http://group49.com/blog Our trip to China Tue, 13 Feb 2007 02:38:08 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en On Thursday night we had a group dinner to mark the end of the trip. Most of the group had to catch a shuttle to the airport at 5:30 am the next morning so needless to say it didn't go on too late. Fearless leader Cindy Wong apparently needs some R&R. ... http://group49.com/blog/?p=193 Most of the groups that stay at the White Swan end up taking a group picture of the kids on one of the red couches in the sitting area. Once the girls are placed on the couch, you pretty much have about a second and a half to take the ... http://group49.com/blog/?p=182 Wednesday evening some of us took a dinner cruise on the Pearl River. It lasted about an hour and a half. After dinner we went up to the upper deck to enjoy some spectacular views of the colorful buildings lining the river. This is the White Swan Hotel. If you look ... http://group49.com/blog/?p=179 On Wednesday we finished up the final paperwork step: picking up the entry visas that allow the girls to enter the United States. Cindy and Wu Jia had done all of the legwork the previous day so all we had to do was go to the US Consulate to pick ... http://group49.com/blog/?p=167 On Tuesday the girls had their pre-immigration physical. The US Immigration Service (USCIS) requires a medical checkup and verification of their immunizations before they will be allowed to enter the country. The medical center is a short walk from the hotel but we had to make a stop on the ... http://group49.com/blog/?p=166 After a 50 minute plane ride and a 30 minute bus ride, we arrived at our home for the next few days, the White Swan Hotel. As you can see the conditions we will have to endure are pretty terrible, but we will somehow tough it out:-) http://group49.com/blog/?p=144 On Saturday, the group got on the bus for a trip to Fuzhou, the city that the girls are from. It gave us a chance to get out of the city and see some of the countryside. We ate lunch at a very nice Chinese restaurant in Fuzhou before returning ... http://group49.com/blog/?p=143 http://group49.com/blog/?p=130 On one of our trips to Bayi park, some of the group stopped for lunch at the restaurant shown here with the green awning. We noticed this temple sort of hidden around the corner and decided to take a look. It turned out to be quite incredible. Unfortunately no photographs ... http://group49.com/blog/?p=123 You don't see a lot of graffiti on walls in China like you do in the states, but check out this clump of bamboo growing in Bayi Park! http://group49.com/blog/?p=114