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.

So, We Had A Nice Meal

Last night we ate at the Cantonese restaurant in the hotel.  Gracie did very well.  It was a very nice place, and I don’t think many of the families bring their babies there.  Gracie had stir fried rice noodles, Angela had baby bok choy with “bamboo fungus” (we think this was a type of mushroom), and had fish.

Gracie was up a good portion of the night, and was up for good at about 4:00am.  This also meant that Angela and I up at 4:00am.  Ug.  We also managed to lose the third (and last) pacifier yesterday.  We couldn’t find one in a store and we didn’t think to ask another family until this morning.

Angela and I are pretty tired at this point, and not sleeping isn’t helping matters.  I got lost in the buffet this morning on the way back to  table.

Minor sidetrack.  Baby food.  We used up most of the baby food we brought with us.  Thankfully, Gracie eats a lot of table food in addition to formula, and we just use the baby food in the room.  We have seen a fair number of “unusual” blend of baby food.  We haven’t seen any Gerber food here; Heinz seems to have the corner on the market.  Fish blends are pretty popular.  One of the families tried it and said that the babies love it, but that the smell (both going in and coming out) were pretty bad.  I managed to find some carrots and chicken with mushrooms for the flight home.

It’s all worth it though.  Angela and I can’t imagine life without Gracie right now.