It Is Almost Time

The Journey to John begins with a 

6740 miles (like they say, "As the crow flies")

trip for St. Louis to Beijing. 

We will leave St Louis and fly to Chicago 

and then onto Beijing.

Once in China we will have three 

parts to our travel.

1. We initially fly into Beijing.  China is divided into provinces, but Beijing is not in a province...it's sort of it's own province. Harmony House is located outside Beijing in Langfang.  We will travel the 32 miles from Beijing to Langfang where we will meet John for the first time.  Temperatures are expected to be between 25 to 45 degree, much like Missouri's weather. 

While in Beijing we will tour: 

The Great Wall

Construction of the Great Wall began more than 2,500 years ago by China's first emperor to protect China from aggressive northern invaders. The Great Wall is one of the most famous cultural sites in the world and was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1987.

Hutong Lane

'Hutong' is a Manchurian word for 'lane' or 'alley'. These areas are typical old Beijing neighborhoods and are mostly designed in the Siheyuan style, with four houses surrounding a shared square courtyard (imagine if you don't get along with your neighbors!). Hutong tours are run by the state and are conducted on three-wheeled peddle rickshaws. The Chinese government trains and regulates the drivers who lease the rickshaws; guides are required to wear red uniforms and abide by rules and guidelines.

Forbidden City

Closed to commoners for 500 years, the imperial palace was constructed by 200,000 workers between 1406 and 1420. It is said to have a total of 9,999 rooms. Its many pavilions, gardens, and courtyards cover 178 acres.

TianAnMen Square

Tiananmen Square is the largest city square in the world. Located in the center of Beijing, it was originally designed for political rallies and important state events. Today the square is flanked by the Forbidden City in the north, the Great Hall of the People in the west, Mao Tse Tung's Mausoleum in the south, the Museum of Chinese Revolution and the Museum of Chinese History in the East.

2. We will then travel (with John) by train 250 miles to  Shanxi province and go to the capital, Taiyuan. This is John's home province. We will stay in Taiyuan for 4-5 days to complete more adoption procedures. We will be completing documents and having them notarized and will also be getting his passport, as well as other various pieces of paperwork.

3. We will then travel 1017 miles to Guangzhou.   The US Consulate is in Guangzhou and ALL adoptive families MUST leave from Guangzhou.   John's visa will be issued and his immigration completed at the consulate.  The temperatures should be much warmer, much like Florida's winter weather. Since ALL adopting families must come here, it tends to be somewhat of a "haven" for Americans. Things are much more "western-ized" and the area is full of other Americans as well as great shopping and restaurants. We will be in Guangzhou about a week then start our journey home!

Then the long Journey home begins:

7887 miles from Guangzhou to St. Louis

after around 16 days and 15926 miles 

(give or take a few) we will be 

HOME.