Day 2 - Great Wall

First, let me discuss the toilets! Squat toilets. My first experience was at the airport. Then that night was at McDonalds. This morning was at the Great Wall, but no toilet paper. I used 1/2 a tissue. I only had two and it was the beginning of the day. Who knew what the day would bring. The most usual was at the Bird Cage from the olympics. It was filled with bubbles and was a port a John. No toilet paper there. Tomorrow I must remember to have a supply of tissues in my purse and pray the squatting is for only one issue. All the babies have their pants open and they do their business anywhere. One boy was walking about with his front out and peeing and walking. One pooped on the ground and the mother found newspaper to pick it up. Just a different culture and they do get the kids trained earlier that us smart Americans. Adley is already being trained in the orphanage.
The traffic is horrible. We were bumper to bumper and moved very slow. I must have seen ten fenders benders today. The van was lacking all the seat belts, but that is no problem for the people in China. The cars are stuffed with people and no car seats for the babies. In the city, a car owner will have a license with an ending number that tells you what days you can drive the car. Like in the 1970s when we could only buy gas on even or odd days. If you have certain numbers you can drive on Monday, Wedsday, Friday and what not. So on the odd day, you will have to take a bus or bike to work. One car at the Wall have paper covering the last numbers of the license. Wealthy people will buy an extra car to be able to drive every day.
We went to a different part of the wall than14 years ago. The steps were very steep and worn down from hundreds of years and hundreds of people walking them. People wear hats and use umbrellas to keep the sun off them. Also I saw women with arm covers to protect them from the sun. And is it HOT? And crowded. It is also a Saturday.
We were at a Jade store with a restaurant for lunch. In came about 16 people and a five year Chinese girl. No one had the nerve to ask them if they were an adoptee group. But the age of the people Made us certain they were.
Our guide told us-- parents in a farming area can have a second child if the first baby is a girl. When the second child is also a girl, they will abandon it to have one more chance for a boy. That is why there are so many girls to adopt. With this information, there is a high probability that Adley has an older sister. She comes from a poor farming city.
Eve is on pins and needles waiting for Monday morning. Two more days and Adley will have a family to love her.


Great Wall
-
Bird Cage

Arm covers to protect from the sun
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Beijing, Cjina