We made it back to Hong Kong! After one last wonderful breakfast at our hotel Bobby, Alex and I loaded a bus with all of our luggage and headed to Hong Kong. We took the train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou and thought we'd try the bus going back as it loads right outside of our hotel. The train was 2 hours and we had heard the bus was 3 to 3.5 hours from Guangzhou to the Hong Kong airport. Since we are staying in Kowloon (across the river from Hong Kong island) we figured 2.5 hours max. Well long story short we were wrong! It took us over 5 hours to get from Guangzhou to our hotel in Kowloon.
You have to ride 3 different buses with 2 different stops at customs (one as you leave mainland China and one about a mile later as you enter Hong Kong). At each stop you have to unload all of your stuff (including luggage) and go through customs. Our plan was for me to handle Alex and the backpack and Bobby to handle the luggage and carry ons. Well it didn't quite work out as we planned. Alex was a little upset by the trip- I don't think she really understood that we were all staying together, so she wanted her one real comfort item, you guessed it BaBa! So I would hold her while she is screaming and crying as Bobby would unload the luggage. Then he would hold her and pull one bag while I got the rest of the luggage. This was not a fun part of the journey.
We finally made it to the last bus and we were relieved. We were to be dropped at a major hotel on Kowloon and then catch a cab to our hotel. Well we stopped at the first stop in Kowloon which was in a residential area and the hotel was to be the next stop. It was taking quite a while and then we entered the tunnel- the tunnel to Hong Kong Island! The bus did not stop on Kowloon again!!!
We decided to get off at the first stop in Hong Kong. There we are 5 hours into the trip with a hungry, upset little one and all of our luggage on a busy Hong Kong street- I wish I would have taken a picture but obviously none of us were in the mood. Low and behold we saw the best thing we could have seen at the moment- the ferry terminal about 100 yards away! We found the cab stand and away we went back to Kowloon and finally our hotel! We have never been so happy to see a hotel lobby in our lives! It was just another adventure on our wonderful trip to China but if I had to do it over again I would likely take the train! :)
Despite the long journey from Guangzhou, I am glad we took the bus because it allowed us to see a different view of the area Alex is from. Shenzhen is a major city bordering Hong Kong. The high rise buildings go on for miles and miles. Many are new and beautiful, while others are obviously dated and worn out. I took a few pictures from the bus but they aren't that great. There is also some beautiful lush land sprawled in between the living areas. I managed to snapped a shot of what must be a church as it has crosses and statute of Jesus hanging over the front of the building- that was interesting (and comforting) as it was the only one I had seen our visit through the area.
As I looked a my daughter listening to the ipod and gazing out the window on the bus, I felt some sadness that she is leaving her homeland and all that she has ever known. I can only imagine what is going through that little head of hers as she experiences this journey from the unique perspective of the adopted child. At the same time I am overwhelmed with excitement that she will soon be joined with her entire family and become a US citizen. Alex's future will be bright and we will definitely bring her and Avery back to China so that they can experience first hand the culture of their birth.
PS here's the pic of the beautifully wrapped fried rice I forgot to post yesterday!
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