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Updates:

Have started something new - a BLOG! Check it out on the links page.

Still writing the last Travel Entry

Now posting on the Home Updates page 01/31/09

Email from the website is not working. My personal email address larawade@sbcglobal.net

China Time:

Travel Date: 1/11/2009
Subject: Sunday - the day that never ended

What we did today:
Early Sunday mornings, we could no longer sleep. Christopher woke up at 1:00 am, and I joined him in his restlessness by 3:00 am. We stayed in be trying to sleep or at least rest a few more hours, but totally gave up when Caleb emailed at 4:00 am.

We started the day by repacking our suitcases before breakfast. Our group had a busy schedule that ended at the airport so we all needed to be ready to go.

We enjoyed worshipping an International Church Service. This church group is only for foreigners so you must show your passport to even enter the building. It was incredible to look across the auditorium and see such a rainbow of people all praising God together. I really missed Caleb during church though. Christopher was sitting on my right where Caleb usually sits. I absent mindedly began to stroke his back and then realized that it wasn’t my little boy.

After church we rushed back to our hotel to check out before noon. Then we were off for lunch. A delicious Beijing Roasted Duck meal. Food is such and adventure right now. We never quite know what we are eating, but most of it tastes good.

Then we went to the Imperial City (aka the Forbidden City). Usually this tour can take over three hours, but it was so cold and very windy that our group rushed through in two hours. We celebrated when we reached the end. It was incredible to see, but we were just so cold.

We then did a virtual drive-by of the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube. Now the sun was beginning to set so it was getting even colder. Most people stayed on the bus or just stepped off to snap pictures, but some did try to walk to the Bird’s Nest. One member of our group proudly announced that he got to use the bathroom in the Bird’s Nest.

Yes, we have a silly group. They were even singing songs on the bus to our guides – “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “The Wheels on the Bus”. We have had lots of fun with this group and one of the hardest parts of leaving for Chongqing was leaving everyone else. We will meet up together again next week in Guangzhou, but for now we are flying solo.

It felt so strange at the airport and on the plane to be two of only three non-Asian people that we saw. We are really “foreigners”.

When we finally got to our hotel room, we were just exhausted! Sorry if this posting is late, but we just needed some sleep.

Today our guide will meet us at 1:30 pm to take us to meet our daughter. The Fuling SWI is at least a 2 ½ hour drive away so she will surely be tired too. Chongqing is an enormous city – over 31 million people in the area with over 10 million living in the city itself. Quite a bit larger than our little metropolitan area of 500,000 and our home town of about 50,000. We are excited about what we will get to see here, but most of all excited to meet Keziah Hui Dong.

Photos... (click image to enlarge)

The Old Gate into Beijing City