August 2007

Tracey & Mike Hinchberger of Kincardine ON travelled to China along
with their daughters Olivia and Maia to meet their new daughter Ran in Nanjing.
Tracey offered this story of their first night in China.

It was a dark and stormy night … and so began our adventure in China.

It was almost 24 hours from when we taxied down the runway at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport Saturday morning to when we touched down late Sunday afternoon in Beijing. As we entered the main terminal concourse, however, our fatigue was quickly forgotten. Most of the other members of our August travel group had already arrived and were waiting for us and two other families to join them.

Once everyone was accounted for Yulin shepherded us back to the hotel. Rooms were assigned, baggage delivered and only a few minutes remained before Yulin escorted us back out for our first dinner in China. We walked several blocks down the street to a wonderful eating establishment that she had discovered a few days earlier. We were seated in a quaint outdoor courtyard behind the main restaurant.

The group enjoyed a delicious meal as we became acquainted with the people who had we had all come to know via email and the internet over the last several months.

As the evening wore on the night sky clouded over and faint rumbles of thunder could be heard in the distance. Yulin became concerned about the weather and shooed us back to the hotel. The bill was settled and we headed out into the street.

No sooner than we began our stroll under the canopy of red lanterns that lined the boulevard great gusts of wind began to blow. Suddenly the heavens opened and we were caught in a deluge of rain and hail. The wind was now so strong it was impossible to walk.

Fearing for our safety our group huddled behind a delivery van for what little shelter we could find, with our four year old daughter Maia tucked underneath everyone for protection. Any feelings of security quickly vanished however when the van began to rock in the wind.

We decided to make a run for it. My husband threw Maia over his shoulder and we pressed on to the hotel. As we entered the lobby the staff was quite entertained by this group of drowned rat tourists who were sloshing their way in from the storm. I’m sure their amusement quickly vanished as they realized they were going to have to mop up the trail of water we were leaving behind us.

So that was it. Our first night in China. If this was any indication it was going to be quite an adventure. And it was.

Less than 24 hours later we were 1100 km away in a hotel room in Nanjing becoming acquainted with another very special person, our beautiful new daughter Ran.

-- Tracey