|
 Today
we left
Hangzhou
– and of course the sun
was shinning. We checked out and left the hotel at
6:30am; ready for a 8:10 am
flight – why did we have
to take such an early flight! By the time everybody had arrived, paid their bills and loaded
the baggage into the mini bus, we were a bit short on time. We arrived at the
airport with 45mins to spare before take off.
It
took ages and ages to check in and by the time we got through the security
check, everybody had boarded and they were waiting for us.
Our
plane,
F6 5941 left on
time and Daji boarded a plane for the first time (we imagine!). He sat next to
the window, but didn’t look out – he preferred to have the blind rolled
down. He ate the supplied breakfast, conge – a kind of porridge made from
rice. He had a single burst of bad temper, at which time a Chinese lady came up
and said something to him – he promptly stopped - if only we knew those magic
words!
 The
Chinese bus was waiting for us; with a new guide. This time we had even more
baggage and 4 new children – but somehow we all fitted in. Back at the hotel
we had to wait for the rooms; but they managed to find rooms next to each
other. We unpacked and took a short rest – we’d been up since
5:30am. Daji slept for an hour.
It was cold and windy in
Beijing, so we wrapped ourselves up
and decided to walk into town. Daji had been given some chocolate, so just
before we left the hotel, Steven unwrapped it and gave it to him - he went hysterical. So we gave him a new piece that he could unwrap himself. He calmed
down but still whimpered. He tried to unwrap the new piece but couldn’t. He
gave it to Steven to unwrap – once unwrapped, Steven tried put it in Daji's mouth. He refused and
wanted it in his hand, so Steven gave it to him – expecting him to eat it, but he just
wanted to hold it in his hand. It started to melt, so
 Steven took it out of his hand and tried to
explain why he had to eat it now. He refused and screamed. Steven tried to quiet
him down by stroking and holding him - he fought against. Lene and Yanmei had
left and were waiting outside, so Daji and Steven had a trip down the elevator, through
the hotel lobby and out onto the street with Daji screaming at the top of his
voice. On the street he calmed down a bit but was still fairly hysterical - we
couldn't do anything to stop him. We felt that everybody was watching us, wondering what two foreigners were doing to
him. He carried on for over 30 minutes – well over half way into the centre of
Beijing.
This
was also something we had noticed earlier – sometimes he would just continue
to whimper and complain, a long time after the actual event – it was as if he
couldn’t snap out of it. Previously he stopped if you raised your voice, but
this time it had no effect.
Walking
into
Beijing, you can see all the changes
that are taking place, including the completion of many of the buildings that
were under construction the last time we were here
(2000). We shopped and found
some clothes for Yanmei and Daji, a Chinese Barbie doll and clothes for Yanmei (her
big sister present)
and strolled through yet another new shopping centre; this time packed with
tourists and Chinese alike. We took pictures of Yanmei and Daji sitting in the bronzed statue of the man and
the rickshaw, just as we’d done with Yanmei and Thomas back in 2000 - Yanmei
was just as unhappy this time as last time. Sooner or later we'll get a good
picture of her with the man pulling the rickshaw. We walked
back to our hotel in the now bitter cold, and on the way back, bought some food at the convenience
store next to the Silk Market. Whilst Lene was inside, Yanmei, Daji and Steven were surrounded by scarf sellers, not
trying to sell scarves, but interested in
knowing why we had not only one, but two Chinese children. Again they expressed
their gratitude to us adopting Chinese children and wished us all the best. They
also questioned his age!
We
spent a quiet evening at the hotel, before falling asleep - early.
After
Daji’s hysterical outburst in the afternoon, the uncontrollable laughing had
returned. We don't know what caused it - perhaps the change of scenery, although
we don't think
so. Whatever it was it brought our concerns back to the surface.
NEXT
DAY (3rd)
|
