Since the beginning of 2008 we said that we would go back to Nanning i 2014.

From January to October 2014 my major priority was to plan the trip. I my mind there was nothing after the trip. I had a strong feeling that I didn’t want to go back home.

This comes from the feeling of escape when things are though. But in China I got to appreciate my life and home in Sweden so much more, and in the end I was missing it very much. Being away for a month wasn’t that hard but it sure was nice to come home.

When we landed in Copenhagen after tree flights, just thinking of a another trip with a plane was making me feel bad.

While looking forward to go home, a new thought popped up: Will I ever long to come back to China?

After one and a half week at home, the feeling of longing back to China was back! We are connected for ever – nothing can change that!

Today, tree weeks later I finally got to look at baba’s photos and seeing those of them waiting for us in the airport made tears running down my cheeks, and made me miss this wonderful family so much.

If you gave me a ticket I would leave tomorrow! – OK maybe on Sunday, need to pack a little!

I just feel so happy and grateful that we did this trip – that we made our two families to one!

Well take a look here: Nanning airport 5/10-2014

Checking the board – when will the plane arrive?

Arrival from Beijing at the top of the list!

And here we come!

Mormor is very moved by the situation.

I got something in my eye…..

Finally she got to hug Linnea again!

I found a familiar face in the welcome comity – the son Xiao Huang

Kelly introduces Linnea to Xiao Huang – her big brother!

 

 

We arrived home at 2 pm. Tired but happy we found our house as we left it.

Linnea went in to her bed and hugged her cover.

We started to unpack…. = loading all we bought and all presents on a table and all clothes in a laundry pile!

When I got my suitcase in Copenhagen airport I said it smelled of liquer… Only Linnea smelled it too.

Now opening it I could smell it again and found one of the wine bottles crushed. Lucky it was in a plasticbag so there was only wine in 1/3 of my suitcase. Most of it was sucked up by the new schoolbag (backpack) Linnea got from mamma. It has been soaking in water all night now.

Then we went to our ICA supermarket and did some shopping and finally we went to get Tindra! Our little happy dog. It was so good to see her again!

We took dinner, mine was cheese, with us upstairs and turned on the tv. At 6 pm Linnea fell asleep on the sofa and I was close too.

At 7:00 pm Linnea was a sleep in her bed. At 7:30 pm I was asleep in mine!

That also made us wake up at 4 am this morning. Linnea stayed in bed watching some movie on the iPad and I have been updating here (spamming you all).

Now I must finish – need some breakfast. We need to start the laundry, get some hot water – the heater has stopped, find the pressents for our friends in Hässleholm. Then off to Hässleholm to meet with friends – they are off to China tomorrow to meet their new son in Guiyang on the 10th of November, and to pick up Kajsa. (Rabbit) and get more grosery.

In the afternoon my friend Emma and her daughter – Linneas best friend – will visit us! We missed them a lot!

 

 

 

 

So have a nice day!

After breakfast we started to pack. Then out for lunch – MCDonalds again. Not good to live across the street from it when you are getting tired of Chinese food/can’t read the meny. All the time we just ate Chinese food our stomachs were ok. After starting on MCD we started to get bad stomachs….

A 3 pm the family arrived. We had packed everything…… we thought!

Hans was as always looking through the whole room and man am I happy he did that!!! He found all my shoppings in a drawer!

We tucked it all in to our 3 large and 3 small suitcases.

Then baba came with the wine for mormor! Not 1 or 2 bottles (300ml) He came with a box of 20 bottles!

We took the box as it was and packed all the small suitcases into the uncles (Tjutju Linnea was told to call him) car!

Baba, I and the 4 big suitcases took the airport bus, the other was in the car. The son and the daughter in law came to say good buy!

Then we drowe off, and arrived at the airport.

Check in took more than half an hour and 4 people to figure it out. Why?

1) The name on the tickets must be like the name in the passport.

2) That is impossible when your name contains the Danish Ø and the Swedish Ö (same letter in 2 different ways) and written in English we write “oe”

So finally when the staff looked at our visas the realised the Chines embassies in Stockholm and Copenhagen had approved the oe-way.

3) Then there was the wine…..

400RMB to bring the box or try to get it in to the suitcases….

Mormor wanted the bottles wrapped in plastic bags, and she could only get room enough for 3. So 4 got stucked in to my suitcase too. Hans’ and Linnea’s suicases were already gone.

Then we said goodbuy – or see you! Mamma and baba really want Linnea to come back!

I can’t imagine how they must feel now. Saying good buy to her again. Having her for 17 month from the age of 2 month. Then send her off just hoping she will be allright on the other side of the planet.

Finally after 7 years meet her again, finding our what an amazing person she has turned in to. Just to say goodbuy again!

Simply heart breaking.

I was thinking of the first time we left Nanning, taking this little girl from all the knew to a whole new world. This time we were taking her back to all she knows as her world.

At least she now knows she has a big family in China too. She will always have them.

There is not much to say about the trip home…

Take off 7:30 pm from Nanning

Landing and lots of controlls in Beijing and less than one hour waiting time before take off at 2 am.

Linnea slept for 7 hours in the plane. The rest of us around 4.

Landing in Frankfurt at 5:30 am (Swedish time) after 10 hours in the sky- finding our plane and I slept on a bench.

Last flight to Copenhagen took 1 hour. Saying goodbuy and THANK YOU to mormor.

Finally 1 hour in the train to Hässleholm and the car to Bjärnum.

We were HOME!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beijing airport at night

I needed help getting my support stocking on – mormor was laughing so much that Linnea had to help

Kelly invited us to visit “her” University. 10000 students attends this school. It is huge with lots of buildings, shuttle busses, cafeterias, banks, shops, dormitories, hospital, parks and a lake.

We got to visit Kelly’s room, a classroom and took a ride in a shuttle bus. It was wery intresting to see this.

When we were done and Kelly had to go to classes, we were picked up by the uncle and the family friend. Together we walked to mamma and babas home where we had lunch.

Baba has not been all well, something with his blood pressure, and has been to the hospital, but both on Monday and Wednesday he sneeked out to be with us. We hope he feels better soon.

After lunch we walked to the SWI hospital. When we came to the gate where I was 7 years ago, since Linnea was found at the gate, we just walked on. From the hospital ground we came direct to the orphanage park. Suddenly I saw the main building but now it was squeezed in between several buildings that was not there in 2007.

We continued to walk and came to the building where I met the family back in 2007. Also here lots of new houses was build. In a corner an old Chinese gate was closed. This was the original gate to the orphanage and the hospital and acording to mamma, this was where Linnea was found.

I told Linnea that the important thing was that she was put where she would be found and that she was found.

From the orphanage we walked to a new and beautiful park. Under a roof a woman was selling white sculptures and you could sit down and color them. Both Linnea and I chose a Mingnon. Mine is with us home and Linnea gave hers to mamma and baba.

Then home to the family for dinner and more presents for Linnea. Mormor, Hans and baba drank the lizard wine. Mormor said she wanted to take some of it home.a bottle or 2.

Kelly arrived to translate on our last evening. Later Howard, who translated for Jet & Co. back in 2011 and who put us in contact with Kelly, and his wife came to say hallo. We go some very beautiful chopsticks. It was very nice and kind of them to take time to meet us.

Finally Xiao Huang (the son) came home and we could give them our wedding present. They were very surpprised and liked it a lot.

We took a taxi back and I think it was a dangerous wine Hans and mormor had. They started to sing christmas songs……

Main gate of the University

Dormitrys on both sides. There are houses for only women and only men. At the entrace there is a guard. Kelly had to sign in a book when we visited and Hans was allowed to come along. But then she hade to write when we would leave again.

Walking from the University to the family home the contrasts of China was very obvious

The small street (courtyard) inbetween the houses where the family lives

Here sit men or women and talk or play cards or majhong

The women peel the garlic

 

 

 

 

The Orphanage park.

Here is the first picture we got of Linnea

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a similar one 7 years later

The main building – I was here 2007

Finally got a photo of this beautyful butterfly

Park caretaker

Here I met the family 7 years ago. First floor – round windows

The old gate where Linnea was found acording to mamma, now closed because of the buildings behind. They were not there in 2007.

 

 

 

 

 

The new gate

The street leading up to the new gate. Now lots of new houses – back in 2007 it was a constuction site.

Going to the new park

Linnea, her (foster) brother and his wife.

On Tuesday we went out to do some shopping. We were back at lunch and brought McDonalds food up to out room. Then we had a little time for relaxing before Kelly arrived and we took 2 taxis to the science and teknologi museum.

Linnea ha a lot of fun testing everything but not all was open. We took the bus back. Probably due to the construction of the Metro the bus drove pass our hotel and we had to walk back a bit. We passed an antique shop and beeing on the look out for a nice wedding present for Linneas (foster) brother and his wife I saw a beautiful red vase with flowers and gold signs on. Kelly helped us to get a good price. There were several things there I could have bought there……

We ended up at McDonalds again for dinner. Kelly then went home and we went back to the hotel, after a stop in the supermarket where we bought a nice winter coat for Linnea for 60 RMB.

 

The vase – just love it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you are a good customer you get a tiny softice

The view from our room

Beeing a bit behind in my updates I thought I could use the time on the plane to write. I will write seperate posts from our days in Nanning. That way it will be easier for me, add photos and upload everthing when we are back home.

So on monday – our 13th wedding anniversery and Matthews birthday, Matthew picked us up at the hotel. We took a double decker bus to a fancy mall with almost no customers. We met with Xiao and Frank from GHC and they were happy to meet Linnea again.

Rosie, sorry for not writing sooner. Frank recognised William and they have records of everything. They will be in touch.

We had a good talk and a good lunch.

Baba met us at the busstop, then Kelly and finally Mamma and we walked the streets of Nanning. We ended up at a muslim Chinese restaurant. Good food and a lot of laughing.

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At home, so here I go continuing the 3 posts I wrote on the plane.

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Entrance at the mall

Icescating at the 5th floor

Lunch with Frank, Xiao & Matthew.

Opposite the mall

Finally got to taste the new icy mint sprite – actually ok!

Dinner in the evening

Yesterday we met up with Matthew, Mei (?) a former Guangxi girl, Li and her mother. We took 2 taxis to the Nanning zoo. Li & Linnea got a giraff teddy we bought in Guiyang and began to play. Only Matthew hade been to the zoo earlier.

Li and her moter had never been to the city befor and it was both excting and scarry. But during the day they forgot and just had fun.

We saw a Dolphin show and Elephant/monkey/bear show and the girls got their photo taken with both the dolphins and a elephant.

The girls fed the rabbits, ginnypigs, the lamas, goats and a camel. Li got to ride on a pony and there was an amusement park so they got to try some there too. The rollercoasters Linnea wanted to try had a hight limit of 140-190cm so Linnea was to short and Hans too long. Later Matthew was denied a ride because of his age.

After a whole day in the Zoo we took a taxi wan, with seats for 6 passenger and we were 8. Li and Linnea shared a seet, mormor sat on a little tree stool between the seet in the middle row with Hans next ot her. I sat in the front seat, Matthew, Mei(?) and Li´s mother in the back.

We drowe to a Mao restaurant and had dinner before we all went home.

In total we payed 1500 RMB (1850 sek) for 6 adults and 2 children, entrances, photos, rides, animal food, lunch, icecreams, water, dinner, bussrides for Li, her mother and Mei(?), and a day salary for Mei(?).

Worth evey RMB just to see the happy

Our Hotel

A dish for Hans alone: The green and red are chilis and the brown pork meat. So so hot.

On the 25th of October we celebrated our family day! 7 years! Back were it all began! Where did the time go! Very special to be back and be the family the we dreamt about for so many years! We got the best daughter in the WORLD! And we love her to the end of the Universe and back!

We were picked up by the brother and he took us to a parkt to a BBQ. There were so many people there and you could rent BBQ, little chairs and tables.

Family and friends joined us. We also took a walk in the park and later we had dinner at a restauant outside the park. At 6 pm both baba and Kelly joined us.

Since it was our family day, and that our Chinese family can´t be at Linneas birthday party next year they bought a birthday cake for her and sang Happy Birthday for her.

A good, hot and intense day.

The kids loved this tall man!

It was both sad and nice to move on from Griggling Tree. It is a wonderfull place and I do love the mountains.

It is a nice place to stay at whit children and many families were staying while we were there. Unfortunately the parents seems to forget their respondsibility. A family with 6 children age 6-13 or so let them take over the pool. A sign says that children should be supervised by adults at the pool and ofcourse no running. These kids came with 3 water guns and chased each other around. Linnea didn´t dare to be in the water. Both Hans and my mom had to tell them to behave.

In the evening the children run loose in the court yard screaming so loud that people from 3 tables turned and hushed at them.

Any way the Giggling is a wonderfull place. We met and had some nice chats with the owners Karst & Paulin, and the managers Mark & Paula.
Linnea and Mark really found each other and played a lot!

Our last day was spend with a little shopping in Yangshuo the next day (24th) we took a taxi the 2 hour drive to the station in Guilin. Bumpy as always and lots of traffic.

The train was a fast train – hour top speed was 207 km/h.

We arrived in a very hot Nanning in the afternoon.

We checked in at the Phoenix hotel very close to the station and it is the same quality as The Majesic. The wester breakfast here is no good either: Toast, butter, and a little cornflakes. NO! bacon…

We were piched up by mamma, her brother and a friend. In the evening we had dinner just around the cornor, with more friends.

After dinner mormor and Linnea watched a movie on Linneas iPad in bed while Hans and I took a walk in the near by streets. We have 2 big supermarkets very close to the hotel.

Mountains again – I do love this ind of nature

they know how to load a scooter-truck

Mark & the girls have fun

On the way

So called ghost town

When I opened the blog just now I saw that my post “Lazy days” had not gone online so you will get 2 posts today 🙂

On Tuesday it started to rain just after breakfast. It was 21 dgr. C outside anyway and it kept raining a little untill late afternoon. Mark, the manager said it is the dry season so it was not raining just our imagination.

We had a very relaxing and lazy day reading, doing homework, shopping in Lia´s shop next door.
My absolute favorite buy is a stall to hang jewlery or caaligraphy brushes. It is made of wood and very Chinese.

Since we have our own house – only 2 rooms in our part while there are 6 rooms in the others we could sit just inside our hall an look out.
The air was very fresh after the rain and we woke up to a sunny sky on Wednesday.

We wanted to go and see the famous Moon hill. so we took a taxi to Yangshuo and rented 2 scooters. We got the ones on gas since the eletric can´t go so far.

Linnea sat in front of Hans and mormor on the back of me, and we drove back to The Giggling tree to pick up some stuf and go on to the Moon Hill. Paulin the owner told me the way but Hans didn´t understand me so he asked in the reception and we went in the opposite direction. That way was meant for bikes and not scooters so we had to go back passing the Giggling tree again. Now it was lunch time so we made a stop here and ate lunch. Then off to the Moon hill. We got to the big road. Paulin had told us to drive for maybe 5 minutes and we would be there. We didn´t see a thing and after a long drive we decided to turn around and go back.

We allmost passed it again. Hans looked left for one second and saw it, stopped and we turned around again and finally we found it. We started to go up towards it, but 800 steps was to hard and would take too long time.

But we saw it from the parking lot.

Then we drowe back to Yangshuo and returned the scooters and did a little more shopping.

Dinner was seved at McDonalds because we were to be picked up in Yangshuo to go and see the Lightshow. When we had eaten we realised we had forgotten our tickets…. Hans called The Giggling Tree and when we met up with a woman at the entrance Hans called again and problem solved. We got in and had to walk for 5 minutes to the theater. We got our seats and the show was fantastic. It was all dark, and the suddenly the light was turned on – on 3 karst mountains! the whole audience – around 500 people – bursted out in one big WAU!!!

Today is our last full day at the Giggling Tree. Tomorrow morning at 10 am we are off to the train station in Guilin. We are going back to Nanning with high speed train on first class. It is nice to skip the plane – after 5 flights!

During our time here in China we have used all kinds of transportations….
Walking
Bikes
Scooters
Taxis
Private cars
Mini busses
Public busses
Bamboo floats
and tomorrow train

Before we left for China I was a bit worried I didn´t want the trip to end. This trip had been in our minds since 2008 and we made plans for almost 10 months. Now 3 weeks is almost over and only one is left. BUT I am not sad. We have so many memories from this trip. We wanted to get down to the real China with all what that includes and we have. It has been amazing.

Now I start thinking and looking forward to what comes after this trip.
Also I start missing my:

Bed
Dog -Tindra our litlle sweetheart
Friend Emma and our long and good talks and the Line dance
Friend Jenny and all we have to talk about
Internet – always woring

So I would say I am ready to the 4th and last part of this trip – but as always it is sad to say good buy! So I rather say: See you again some day!

And now to the photos……

A rainy day:

Scooter trip to Moon Hill

A small bridge we had to cross.

Yangshuo shopping – West street in day light

This woman paints the inside of a small glass bottle – I bought one and she wrote Linneas Chines name in the one I bought.

Linnea decided to try the fish foot bath – and got Hans to do it too.

Light show in Yangshuo