会再说明！
Day 3 was the 18th December 2016
Day 3 was the 18th December 2016 and this was our full day in Shanghai. We started the day with a full breakfast, which was unrecognizable to your average English man. With fish, fruit, garlic/spiced beans, hot soya milk and crab spring rolls. The chopsticks were once again the preferred tools!
We left the hotel and walked to the Jing'An temple via the local park and although it may sound a bit clichéd I loved the park as it was full of people doing Tai Chi, Wing Chun and/or Qi Gong. It was difficult to differentiate for the uninitiated but just looked beautiful.
Jing'An was very familiar in its makeup but did have a giant lucky jade stone that had to be rubbed. The architecture was amazing and the history deep, having been relocated and renovated. The great bells, gongs, drums and statues were all worth seeing and we lit some incense to pray for a safe stay in China. It is however quite incongruous to see the old in such close proximity to the new buildings that surround it.
We then took the tube across town to the Bund and the HuangPu Jiang. Having had some family photos taken we walked down to the ferry to cross the river. The smog was visible but we still managed to enjoy the views. The architecture was very European but a chiming clock played some very traditional Chinese music. Chris explained the South side of the river was considered the poorer and successful businesses were confined to the North. We enjoyed the South more as it was cleaner, greener and there were a few dogs being walked. Chris and I sat in a cafe and discussed orphanage stuff but the ladies braved the Oriental Pearl tower. I had been using Gū'ér yuàn for orphanage but Chris corrected me to use Fúlì yuàn or welfare institute.
We also saw the Jin Mao Tower and with the Yu Yuan or Yu Gardens and the Nine Bends Bridge or Jiu Qu Qiao, that we went to next, were all part of the Pimsleur language learning experience. I had been learning those names and the associated phrases for weeks and now I was actually looking at them.
We did not go into Yu Gardens as we had planned to look at formal gardens in SuZhou but we did walk Nine Bends Bridge, the devils do not follow you across as they are afraid of bends. We then went to the Dragon gate mall, for a little shopping, and some green tea. Chris was surprised at how much we paid for a cup of good green tea but as he came to learn tea is one of my vices. I also brought a tin of Dragon well tea and a few souvenirs were purchased, with some fierce haggling going on. The market was as described, 'crazy'! We walked back and passed two copulating dogs, unremarkable except one was wearing a superman t-shirt, and a poodle riding a scooter, or at least sitting on the seat.
Chris found a back street restaurant and we had Gong Bao Ji Ding, one of my favorites and one I have cooked on occasion. Chris was tired as we walked for most of the day, so we headed back to the hotel. Sleep came easier but the boy racers were back in town during the night.
Crossing the roads here was an art, we became fans of GuanYin quickly in the hope she would keep a watchful eye on us.
第3天 2016年12月18日，这是我们一整天在上海。我们丰盛的早餐开始新的一天，在这里早餐让人无法认出你是普通的英国人。有鱼、水果、大蒜/五香豆，热豆浆和蟹春卷。筷子再次是首选工具！
我们离开了酒店，经过当地的公园走到静安寺，我喜欢公园，虽然它听起来有点老套，因为那里有很多的人打太极，练咏春拳和练气功。很难区分出哪位是门外汉，但看起来很美。
静安寺在构造上非常熟悉，有一个巨大的幸运玉石，不得不揉搓一下。虽被搬迁和装修但建筑令人惊叹和历史深远，大钟、 锣、 鼓和雕像都值得一看，我们点了一些香，祈求在中国安全停留。然而它是极不协调，因为看到旧建筑被如此接近的新建筑物所围绕。
我们接着搭地铁穿过市区到外滩和黄浦江，走到渡船口过河，并拍了一些家人的照片。虽可见烟雾，但我们仍然可以欣赏这里的景色。建筑是非常欧化，但一个报时钟却播放一些非常传统的中国音乐。克里斯解释说，河的南边被认为是较贫穷的，成功的企业只限于北方。我们比较喜欢南边，因为南边较干净，较环保，有些人在那里遛狗散步。克里斯和我坐在一家咖啡馆，讨论孤儿院的事情，但我太太与女儿去爬东方明珠塔。我一直称呼孤儿院，但克里斯纠正我应该称呼福利院。
我们也一一参观金茂大厦，豫园和九曲桥，那些地方是我在皮姆斯勒语言学习经验得知的，我已经学习这些名称和相关的短语数周，现在我实际上看着他们。当我们已计划去看看苏州的正式园林后，我们并没有进入豫园，可是我们走了九曲桥，因为他们害怕弯曲，所以这样就不会被魔鬼们跟着。我们接着去了龙门商场，买了一点东西和一些绿茶。克里斯非常惊讶我们付多少钱在一杯好绿茶上，但他會越来越知道茶是我的癖好。经过一些激烈的讨价还价后我带了一罐龙井茶和几件纪念品，市场正如所描述的疯狂！我们走了回去，经过了两只正交配的狗，没人注意到那两只狗，除了注意到有只狗穿着超人的T恤，和一只贵宾狗(狮子狗)好像骑着摩托车，其实它是坐在座位上。
克里斯找到了一家后街的餐厅，我们点了宫宝鸡丁，我的最爱之一，有时候我也会做。我们走了一整天，克里斯也累了，因此我们回到酒店。很容易就睡着了，但那男赛车手在夜里又回到市区。
穿过这里的道路是一门艺术，我们很快地成为观音的粉丝，希望她会留意我们。
We left the hotel and walked to the Jing'An temple via the local park and although it may sound a bit clichéd I loved the park as it was full of people doing Tai Chi, Wing Chun and/or Qi Gong. It was difficult to differentiate for the uninitiated but just looked beautiful.
Jing'An was very familiar in its makeup but did have a giant lucky jade stone that had to be rubbed. The architecture was amazing and the history deep, having been relocated and renovated. The great bells, gongs, drums and statues were all worth seeing and we lit some incense to pray for a safe stay in China. It is however quite incongruous to see the old in such close proximity to the new buildings that surround it.
We then took the tube across town to the Bund and the HuangPu Jiang. Having had some family photos taken we walked down to the ferry to cross the river. The smog was visible but we still managed to enjoy the views. The architecture was very European but a chiming clock played some very traditional Chinese music. Chris explained the South side of the river was considered the poorer and successful businesses were confined to the North. We enjoyed the South more as it was cleaner, greener and there were a few dogs being walked. Chris and I sat in a cafe and discussed orphanage stuff but the ladies braved the Oriental Pearl tower. I had been using Gū'ér yuàn for orphanage but Chris corrected me to use Fúlì yuàn or welfare institute.
We also saw the Jin Mao Tower and with the Yu Yuan or Yu Gardens and the Nine Bends Bridge or Jiu Qu Qiao, that we went to next, were all part of the Pimsleur language learning experience. I had been learning those names and the associated phrases for weeks and now I was actually looking at them.
We did not go into Yu Gardens as we had planned to look at formal gardens in SuZhou but we did walk Nine Bends Bridge, the devils do not follow you across as they are afraid of bends. We then went to the Dragon gate mall, for a little shopping, and some green tea. Chris was surprised at how much we paid for a cup of good green tea but as he came to learn tea is one of my vices. I also brought a tin of Dragon well tea and a few souvenirs were purchased, with some fierce haggling going on. The market was as described, 'crazy'! We walked back and passed two copulating dogs, unremarkable except one was wearing a superman t-shirt, and a poodle riding a scooter, or at least sitting on the seat.
Chris found a back street restaurant and we had Gong Bao Ji Ding, one of my favorites and one I have cooked on occasion. Chris was tired as we walked for most of the day, so we headed back to the hotel. Sleep came easier but the boy racers were back in town during the night.
Crossing the roads here was an art, we became fans of GuanYin quickly in the hope she would keep a watchful eye on us.
第3天 2016年12月18日，这是我们一整天在上海。我们丰盛的早餐开始新的一天，在这里早餐让人无法认出你是普通的英国人。有鱼、水果、大蒜/五香豆，热豆浆和蟹春卷。筷子再次是首选工具！
我们离开了酒店，经过当地的公园走到静安寺，我喜欢公园，虽然它听起来有点老套，因为那里有很多的人打太极，练咏春拳和练气功。很难区分出哪位是门外汉，但看起来很美。
静安寺在构造上非常熟悉，有一个巨大的幸运玉石，不得不揉搓一下。虽被搬迁和装修但建筑令人惊叹和历史深远，大钟、 锣、 鼓和雕像都值得一看，我们点了一些香，祈求在中国安全停留。然而它是极不协调，因为看到旧建筑被如此接近的新建筑物所围绕。
我们接着搭地铁穿过市区到外滩和黄浦江，走到渡船口过河，并拍了一些家人的照片。虽可见烟雾，但我们仍然可以欣赏这里的景色。建筑是非常欧化，但一个报时钟却播放一些非常传统的中国音乐。克里斯解释说，河的南边被认为是较贫穷的，成功的企业只限于北方。我们比较喜欢南边，因为南边较干净，较环保，有些人在那里遛狗散步。克里斯和我坐在一家咖啡馆，讨论孤儿院的事情，但我太太与女儿去爬东方明珠塔。我一直称呼孤儿院，但克里斯纠正我应该称呼福利院。
我们也一一参观金茂大厦，豫园和九曲桥，那些地方是我在皮姆斯勒语言学习经验得知的，我已经学习这些名称和相关的短语数周，现在我实际上看着他们。当我们已计划去看看苏州的正式园林后，我们并没有进入豫园，可是我们走了九曲桥，因为他们害怕弯曲，所以这样就不会被魔鬼们跟着。我们接着去了龙门商场，买了一点东西和一些绿茶。克里斯非常惊讶我们付多少钱在一杯好绿茶上，但他會越来越知道茶是我的癖好。经过一些激烈的讨价还价后我带了一罐龙井茶和几件纪念品，市场正如所描述的疯狂！我们走了回去，经过了两只正交配的狗，没人注意到那两只狗，除了注意到有只狗穿着超人的T恤，和一只贵宾狗(狮子狗)好像骑着摩托车，其实它是坐在座位上。
克里斯找到了一家后街的餐厅，我们点了宫宝鸡丁，我的最爱之一，有时候我也会做。我们走了一整天，克里斯也累了，因此我们回到酒店。很容易就睡着了，但那男赛车手在夜里又回到市区。
穿过这里的道路是一门艺术，我们很快地成为观音的粉丝，希望她会留意我们。
Day 2 was the 17th December 2016
Day 2 was the 17th December 2016 and we arrived at PuDong International airport early morning and there were few people there so the 'foreigners' queue was short. It still took a long time as our passports were scrutinized closely and our luggage took a while to appear. We were of course tired, so it seemed even longer! But with a stamp in our passports we left arrivals to be met by Chris, who immediately made us feel welcome.
We were put in a taxi and driven into Shanghai, as with many of the vehicles we traveled in it smelled of cigarette smoke and the heater was on. The journey seemed long and there was a lot of traffic on the road, I tried to concentrate on the view which became increasingly built up and the roads were rough with lots of lanes and roadworks.
Eventually we arrived at the Yan'An hotel and were dropped with our luggage and Chris guided us inside. After check in we discussed our next move and after having my Mandarin corrected we went to the room for a rest and to unpack.
我们需要休息 Wǒmen xūyào xiūxí - we need to rest
The room had two single beds, which for three was obviously one short, They were swiftly pushed together to create one big one and we showered and had a little xiūxí.
We had planned to see the Shanghai Acrobatic Group in the evening, so we left the hotel and walked into town. The western fascia was all too familiar and Shanghai's reputation for being a westernized version of China was immediately obvious. It was also decked out with Christmas decorations, something I had not expected. Having wandered around and eventually found the venue it was closed, so after a little searching we found the box office and secured tickets and the time for the next performance.
To get to the auditorium we need to go through an art gallery and managed to see some terrific art and a terracotta warrior with a Santa hat on! The show was terrific and it had a special resonance with our daughter who is a keen gymnast. There was also some magic and some slapstick comedy and the audience were very participatory and enthused by the live action.
We left very happy and made our way back to the hotel via a local restaurant, where we had some barley tea and a good meal to end the day. Our daughters crash course in using chopsticks began and by the time our heads hit the pillows we were happy to be in China.
Of note was firstly the pollution and secondly the road outside the hotel was very busy until late into the night. Once clear, it sounded like the local super car owners were using it as a test track. I did sleep but the unfamiliarity of sight and sound made it a bit of a restless night.
第二天2016年12月17 日清晨我们抵达浦东国际机场，因为外国人少所以排队等待的队伍比较短。我们的护照被严密检查及等待行李，花了我们很长的时间。当然，我们也累了，因此当时的时间似乎看起来更长！但在我们的护照入境栏盖章后我们与克里斯会合，他立即让我们感到备受欢迎。
我们坐进一辆出租车，开进上海，当进入市区途中，有许多的车辆而且夹杂有种香烟和加热器开启的味道。车程仿佛很长且很多车辆行驶在道路上，我试着专注在越来越多的景物，迎面而来的却是許多不平整的车道及道路工程。
我们终于到达了延安饭店，并卸下我们的行李，克里斯带我们进到饭店里面。在办妥入住后，我们讨论下一步的行动以及纠正了我的普通话后，我们回去房间休息，并解开我们的行李。
我们需要休息
房间里有两张单人床，我们有三个人显然短少了一张床，我迅速地将床推在一起变成一张大床，我们洗了澡，稍作一点休息。
在晚上我们已计划去看上海杂技团表演，所以我们离开酒店，走进市区。西方的脸孔都太熟悉了和老早就西化的上海立即浮现在眼前。它也妆点着圣诞节气氛，还有一些我没想到的东西。我们四处逛逛，最后发现那地方还关着，所以稍微找了一下,最后我们找到售票处、买了门票和确认下一场演出的时间。
到观众席前，我们必须经过一个艺术画廊，那里可以看到一些极好的艺术和一个兵马俑战士戴着圣诞老人的帽子！表演是非常棒，由于我们的女儿是一个热衷体操的运动员,所以表演更让她有特殊的共鸣，表演内容还有一些魔术和一些喜闹剧，观众也非常参与和热衷现场的演出。
我们非常高兴地离开，回到酒店前经过一家当地餐馆，在那里我们喝一些茶和享用美好的晚饭，并且结束这一天的行程。我们女儿的筷子速成课程也从这儿开始，到睡觉前为止我们在中国都很开心。
首先值得注意的是污染，其次酒店外的道路直到深夜都很繁忙。曾经一次非常清晰听到，听起来就像当地的超跑车主正在测试他的跑车。我睡了，但不熟悉的景象和声音使我感觉那是有点不安的夜晚。
We were put in a taxi and driven into Shanghai, as with many of the vehicles we traveled in it smelled of cigarette smoke and the heater was on. The journey seemed long and there was a lot of traffic on the road, I tried to concentrate on the view which became increasingly built up and the roads were rough with lots of lanes and roadworks.
Eventually we arrived at the Yan'An hotel and were dropped with our luggage and Chris guided us inside. After check in we discussed our next move and after having my Mandarin corrected we went to the room for a rest and to unpack.
我们需要休息 Wǒmen xūyào xiūxí - we need to rest
The room had two single beds, which for three was obviously one short, They were swiftly pushed together to create one big one and we showered and had a little xiūxí.
We had planned to see the Shanghai Acrobatic Group in the evening, so we left the hotel and walked into town. The western fascia was all too familiar and Shanghai's reputation for being a westernized version of China was immediately obvious. It was also decked out with Christmas decorations, something I had not expected. Having wandered around and eventually found the venue it was closed, so after a little searching we found the box office and secured tickets and the time for the next performance.
To get to the auditorium we need to go through an art gallery and managed to see some terrific art and a terracotta warrior with a Santa hat on! The show was terrific and it had a special resonance with our daughter who is a keen gymnast. There was also some magic and some slapstick comedy and the audience were very participatory and enthused by the live action.
We left very happy and made our way back to the hotel via a local restaurant, where we had some barley tea and a good meal to end the day. Our daughters crash course in using chopsticks began and by the time our heads hit the pillows we were happy to be in China.
Of note was firstly the pollution and secondly the road outside the hotel was very busy until late into the night. Once clear, it sounded like the local super car owners were using it as a test track. I did sleep but the unfamiliarity of sight and sound made it a bit of a restless night.
第二天2016年12月17 日清晨我们抵达浦东国际机场，因为外国人少所以排队等待的队伍比较短。我们的护照被严密检查及等待行李，花了我们很长的时间。当然，我们也累了，因此当时的时间似乎看起来更长！但在我们的护照入境栏盖章后我们与克里斯会合，他立即让我们感到备受欢迎。
我们坐进一辆出租车，开进上海，当进入市区途中，有许多的车辆而且夹杂有种香烟和加热器开启的味道。车程仿佛很长且很多车辆行驶在道路上，我试着专注在越来越多的景物，迎面而来的却是許多不平整的车道及道路工程。
我们终于到达了延安饭店，并卸下我们的行李，克里斯带我们进到饭店里面。在办妥入住后，我们讨论下一步的行动以及纠正了我的普通话后，我们回去房间休息，并解开我们的行李。
我们需要休息
房间里有两张单人床，我们有三个人显然短少了一张床，我迅速地将床推在一起变成一张大床，我们洗了澡，稍作一点休息。
在晚上我们已计划去看上海杂技团表演，所以我们离开酒店，走进市区。西方的脸孔都太熟悉了和老早就西化的上海立即浮现在眼前。它也妆点着圣诞节气氛，还有一些我没想到的东西。我们四处逛逛，最后发现那地方还关着，所以稍微找了一下,最后我们找到售票处、买了门票和确认下一场演出的时间。
到观众席前，我们必须经过一个艺术画廊，那里可以看到一些极好的艺术和一个兵马俑战士戴着圣诞老人的帽子！表演是非常棒，由于我们的女儿是一个热衷体操的运动员,所以表演更让她有特殊的共鸣，表演内容还有一些魔术和一些喜闹剧，观众也非常参与和热衷现场的演出。
我们非常高兴地离开，回到酒店前经过一家当地餐馆，在那里我们喝一些茶和享用美好的晚饭，并且结束这一天的行程。我们女儿的筷子速成课程也从这儿开始，到睡觉前为止我们在中国都很开心。
首先值得注意的是污染，其次酒店外的道路直到深夜都很繁忙。曾经一次非常清晰听到，听起来就像当地的超跑车主正在测试他的跑车。我睡了，但不熟悉的景象和声音使我感觉那是有点不安的夜晚。
Sunday, January 1, 2017
We do not speak Mandarin
It may at this stage be prudent to add we do not speak Mandarin to a level where we would be be able to have achieved this trip alone.
I have tried to learn some of the basics and have achieved a level, on a scale of 1 to 10, of about 1, and that is after over two years of learning. I am not disheartened because I know I am going forward, but at 53 learning does not always come as easily as it did when I was 23.
For those who would try and follow a non formal path to learning Mandarin there are a number of resources out there, many of them free.
Online it is good to look at podcasts: MandarinPod.com, I love learning Chinese, Learn Mandarin Now, Learning Chinese through Stories, www.melnyks.com and ChineseClass101.com are some good examples.
I have used Pimsleur up to level 4, with the first 3 levels being brought second hand as a job lot and purchasing the fourth new. Level 4 will be talked about later on but I still have about 10 units to go.
Jin Bu 进步 book 1 has helped and I am now looking at book 2, it is handy as our daughter is now doing Mandarin at GCSE and these are the primary texts, so knowing them will help me help her learn and progress.
But the best help has come from www.gospeaky.com or Speaky, it has put me in touch with a Taiwanese gentleman who has helped me significantly in my learning journey and I have gained a good friend to boot. I owe him a debt of gratitude.
I have tried to learn some of the basics and have achieved a level, on a scale of 1 to 10, of about 1, and that is after over two years of learning. I am not disheartened because I know I am going forward, but at 53 learning does not always come as easily as it did when I was 23.
For those who would try and follow a non formal path to learning Mandarin there are a number of resources out there, many of them free.
Online it is good to look at podcasts: MandarinPod.com, I love learning Chinese, Learn Mandarin Now, Learning Chinese through Stories, www.melnyks.com and ChineseClass101.com are some good examples.
I have used Pimsleur up to level 4, with the first 3 levels being brought second hand as a job lot and purchasing the fourth new. Level 4 will be talked about later on but I still have about 10 units to go.
Jin Bu 进步 book 1 has helped and I am now looking at book 2, it is handy as our daughter is now doing Mandarin at GCSE and these are the primary texts, so knowing them will help me help her learn and progress.
But the best help has come from www.gospeaky.com or Speaky, it has put me in touch with a Taiwanese gentleman who has helped me significantly in my learning journey and I have gained a good friend to boot. I owe him a debt of gratitude.
Day 1 was the 16th December 2016
Day 1 was the 16th December 2016. We had organised visas, I will add an additional post on the rigors of visas later, airplane tickets and 8000￥, three suitcases and a taxi to the airport.
So here we were, almost 10 years later to the day, going back to China with our daughter. She did not remember China in any way, shape or form as she was 18 months old when we adopted her. So returning was to allow her to see, feel and touch her land of birth, to dip her toes into the culture and for once not to stick out in a crowd, that was now Mum and Dad's turn.
Saying goodbye to our son, two dogs and cat was difficult but at 10.30 am we left to start our journey, I rang him at 11.30 to remind him to feed the dogs!
Getting through Heathrow was fairly straight forward and before we knew it we were on a flight, mainly of Chinese nationals, to Shanghai.
We had organised and paid for a guide to meet us at the airport on arrival. I will talk about Chris as we go on, but without him the whole trip would have been much harder and his fees were well within our budget.
His details are Chris Tao Ping (Interpreter and Consulting) and he is based in Nanchang 南昌.
christaoping@hotmail.com or christaoping@foxmail.com
So here we were, almost 10 years later to the day, going back to China with our daughter. She did not remember China in any way, shape or form as she was 18 months old when we adopted her. So returning was to allow her to see, feel and touch her land of birth, to dip her toes into the culture and for once not to stick out in a crowd, that was now Mum and Dad's turn.
Saying goodbye to our son, two dogs and cat was difficult but at 10.30 am we left to start our journey, I rang him at 11.30 to remind him to feed the dogs!
Getting through Heathrow was fairly straight forward and before we knew it we were on a flight, mainly of Chinese nationals, to Shanghai.
We had organised and paid for a guide to meet us at the airport on arrival. I will talk about Chris as we go on, but without him the whole trip would have been much harder and his fees were well within our budget.
His details are Chris Tao Ping (Interpreter and Consulting) and he is based in Nanchang 南昌.
christaoping@hotmail.com or christaoping@foxmail.com
2016 年 12 月 16 日第一天。我们办理好了签证，另外补充说明那是严格的签证审查，带着机票和 8000 元人民币，三个行李箱和一辆出租车到机场。
几乎是 10 年后的某一天，我们和我们的女儿回到中国。我们收养她时她才18 个月大，她无法记得中国是什么样子或形状。所以回去中国是为了让她看看、感觉和触碰她出生的土地，体验文化，且这一次要她不在人群脱颖而出，现在换成妈妈和爸爸了。
依依不舍告别我们的儿子，两只狗和猫，在上午 10:30我们踏上我们的旅程，我在上午十一时三十分打电话给儿子，提醒他记得喂狗 ！
我们直接往希思罗机场，在飞行途中我们知道大部分的乘客，主要是飞往上海的中国国民。
我们之前连络过一个付费的导游已到达机场迎接我们。我接下来将谈谈克里斯，他的收费还在我们的预算之内，但是没有他，整个旅程将是很难走下去。
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