Home...

Well I am now officially home.... We arrived in Toronto on Friday and I took a plane home on saturday morning. Got to Bathurst at 5:00 on Friday. Mom and Dad picked me up. I had accumulated enough stuff to fill another suitcase... You should see the stuff they have in China. Gorgeous silk, cashmere, tea, jade and pearls. I should have brought more!!! I am slowly getting used to the new time. I still wake up at night and sleep in the day but I'm getting better.
I am happy to be home but loved my entire trip. Thank you to my sister and her husband for allowing me to participate in this once in a life time event. I have gotten to know my nephew and niece and will forever be grateful for the privilege. I am returning to work on Wednesday with all my memories and pictures. Thank you to everyone for their support and e-mails. It was wonderful to have contact with home.

Susan

Home sweet home, almost

We left beijing Friday at 2:00 pm and got to Toronto, Friday at 2:20 pm.... seems a bit odd when you think about it. Overall, had a very lovely and eye opening trip. Saw beautiful country and met very nice people. It's a one in a life time experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The people, the food(I now can eat with chopsticks!!). The people are so friendly and curious and I never felt afraid while alone in the City. I loved shopping even if I couldn't read any labels. I am anxious to see my family and sleep in my own bed. I have about seven CD's full of pictures and many momentos. Memories will stay forever... I am leaving tomorrow morning for my final destination.. home sweet home.
Susan

tianammen square and the forbiden city

we visited tianammen square. got to stand where the revult happened in 1989. It's very impressive to see, the square could fit 500,000 people at one time. Also visited the forbiden city. Was gorgeous.. We are going out for a party this evening to celebrate our return home.
Will post again later.
Leaving here on Friday am. returning home saturday night.
It was a lovely experience and a chance of a lifetime.
Thank you to my sister Julie and her husband Gary for this chance.
Susan

Tuesday update

We spend the day shopping today. What an experience... We went to a silk market where they explained the process for making silk. I bought a few things. we then went to the pearl market.. What lovely pearls. You pick your pearls and they string the necklace for you in front of you... I bought also a few things.
We then went to a market.. It was fun. You bartered for your stuff and we had a blast.
We went out for supper and had peking duck. What a novel experience.. loved the whole thing. Maybe I can do that with chicken????
update tomorrow as we visit tianimin square and the forbiden city.
later.
Susan

MONDAY MORNING

ANOTHER Gorgeous day in bejing. The babies had their medicals. All is well with Emma. We are going shopping this after noon for baby formula and fruit.
Should be an experience again. We are going to an acrobatic show tonight. It's countdown time. I have loved my time in China and will miss many things.
Will post again later.
Susan

THE Great Wall

We visited the summer palace yesterday. It was very beautiful but there was a smog alert. So we could not see very well.
Today, we climbed the great wall. It was a beautiful day and we saw blue sky for the first time since we arrived in beijing. We drove to the wall and then climbed to the towers. The section of wall we climbed is called Badaling. It's the part of the wall that is best upkept. It was wonderful, very steep and very crowded.
Tomorrow the babies get their medicals and we go shopping again.

SUMMER PALACE

We visited the summer palace and the zoo today, it was wonderful. We saw Pandas and monkeys.... The summer palace was very beautiful and very well painted. The architecture was georgeous.
We go to the great wall tomorrow and will try to publish pictures.
Susan

beijing here we are....

it's morning in beijing.. Had a good night's sleep and we are off later to the zoo and summer palace. It's very polluted here. Finding it hard to breathe, and need my pumps...We are having peking duck for supper, which should be an experience.
There is an united nations conference in this hotel and we are seing people from every country of the u.n.
Went to the market last night to pick up some water. What an experience. There are thousands of people in the store, chickens laying on the table in the aisle. Chickens with the head and feet still attached. You pick one and the butcher cuts it up for you then and there. They have every product you could want but I can't read any of this....
We will post again later.
Susan

this is what we had for super the other night. You have to be brave and not too fussy to eat in China. Better not to ask what it is!!!

What a long day, I know how the participants of the Amazing race feel. We got up at 5:00 am for breakfast, had to leave the hotel by 7:30, drive to the airport and catch our plane for 10:20. We had trouble with the tickets and boarding passes for the babies as everything had to match and we are not good at reading chinese names.
We finally made it to Bejing, tired but ok.
We went to the local shop to buy water and supper and will crash early tonight.
Tomorrow, we visit the summer palace and the zoo.
We are having problems with publishing pictures but will continue trying
Susan

another day, tomorrow we leave

This is our last day in Canton. We leave tomorrow morning to go to bejjing.
This has been a wonderful experience. The people are very nice and I have walked around without any fear. I don't feel anxious when walking around, I feel worse when walking in Montreal.
We are going out on an excursion in town. Should be an adventure.
It's about 90degrees today but I don't even see the sky. no blue to be seen.
Last night, you could barely see across the street because of the polution.
We will download pictures soon and I will post some.
Susan

Here chicken, chicken....

an update on my day so far. It's 5:15 pm here, we have just returned from our tour of the city. The traffic pattern of this city is impossible to explain unless you see it. The streets are divided into 3 lanes, but the lines are only a suggestion.
They stack up side by side as many as possible. Lanes do not exist, if you want to turn right, and are in the furthest left lane, you just cut everyone off. It's like a giant game of chicken. You fight with buses, motorcycles, bycles and pedestrians.
Our bus cut off another, and by doing so, cut off a motorcyclist who hit a bicyclist.... what a sight. You cannot imagine how someone can drive here and not get killed!
We visited a temple which was very beautiful, also a souvenir shop where we could see artisants at work. We had a lovely lunch at a Cantonese restaurant. You walk into the restaurant and pick the fish from the tank, it then shows up on your table!!
I will post pictures as soon as they are available.
The pollution is very bad today, you cannot even see the building next door. Forget about seing the sky. Only one day this week we say blue for about an hour.

on our way back, we passed another small restaurant. A woman was outside the door and she was killing a chicken... talk about fresh food.

another day. november 2 2005

it's 8:00 am here. we are going to visit a temple that is now a museum. It features jade and ivory carvings. We should also get to buy souvenirs... Everyone is fine so far, the babies are well, a few have a cold.
I will take photos and post when I come back.
susan

more of our trip so far....

this is a squat toilet... quite difference... one for you Lise

we went to a park in central Canton, and guess who the guest of honor was, there was this bronze statue of the best know actor in Chine... guest who....MR BEAN... yes Suzanne, Mr. bean (we had someone translate the plaque and that is what it stated)


Well, another day, another experience.
We went shopping for strollers and baby formula today. Imagine a group of 15 babies, about 35 adults all coming in to a store together... We attracted a lot of attention.
We went to a store that looked like a Wal Mart. It had food, clothing and electronics. We bought what we needed but it was very strange to pick something up and not be able to tell what it was or to see familiar packaging but not being able to tell if it was or not what we had at home.. Oil of olay soap with the same familiar face but was it????
We also went to a park and walked around for about an hour. People were practicing tai-chi in the park. It's very beautiful to see a whole bunch of people doing the same movements.
Our hotel in Canton is gorgeous, we have a living room and a bed room, with a big bathroom, shower and bath.
we have seen squat toilet but I have not had to use one yet. We stopped yesterday at a place and we had to get our toilet paper at the door before entering the stalls... Good thing someone told us!

it's about 20C here, lovely temperature, but the people tell us it's cold!!!

more pictures

department store in China

another day in Canton... november 1

another nice day in Canton. We are going shopping today and visiting town.
They have gorgeous silk dresses and tops here and shoes that are very nicely decorated. Some of the babies are sick but Emma is still fine and very active.
If anyone has any special requests, you can e mail me at saragaby@nb.sympatico.ca
as I can access my e mail from here.
I will try to post pictures later.
I went to the bank yesterday to exchange my travellers cheques. What an experience. You go to the bank where you can't even read the signs to see where you should stand. I finally saw someone take a number from a machine, so I did the same. Stood in line until it was my turn(they call out the number in mandarine and also show them on a screen, which is a good thing) When I got to the cashier, she said that I had to go to 2 floor...I went up to the second level and a man waved me over. I gave him my cheques and he said <
Susan

p.s. I have a question for my friend freddie the electician... if i buy a digital camera, do you think i can buy a converter to convert from 220 to 110????
tks.

and more pictures

picture of our group


people playing table tennis in the park

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Just a short note before going to bed as it is late monday night here. My body is starting to get used to this new time. Had a nice day with Thomas. We explored the hotel and went to the park. What a feeling when everyone stares at you and you are the odd one out. Crossing the street was an event.. cars don't stop for pedestrians, you have to run across in between cars, motorcycles. They drive a lot of very old motercycles here, and rarely wear helmets. Thomas and Gary were tossing a ball in the park and the cops came to tell them they could not do that.
They had attracted a few spectators and participants and I guess that they did not like that.
We had a traditional cantonese diner and boy do I like the canadian chinese better than this traditional one. It was a very awakening experience to try things you did not know what they were. We had fish served with it's head still on. We had chicken balls and the bones were still in it, without any sauce. We had to use chopsticks, what hard!!!
Had a lovely day and Emma was very cheerful, she is very curious and tries to grab everything she can.