72 hours and counting.

Here I thought we were out in 106 degree weather at the Three Gorges Dam Museum, yesterday. I was wrong. We were in 112 degree weather. No wonder we were all so cranky. My husband has given up on all group tours for the remainder of our stay and refuses to step out of the hotel, unless it's to get on the bus that will take us to the airport. He's actually the sane one in the group -- but I will never admit that to his face.



Chongqing made the CNN International weather report as being the hotest place in China and having broken a hundred year record for heat. I knew my daughter's birth place was special, I just couldn't quite put my finger on it until now. It's 11PM and it's 85 degrees outside. On the plus side, my complexion has cleared up, I don't know if it's the exfoliating smoggy haze facials or the pearl powder face cream I bought in Beijing but something is definitely working for me...maybe it was the steam from the hotpot, come to think of it. Vanity knows no borders (and yes, you can be a vain tomboy as long as you have a no make up look).

Today they gave us Makena's Chinese passport and I don't think she will complain about her picture. She is adorable. I am biased, I'm her mom, I can say that. All her air travel has to be booked under her original name, Qian Lihan, until we get her Certificate of Citizenship and apply for her American passport. Until then, I will have to travel with her passport and her Chinese adoption decree + the notarized translation.


We travel tomorrow and Mak and Jack are sick. Makena is on day 2 of antibiotics and I suspect she also has a sore throat and has spread it to Jack, who crashed early tonight complaining that he couldn't swallow. So, selfishly, I am in a panic because I don't want to get what they have and I'm running out of airborne tablets and I'm washing my hands but I'm not feeling so great. I should be in bed but I'm too wired from having spent two hours packing which was absolutely an insane amount of wasted time.

As usual, everyone is asleep and I'm blogging when I should be in bed. I obviously need help.

Help!

Is - crazy.

PS: I'm posting pictures of our outing today. There's no hiding the sweat on our faces or the haze in the air. The kids bought some spun sugar lollypops. Big sister Catherine whose little sister is Emily, is pictured, And we walked through old town, which, funnily enough, reminded me of every Chinatown I've ever been to, give or take the odd worker balancing a bamboo pole heavy with bricks and the smell of fish sauce in the air.









Maelin, posing with her parents