Hong Kong cont....

We had a great time exploring Hong Kong today.  We got in rather late last night and didn't get to post too much last night.  We had a good trip from Guangzhou yesterday.  The van was very nice - new and leather seats.  We had plenty of room to get us and our luggage to Hong Kong - we were a little worried with all the "tiny" vans we've seen in China and the pieces of our luggage!  It was an interesting ride.  There were three families in 3 different vans traveling to Hong Kong.  We think the drivers were having a competition to see who could get to Hong Kong first.  They drive like maniacs!!!!  One family said their driver was well over a 100 mph in some stretches.  I know ours was pushing 90 mph at times!  One of the other moms in our group says you need to take a Valium before you go if you are using a van!  Robin at least thinks a motion sickness pill.

 

We are staying at the Skycity Marriot.  Nice hotel and real close to the airport.  They have a free shuttle that runs to the airport - this will be nice on Saturday.  We are also Marriot Rewards members so we have free internet in our rooms - this was the case in Guangzhou as well (note to other adoptive parents - get a Marriot Rewards number if you are with CCAI, free internet in Guangzhou and Hong Kong!).  It was really nice using the van service.  They picked us up in Guangzhou at the hotel and delivered us to the our hotel in Hong Kong!  If we would have ridden the train, we would have had an additional hour by taxi to get to our hotel.  Two families in our adoption travel group switched to a van when they found out about the 1 hr taxi ride in Hong Kong!

 

Today we were able to Skype with my brother Steve and Irene and 2 of their daughters.  Maddie had such a good time on the computer.  She loves to punch buttons and was fascinated with my "electronics".  We rode the Airport Express train into Hong Kong to explore the area.  The train is located right next to the hotel so it was very easy to catch and get downtown.  We then rode a ferry over to the Kowloon area and explored the shops in that part of town.  Bill and Reba were looking for a tailer that Reba had used when she led tour groups from Dallas to Hong Kong in the 80s.  No such luck in finding the shop - things have changed so much in the 25+ years.  We rode the ferry back to downtown and then caught a bus over to ride the Peak Tram to the overlook of the city.  We were supposed to catch the 15C bus, but instead we caught the 15 bus.  This bus took us all the way to the top of the mountain to the overlook.  We rode the Peak Tram back down the hill.  Wish we could have ridden the Peak Tram up instead of coming down.  We came down backwards in our seats so it was kind of hard to see.  The Peak Tram rises 1200 feet and has a 14% grade.  You can see some of the tracks in the pictures.  The day was a little hazy in Hong Kong so the pictures aren't the clearest.  What a sight to see overlooking the city.  Glad we had time to spend in Hong Kong and see some of the sights of this amazing city.  Maddie did very well!  She has such a good disposition and loves to look around when we travel.  She fell asleep in her stroller for about an hour.  She did very well and went right down when we got back to the hotel.

 

Its hard to believe what things Maddie has done this past few weeks.  She probably rode in a car the first time, buses, airplanes, ferries, trains, and subways!  What a change for a little girl who came from an orphanage about 11 days ago.  Pray for us tomorrow as we travel home.  We will have a 13 hour airplane ride ahead of us.  Pray that Maddie will do well and that Robin and I will not pull all our hair out!  Maddison has taken a turn for the worse over the last 2 days.  It sounds like she is coughing her little lungs out.  The one thing I wish we had more access to over here is a doctor just for the little things like colds, infections, and coughs.  Robin and I have really not slept the last two night because Maddie has been coughing so much.  We did come armed with some over the counter meds, but it is such a hit or miss on size and weight for these little guys, it is hard.  I would imagine a local doc who would work with these adoptive kids could really help.  We had one little guy in our group who had to have a boil lanced on the back of his head and one little gal who needed catheters.  How do you really plan for those things?  You can't.   Pray that Maddison's ears don't hurt while flying, that she does not cough uncontrollably, and that she will sleep lots on the plane.  We have learned that Maddison has good volume when she crys.  It could be a long 13 hours and no one will like us on the plane.  Please pray we all rest well and that the flight is uneventful.  As I type this Maddison has started coughing again.  It is painful to listen to the little cries and whimpers she makes when she finishes coughing and is still asleep. 

 

 

Thanks for you prayers and good night from Hong Kong.