Getting to China!

Phew! It has been a looooong night/day of travelling. But - I am happy to say that we have arrived safe and sound and ready to begin our journey!

It has been a feat to get around airports, shuttles, trains, and taxis with a group of 13 people, but we have managed quite well. We are working well as a group and the kids are really enjoying being together.

Maelyn didn't sleep a wink on the fourteen hour flight and Ailee slept for about two hours. Maelyn has been battling a pretty bad cold and is super congested. There were times on the flight where she felt miserable and it was hard for her, but she didn't complain as much as she could have. All five kids in our group would often ask how many hours were left, but overall, they coped with the fourteen hours in flight like troopers! Although, twelve hours of iPad time may have helped with that! :S

This time we flew with Hong Kong Airlines and we loved it! Super friendly staff and they had a bar area in the plane where you could stand and stretch your legs, read a newspaper, or swap travel stories with other people on the plane. They also had a snack station where you could help yourself to food and drinks. The kids loved that part! The leg room wasn't the biggest we have seen, but we all managed.

We landed in Hong Kong and then made our way to the train station. We loved our cab ride! The views were spectacular and the kids kept shouting out when they wanted us to take pictures of what they were seeing. Paul and I both agree that on a return trip to China, we have to spend more time in Hong Kong - it took our breath away! Our train ride to Guangzhou was also quite easy and the train was very comfortable. You should have seen our group of thirteen getting off the train with all of our luggage!!

The girls are both very excited to finally be in China!

We have now settled into The Garden Hotel in Guangzhou. This is the hotel where we stayed for a week when we adopted Ailee in 2012. It is the place where we first spent time as a family - which is very important to us and it means a lot to be surrounded by so many memories.

Tomorrow we are headed to the zoo, a buddhist temple for a blessing and then out for a big lunch. That afternoon, our family will be driving with our guide to Zhangmutou, where Ailee was found. We will meet the police officer that found her and brought her to the orphanage. Ailee is BEYOND excited to be in her 'her area' of China and focusing on her beginnings. We can't wait to help her build her appreciation of her first home and build positive memories of such a wonderful place.