Chengdu

We left the hotel  at 4:30 am and the hotel had a taxi ready for us.  We loved this hotel.  They didn't speak fantastic English and we don't speak fantastic( or even passable) Mandarin so it worked out great.  We loved it.  We got to the airport nice and early for our flight,beat rush hour traffic and went through security.  DH got wanded, they are extremely efficient in China with their airport security.  We flew Hainan Air, small legroom, great flight, congee not so bad:)  We were truly spoiled in Beijing, everyone was kind and welcoming and it was a wonderful start to our trip.  When we landed in Chengdu, we searched for our guide and after a few minutes found her and were taken to our hotel.  We waited for our room to be ready for a while and then were shown to our room...2 twin beds almost wall to wall on a smoking floor...um no.  I went back to the front desk and after calls to our guide and the travel agency were assigned a room with one king sized bed on a nonsmoking floor.  We are HOPING to be able to fit a crib in the room for Min.  The hotel did not know there would be anyone but my DH and I in the room and it was difficult to explain that our 5 year old daughter probably wouldn't want to sleep in a twin sized bed with me.  There was not room in our room for a rollaway bed which our guide also explained to us would cost extra by the day.  I am not sure how 3 people could fit at all in the first room so hopefully it will all work out.  When I asked if we could upgrade or what our options were, apparently there weren't any.  So we walked up to our 2nd room, opened the door and it was trashed.  Not a little bit messy or rumpled, TRASHED.  We went back to the lobby, they said they would send someone right away to clean it, we left our luggage and went for a walk.  To say we were frustrated would be a major understatement, after coming from Beijing where we had flown by the seat of our pants and done all the arrangements for ourselves, and everything had gone smoothly except for the initial taxi switcheroo this unpleasant start to the 'official' part of our trip was extremely disappointing, but ultimately we are here for Min. Point blank, we want this to be OK for her.  Walking around the hotel was great.  There are little shops all around and restaurants everywhere and a nice, busy pedestrian area all around the hotel.  We went back to the hotel after walking for an hour and a half, they still hadn't started cleaning our room.  It took over four hours from when we checked in to getting into the room.  The staff was nice to deal with and the room is fine.  A bit mildew smelling, but nothing a little Lysol spray can't cover:)

We went to a grocery store to get water and had dinner at a great little restaurant where they cook the meal in small clay pots that are placed in giant clay jars.  It was so good and we had four people trying to help us, not understand our order, we are getting pretty good at pointing at pictures on menus, but to make sure that we got something to eat that we would like.  It was so nice and an answer to prayers for me to be able to center and focus.  It is really hard to keep your expectations low, and then to have those low expectations not met.  That has been what today has been for us.  From pick up at the airport through out the day, it has not been a welcoming or great day, I am so glad I am here with DH and not on my own.  Chengdu though is beautiful.  The people are lovely and kind.  We always feel safe and it is so fun to be in a different country.  Once the 12 hours of traveling and WAITING from one hotel room to the next had been taken care of and we figured out a place for Min to sleep I felt so much better.

I think it was a good day to have, ultimately, and I am glad to get it out of the way before we meet Min.  I want for her to be able to come to a calm, welcoming place.  I want her to know that we have planned for her, have room for her, will be taking care of her and providing for her.  I don't want her to feel at all like we are just wedging her in to our lives or that somehow she is not going to have her needs met.  I don't know what expectations she will have of us.  I don't know how she will react tomorrow.  I don't know if she will be scared, or nervous, or excited, or apprehensive.  I don't know what she will think of any living conditions she is presented with, and want it to go smoothly for her since she will be in transition for the next two weeks before we can go home.  I just want for her to at least not have to worry about where she will sleep with everything else she is going to be dealing with.

And of course I have 'we are almost there' jitters.  I am so excited that we are at this point.  I am a little bit in shock that we are so close.  I am likening this day to labor pains, they aren't fun and I don't enjoy them at all, but it gets you there.  So tomorrow is supposed to be the day, and I am so very, very thrilled and praying hard for the heart of this precious little girl who is about to officially become ours.