I had a friend ask me recently, "Why don't you start posting more about your life on your blog? I miss that!" Really? I'm that interesting? No, I know that's not what she meant, but I guess I understand because I love keeping in touch with my friends by reading up on what has been happening on their own blogs. And, after all, a BLOG is a weblog. So, here I go. I might try to post a personal-type post once a week, then, along with a tutorial (as soon as I start thinking up new ones) and free printables on Fridays (and boy, tomorrow's is a good one!).
China. That has been a huge focus of my life right now. We are going there - with the kids, the cousins, and the grandparents. Why? My handsome brother in law has married a gorgeous Chinese gal and they will be having their reception there in April. They had their Canadian reception already and I got to finally meet and get to know my new sister-in-law. It was a fun weekend.
Ok, so back to China. This is a big deal for me....I have never flown on an airline flight before, and starting out with CHINA is a biggie. I mean, something like 12 hours on a plane (between the flights from here, to Vancouver, then to Shanghai) with kids sounds like something akin to torture....BUT we are trying to plan for most of the inevitables. We got immunized...
- We got our passports and Chinese Visas
- We have our plane tickets
- We changed over some money:
- We have our travel blankets, pillows, and eye covers, as well as our ipods, iphones, ear phones, chargers, and all things distracting.
- We all have comfortable walking shoes, cameras, umbrellas (the kind that fold flat - nice!), backpacks, and notebooks to record our daily journies.
Beyond that, we are focusing on packing, figuring out what snacks to bring, and how many suitcases are allowed on the plane. It's crazy! Who knew there was so much involved in going on a trip to China?
We plan to see the sights...the great wall, tianeman square, the forbidden city, the terracotta wariors, and more! It will be extra nice to have a tour guide who is fluent in English and Mandarin. It's nice to have a smart brother-in-law :) I'm excited, nervous, anxious, elated...I am feeling it all.
So, any tips? Like I said, air travel is new to me, and I'm sure I'm missing some things. I'd love you experienced fliers to help me out with some travel tips. I could use the help!
4 comments:
I am SOoo excited for you guys! I've never flown before either, so I can appreciate the nervousness expressed somewhat.
I am so sad that we had to miss the wedding reception. We were so looking forward to it and seeing you guys as well. Cami had a few complications after her surgery.
Have a wonderful trip!!! Can't wait to hear more. {I agree with your friend. ; ) It will be nice to catch up more on your LIFE.}
Medication. Not just the prescription kind. I mean Tylenol, Gravol, a few cold pills & cough syrup. You don't want to be running around in a strange place looking for drugs for your kid's earache. If you do end up finding what you want the formulation could be different than what you are use to.
Have a wonderful adventure!!!!
Gum for the airplane, it helps you ears equalize during the flight, It made a huge difference for me on our last flight to LA.
I too was hoping you were going to post more 'Life' on your blog. We miss you!
Oh Bobbi I am SO excited for you! We've been to China 3 times with our kids in the last 5 years (we adopted three of our children from China). The country is beautiful, the people are friendly, and experiencing another culture is fantastic!
My tips for traveling would be similar to Susan's- bring OTC medication (we even traveled with antibiotics for the kids (our doc gave me scripts that I filled before we left) "just in case". There will not be easy access to Western meds- even in the large cities. W also brought along snacks (granola bars mainly) for the times when you are having a hard time finding Western food.
Don't drink the water in the hotel room or anywhere unless you know for sure it has been filtered. I would recommend buying bottled water and use that for everything- including teeth brushing. Some hotels that we stayed in had one tap in the bathroom that had filtered water. Other hotels will bring bottles of boiled water that were safe to drink.
One of the toughest parts of the trip is dealing with the jet lag. A 12 hour time difference is tough! Be prepared for it to take its toll! Which is also when the snacks come in handy- when you are wide awake at 3am with no access to food! :) And just when you get used to "China time" it's time to come home and adjust all over again!
I can't tell you how much we love China and the time we have spent there. I cannot wait to go back!
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