Category Archives: China 2014

China, China 2014, Mettes corner

Thoughts on a Thursday

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Today I have had many thoughts about my job situation and what I should do in the future. I won’t say I have been in a bad mood but not it a good mood either.

In the mail today there was a book I ordered. It’s about families with adoptive children or adults who was adopted as children who travels back to their birth countries and towns.

One family travels to China, Guangxi and to places we are going to visit in October. I look at the pictures in the book and on the internet from Guangxi. I have a hard time understanding that WE are to see all this: High tech modern cities with skyscrapers and huge malls, poor families in the country side, abandoned children (who hopefully will get their own forever family one day) and the breathtaking beauty of the nature! Such big contrasts!

Suddenly it becomes impossible to feel bad or sad. Instead I am overwhelmed with gratitude that I get to go on this adventure with my family!

nanning1

Nanning by night

guangxigirl

A girl from the Guangxi girls program by Hope 4 China’s Children

typical-guangxi-landscape

Guangxi mountains.

China, China 2014

Check and done!

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In Sweden we have compulsory schooling from the first grade to the ninth. That means children are required to go to school and if you want them to have one or more days off you have to apply for it.

First out is the teacher, and if it’s several days in a row the principal needs to sign the application too.

Our China trip started out as a two weeks trip for a very short time. We quickly realized we needed tree weeks and we ended with four in total. One week of them is school holiday, so we had to apply for 15 days leave for Linnea. In the school law 10 days are mentioned as a maximum per year unless it a very special occasion.

Today I got the application back signed by Linnea’s teacher and the principal, it was approved.

I still have a hard time getting that this is happening! We are going to China again on an adventure I never imagined! For every little thing that falls in to place, I realize that this is real!!!

I am just so happy and grateful for being a part of this!

thank_you

China, China 2014

Seats

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I have booked the seats with Air China, after some detective work finding a phone number I could call from my mobile phone.

Frankfurt – Beijing (Red)
Beijing – Frankfurt (Purple)

B777-300

Beijing – Nanning

B737-800_1

Nanning – Beijing

A321

China 2014

Hotels booked

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The hotels in Nanning and Guiyang are booked.

In Nanning we chose Majestic or Mingyuan Xindu Hotel because we stayed there when we got Linnea. She wanted to see the hotel where she spend her first time with us.

I’ve asked around and looked at reviews and I would say 50-50 says it ok, hard beds (as most places in China) and the breakfast is Chinese. We will stay there in the beginning and in the end of the trip.

Majestic
Majestic

In Guiyang, we googled our friends address,  looked at their photos and found a hotel close to them. They have checked it at says it’s close. So we booked 2 Executive double rooms including breakfast for 328 Yuan/night/room. Wonder how they look and we hope for softer beds…..

miracleIsland
Miracle Island Express Hotel

 

 

 

China, China 2014

Time table

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Here is the time and dates.
(Will be updated when we book activities)

Day
no.		 Date Where Local
Time		 Flight no/Train no/To do
1 4 Copenhagen        10:10 Air China – CA 7100 
Frankfurt 11:45
13:55		 Arrival
Air China – CA 966 
2 5 Beijing 05:15
11:40		 Arrival
Air China – CA 1485
Nanning 15:00* (15:05) Arrival
Picked up by Foster family & Kelly
Nanning
Majestic Hotel		 Check in
3 6 Nanning
Majestic Hotel		 Pick up train tickets,
Dinner at the Foster family
Massage
4 7 Nanning
Majestic Hotel		 8:30 Visit to a park with monkeys with the foster family
5 8 Nanning
Majestic Hotel		  9:00 Visit Li & her family with Matthew and the foster family
6 9 Nanning
Majestic Hotel		 Qingxiu Mountain
7 10 Nanning
Majestic Hotel
8 11 Nanning
Majestic Hotel
 Check out
Nanning 13:20** (13:40) Tianjin Airlines – FGS6424
Guiyang 14:15** (14:40) Arrival
Picked up by Henk, meet Jet & the kids.
Guiyang
Starfish fosterhome Volunteer appartment
  Check in
9 12 Guiyang
Starfish fosterhome Volunteer appartment 
10 13 Guiyang
Starfish fosterhome Volunteer appartment 
11 14 Guiyang
Starfish fosterhome Volunteer appartment 
12 15 Guiyang
Starfish fosterhome Volunteer appartment 
13  16 Guiyang
Starfish fosterhome Volunteer appartment		 Check out
Guiyang 7:50 China Express Airlines – G52611
Guilin 8:40 Arrival
Picked up by taxi via Giggling Tree
Yangshuo
Giggling Tree		 Check in
14 17 Yangshuo
Giggling Tree
15 18 Yangshuo
Giggling Tree
16 19 Yangshuo
Giggling Tree
17 20 Yangshuo
Giggling Tree
18 21 Yangshuo
Giggling Tree
19 22 Yangshuo
Giggling Tree
20 23 Yangshuo
Giggling Tree
21 24 Yangshuo
Giggling Tree		 Check out
Guilin  12:55 G431
Nanning  15:10
Nanning
The Poenix Hotel		 Check in
22 25 Nanning
The Poenix Hotel
23 26 Nanning
The Poenix Hotel
24 27 Nanning
The Poenix Hotel		 Lunch with Grace & Hope for Children staff
25 28 Nanning
The Poenix Hotel
26 29 Nanning
The Poenix Hotel
27 30 Nanning
The Poenix Hotel		 Check out
Nanning *** 21:05
(18:10)		 Air China – CA 1376
Beijing ***
00:15
(21:30)
02:00		 ArrivalAir China 965
28 31 Frankfurt 5:10
9:25*		 Arrival
Air China – CA 6867 (SK 640)
Copenhagen 10:50* Arrival

* Back to the original time updated 2014-09-07
** New time updated 2014-08-27
*** Changed time 2014-09-28

China 2014

Getting somewhere

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Time is a funny thing. There are a bit more that 7 month to “take off” and now that we booked and know when and where, small things come along.

Today Hans was ordering shoes on the internet and we found trekking sandals for Linnea for half of the normal price! Not that she likes that model but we want her to have this kind with her to China when we walk, take a bike ride or something else. So we ordered them too.

Later Linnea and I went to town and we went to the police to get her a new passport. The one she had was valid until June and we need the passport number to order train tickets. She will get the new one next week.

We also found her a “belt – bag” i metallic purple, so she can  have her camera and purse on her all the time in China.

Small things that means we’re a little bit closer to our biggest trip ever!

I have also decided to make a Link collection here on the blog. Many adoptive families plans home land trips and and we all help each other finding good prices, nice things to see or do! So hold on and I make it soon, and keep updating it as we move on in the process.

We want to do it all ourselves and tomorrow will be hotel booking day for Nanning and Guiyang.

China 2014

Booked!

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Ohhh my!!! We did it today!!!!

The flight is booked!

October 4-5th: Copenhagen – Frankfurt – Beijing – Nanning

October 30-31st: Nanning – Beijing – Frankfurt – Copenhagen

We have also send a booking request to The Giggling Tree outside Yangshuo – 9 nights!

Now it’s for real! This is going to happen! Feels a bit unreal!

We’ll decide on the Nanning hotel(s) and Guiyang (?) tomorrow!

A timetable will be posted later here on the blog!

 

Blog, China 2014, Top image

New look

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When I wrote about our up coming trip to China I felt I had to do something about the layout of this blog.  Now I like it!

I made the top image with photos from China and from left they are:

  • Zhong Guó = China
  • The Majestic Hotel in Nánníng, Guangx, where we stayed when we got Linnea and where we’ll probably stay again.
  • From the city Guìyáng in Guìzhou, where we’ll visit our friends and Starfish Foster home.
  • River rafting near Yangshuo in Guangx?
  • The tower at the top on Mt. Qingxiu in Nanning
  • Nánníng in Chinese
  • Huángguoshù Pùbù (waterfalls) in Guizhou
  • Li River near Guìlín in Guangxi
  • Guangxi balls
  • The hotell The Giggling Tree outside Yángshuò in Guangxi,  where we’ll stay on our trip.

 

China 2014

Maps

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I’ve made some maps showing our way to and around in China as the plan looks now. Maybe my mom then have time enough to learn the names by heart? We don’t want her to get lost! 🙂

I googled for some distances in km:

Bjärnum – Copenhagen: 120 km

Copenhagen – Frankfurt : 390 km

Frankfurt- Beijing: 7839 km

Beijing – Nanning: 1397 km

Nanning – Guiyang: 449 km

Guiyang – Guilin: 349 km

Guilin – Yangshuo: 60 km

Gulin – Nanning: 339 km

 

Click on the images to make the bigger……

travel_route2
Bjärnum – Copenhagen – Frankfurt – Beijing – Nanning and back!
travel_route1
Nanning – Guiyang – Guilin – Yangshuo – Guilin – Nanning