Off to Changchun, Jilin

Today started as any other day. Woke up before our alarm at 5:30. Got to breakfast 1 minute before it opened at 6:30. Fewer and fewer items in the breakfast buffet seemed as appetizing. One nice thing this time was seeing some of the adopted Chinese girls we got to see yesterday.

At 8:30 we were in the lobby waiting to be taken to the airport. Everyone from the Heritage Tour showed up to get ready for the Great Wall. It was almost like being given a big fairwell. Some of the people from Madison told us about the camping trip that is planned in September, so we're excited to see that. It's funny we had to go all the way to China to see another batch of Madison friends, but I'll take it. Our circle is getting bigger and bigger, and I tell ya... the next time we're at a Madison New Year's Eve event, we're probably going to know half the room this time.

Some people we'll see again in Guangzhou. Some are going to Shanghaii instead.

In the airport, we waited in a short line for a long time, just to get our tickets. One lady kept running back and forth in front of everyone. She was very late. Found out the ticket she was just sold was for 9:15 (it was 9:45) and had to run back to get the 10:15. Then she came back. Lines are made to be broken around here.

Heather set off the metal detectors with her 3 worthless coins and the tinfoil in her breathmints. I almost forgot to give up my eyedrops.

Then we waited for our plane. The couple from Colorado that are adopting from our same orphanage met us there, and we said hello. Then it was time to board, and it was a French Airbus. So you know it's high quality! Only 3 seats on each side, but it was a LONG plane. Lots of legroom (I'm loving this) and away we went. Half way through we were given a "hot mobile food" box with rice, chicken, single serve bun, single serve cold mushrooms. Very yummy, beats the hell out of pretzels. However, just like in breakfast we were given Barbie sized glasses for drinks.

We landed in a nice new airport, but I did see the cowpath they called a runway as we came down. Then we jumped in a stinky taxi van, and saw the country side as we drove 40 minutes into town. It's a small city of 4 million. It has a coal burning plan that looks just like a Nuclear Power plant. The town was run down, but then it got better and better til we hit downtown. The traffic here is much more zippy than Beijing.

Our hotel is pretty swank as you enter, pretty blah inside. But the bathroom is bigger than beijin, and so far, we're enjoying Changchun much more than Beijing. It just seems like a hipper place. I think Beijing has just outgrown itself and is too big to have just one downtown.

We took a taxi ride to the hotel where our Colorado adopters were at, and I sat in the front. MUCH more exciting than any rollercoaster ride I've ever been on. I thought for sure we were going to buy it 12 times, but we made it through each time. Apparently the taxi driver was in a big hurry. We went to Walmart, and it was quite a riot. Busy busy busy. You can only enter on the 2nd floor, and go down a floor.

We went to the 20th floor of their hotel, and their view rivaled any Vegas view. Lights, flashing lights, tall buildings -- it was really neat.

So as you can see, I'm running out of time writing each day. And in 2 hours we're going to go pick up Mason. I don't know when we'll update this blog after that. I can guarantee it'll be mostly pictures.