So, That Kinda Sucked

Around 2:00pm, the porters at the White Swan picked up our bags, and we headed down to check out.

At 2:40pm, we started out to the US Consulate. They recently moved (they were around the corner on Shamian island), so we had about a 30 minute bus ride.

We went in the consulate sans stroller, waited in line, and then sat for a while. Around 3:45 or so, they swore us in and we got our “brown envelope” and Gracie’s travel visa. The brown envelope is a sealed packet containing original copies of the adoption paperwork and is required for immigration. Losing this would be a major catastrophe.

Around 4:00pm we boarded the bus, and headed off for Hong Kong.

The bus was packed, and we say with Gracie on our lap and the diaper backpack on the other lap. Oh yeah, we have to do some paperwork on the bus for departure from China and entry into Hong Kong. It wasn’t much, but was a pain to do in the crowded condition.

I think we arrived at the border around 6:15 or so. We had to get off the bus and go through immigration in China. Went to the bathroom, too. I won’t describe the facilities. They had to totally empty the bus, and we had to wait in line to get our passports processed. They also took all of the the luggage (two buses worth), x-rayed it, and then reloaded it.

We then got back on the bus, drove across the river for Hong Kong immigration. We had a quick interview on the bus, then got off to have our passport checked again. On the way out, they checked all of the baby’s temperatures with an infrared sensor; Hong Kong won’t let any visitors into the city with a fever.

Back on the bus, and on to the hotel.

We arrived a the hotel around 8:15. Our baggage was already there, and just had to make sure that our pieces had a tag on it with the right room number. Angela headed right up to the room, and I took care of the baggage.

I think Gracie crashed right away, and was so tired she slept in the clothes she had on. We ordered room service, and the luggage showed up a little later.

What a day. It was very busy and tiring.

Tomorrow is a big day (duh). Our luggage needs to be ready by 7:30am, and we need to check out by 8:30am. I think out flight is around 11:20am.