If It's Saturday, It Must be Beijing

Hello again! Today was our Beijing-in-a-day tour. Or rather, Beijing in one really, really, cold and windy day. It was about 30 degrees here, but the wind was ridiculous. We did a quick walking tour of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City; then on to lunch at a Chinese restuarant (are there any other kind here?!). We did a bit of shopping. And then - the Great Wall. The photo to the side shows one of the countdown-to-the-Olympics displays. Beijing is very excited to host the Olympics in 2008 and a lot of construction is on-going.

Now, the best part of the day was the ride home (tour bus with our fabulous guide, Cindy, and 10 other families): we got updates on our daughters! We learned, among other things, that Keira is active, restless, energetic and extroverted. She has a sweet smile (we can't wait to see that ourselves!) and gets along well with other kids. The following tidbit assured us she indeed belongs with us: she likes to...."and watch TV commercials"! Ah yes - a kid who likes TV! She will fit in well with her parents and older brother. We also learned that Keira has been in Foster Care since late August. We did not know this information when we got her referral, but I think it is a good thing. There was also a current height and weight. We guesstimated pretty closely, so the clothes we bought for her should fit OK.

Now, other fun facts from the trip: a new KFC opened across the street from our hotel this morning - there was a dancing dragon (like in Chinese NY parades) to celebrate! While surfing Chinese TV this afternoon, I saw a bit of what was apparently the Chinese equivalent of The Price is Right. "Bob" was dressed more like Austin Powers, and the "Barker's Beauties" had more clothes on than their US counterparts. There was, however, "the big wheel" that they spin to get into the showcase.

That's all for now. Tomorrow at 7am we hop a plane to Nanning and get settled in to meet Keira on the 18th. After today's weather here, I am so thankful to be headed to south China! Yippee!