Sunday, April 2, 2006, 1:23 p.m.
One day until we get Cao Ai Hua
By Terry R. Cassreino
BEIJING - We just received more information about Cao Ai Hua and thought we'd share it with everyone reading our blog.
A narrative provided today by Holt International Children's Services says that Ai Hua feels close to her caregiver and the children in the same room at her orphanage. Ai Hua eats formula with rice cereal seven times a day.
The narrative says that Ai Hua also eats noodles, vegetable soup, snacks and small biscuits. She is fed by her caregiver by spoon or bottle and sleeps alone on her back from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. with a small wall lamp and quiet environment.
In the afternoon, Ai Hua takes a nap from 12 noon to 1 p.m.; she hasn't been toilet trained and is still in diapers. She likes bathing and "splashes happily when bathed."
The narrative says Ai Hua plays with all kinds of toys, likes to be held and is nervous around strangers. She also doesn't like staying in the dark.
Her pet name is Yun Er.
She had no note attached to her when authorities found her.
That's about it. Now, Pam and I are off to tour the Forbidden City.
A little about Mississippi, a little about Louisiana, a little about New Orleans and A LOT about our adoption story. This blog and our adoption story is dedicated to Camryn and Matthew Cassreino so that you both will know. Copyright 2021 by Terry R. Cassreino
Saturday, April 1, 2006
A look back at Saturday's events
Sunday, April 2, 2006, 7:13 a.m.
One day left until we get Cao Ai Hua
Photos from our adoption trip to Beijing. These five photos were taken Saturday, April 1, 2006. Text and photos by Terry R. Cassreino and Pam Cassreino.
PHOTO 1
Here, Pam stands on top of The Great Wall of China with the parking area and souvenir shops below. The air was thin and the breeze was strong atop the Wall. Besides that, the climb was tough and steep. But the view was magnificent.
PHOTO 2
After visiting The Great Wall of China on Saturday, April 1, our tour guide took us to a cloisonne factory. There we saw literally hundreds of incredible vases, plates and other figurines that were painstakingly created by hand. The prices were astronomical, with some pieces selling for the thousands in U.S. dollars. We also had a great Chinese luncheon upstairs in the restaurant. The two dolls I pictured in an earlier post cost upwards of several hundred U.S. dollars.
PHOTO 3
Here, a worker at the cloisonne factory decorates a vase early in the manufacturing process. Workers were busy during the two hours we were there.
PHOTO 4
Here is the Chinese lady, center, who invited our tour group into her home. She is 67 years old and a retired factory worker. She lives with her husband and two children. Behind her is the radiator she uses to warm the house in cold Beijing winters. The windows were built at such a height and angle to keep the summer sun from heating the home but ensure the sun warms it during the winter.
PHOTO 5
Here is a shot of the family's kitchen. You can see a microwave, a small rfrigerator and a table. Not visible, but behind the photo, is a small, two burner gas range. I'm not sure, but I imagine they also eat in the kitchen. In all, I'd be shocked if they had more han 1,200 square feet of living space.
Photos and text copyright 2006 by Terry R. Cassreino
One day left until we get Cao Ai Hua
Photos from our adoption trip to Beijing. These five photos were taken Saturday, April 1, 2006. Text and photos by Terry R. Cassreino and Pam Cassreino.
PHOTO 1
Here, Pam stands on top of The Great Wall of China with the parking area and souvenir shops below. The air was thin and the breeze was strong atop the Wall. Besides that, the climb was tough and steep. But the view was magnificent.
PHOTO 2After visiting The Great Wall of China on Saturday, April 1, our tour guide took us to a cloisonne factory. There we saw literally hundreds of incredible vases, plates and other figurines that were painstakingly created by hand. The prices were astronomical, with some pieces selling for the thousands in U.S. dollars. We also had a great Chinese luncheon upstairs in the restaurant. The two dolls I pictured in an earlier post cost upwards of several hundred U.S. dollars.
PHOTO 3
Here, a worker at the cloisonne factory decorates a vase early in the manufacturing process. Workers were busy during the two hours we were there.
PHOTO 4
Here is the Chinese lady, center, who invited our tour group into her home. She is 67 years old and a retired factory worker. She lives with her husband and two children. Behind her is the radiator she uses to warm the house in cold Beijing winters. The windows were built at such a height and angle to keep the summer sun from heating the home but ensure the sun warms it during the winter.
PHOTO 5
Here is a shot of the family's kitchen. You can see a microwave, a small rfrigerator and a table. Not visible, but behind the photo, is a small, two burner gas range. I'm not sure, but I imagine they also eat in the kitchen. In all, I'd be shocked if they had more han 1,200 square feet of living space.
Photos and text copyright 2006 by Terry R. Cassreino
Tour offers glimpse of Chinese hutong
Saturday, April 1, 2006, 10:28 p.m.
Two days before we get Cao Ai Hua
By Terry R. Cassreino
BEIJING - After visiting The Great Wall, our tour guide and several Holt International Children’s Services families toured a hutong (or a local neighborhood).
We toured by rickshaw in which a gentleman pedaled a bicycle while Pam and I rode in the back. We passed through narrow alleys of the hutong and stopped at one house.
There, we learned that a woman who is in her 60s has lived there her whole life and shares the extremely small quarters with her husband, son and daughter.
All total, they probably have 1,200 square feet or less in an aging, cinder-block building heated by radiators and cooled by breezes. The kitchen is a hot plate; they have little else.
But they do have their pride. This family allowed total strangers into their home, answered questions about her life (she’s a retired factory worker) and showed them around.
and not much else.
Stray dogs
I saw my first stray dogs today.
While traveling Saturday, or rather stuck in stalled traffic, on the expressway in Beijing, we saw our first stray dogs roaming the streets. We even saw owners walking their dogs.
Later, while touring a hutong by rickshaw, we saw more pets walking the streets with their owners or protecting their owners by barking loudly.
Our tour guide explained the reason for so few dogs and cats: The government requires owners to buy a $500 pet license or risk having their dog or cat taken to the Chinese pound.
Owners also have to renew their license once a year by paying $100 to the government.
Chipping away
Pam and I found out why you can’t buy those special-flavored Lays potato chips in the United States - you know, the ones we talked about earlier in the week.
These are potato chips flavored as Swiss cheese, Mexican tomato chicken, beef and cucumbers. And man do they suck. They are terrible, nasty, foul tasting.
We bought the chips out of curiosity a couple of hours ago from a neighborhood grocery (after we decided to bypass a local Korean restaurant because of the line).
The store was nice. The chips weren’t.
Orientation set
On Sunday, we will join Holt families here at the Kunlun Hotel for orientation at 9 a.m. that is scheduled to last about three hours.
We should learn more about Cao Ai Hua as well as travel plans this week for Beijing to Nanchang and from Nanchang to Guangzhou.
After orientation, we are scheduled to take a tour of the Forbidden City - the place where 24 emperors and two dynasties rued for more than 500 years.
If you remember, this was also where director Bernardo Bertolucci shot his Oscar-winning film “The Last Emperor,” the true story of Pu Yi. This is an incredible film that I highly recommend.
Finally, Pam and I need to buy an extra piece of luggage to check on the plane to lessen the load she as in the suitcase she brought. If not, we’ll pay a huge fine for packing 60-plus pounds.
The limit in China is 44 pounds; the limit domestically in the United States is 50 pounds.
Photos and text copyright 2006 by Terry R. Cassreino
Two days before we get Cao Ai Hua
By Terry R. Cassreino
BEIJING - After visiting The Great Wall, our tour guide and several Holt International Children’s Services families toured a hutong (or a local neighborhood).
We toured by rickshaw in which a gentleman pedaled a bicycle while Pam and I rode in the back. We passed through narrow alleys of the hutong and stopped at one house.
There, we learned that a woman who is in her 60s has lived there her whole life and shares the extremely small quarters with her husband, son and daughter.
All total, they probably have 1,200 square feet or less in an aging, cinder-block building heated by radiators and cooled by breezes. The kitchen is a hot plate; they have little else.
But they do have their pride. This family allowed total strangers into their home, answered questions about her life (she’s a retired factory worker) and showed them around.
and not much else.
Stray dogs
I saw my first stray dogs today.
While traveling Saturday, or rather stuck in stalled traffic, on the expressway in Beijing, we saw our first stray dogs roaming the streets. We even saw owners walking their dogs.
Later, while touring a hutong by rickshaw, we saw more pets walking the streets with their owners or protecting their owners by barking loudly.
Our tour guide explained the reason for so few dogs and cats: The government requires owners to buy a $500 pet license or risk having their dog or cat taken to the Chinese pound.
Owners also have to renew their license once a year by paying $100 to the government.
Chipping away
Pam and I found out why you can’t buy those special-flavored Lays potato chips in the United States - you know, the ones we talked about earlier in the week.
These are potato chips flavored as Swiss cheese, Mexican tomato chicken, beef and cucumbers. And man do they suck. They are terrible, nasty, foul tasting.
We bought the chips out of curiosity a couple of hours ago from a neighborhood grocery (after we decided to bypass a local Korean restaurant because of the line).
The store was nice. The chips weren’t.
Orientation set
On Sunday, we will join Holt families here at the Kunlun Hotel for orientation at 9 a.m. that is scheduled to last about three hours.
We should learn more about Cao Ai Hua as well as travel plans this week for Beijing to Nanchang and from Nanchang to Guangzhou.
After orientation, we are scheduled to take a tour of the Forbidden City - the place where 24 emperors and two dynasties rued for more than 500 years.
If you remember, this was also where director Bernardo Bertolucci shot his Oscar-winning film “The Last Emperor,” the true story of Pu Yi. This is an incredible film that I highly recommend.
Finally, Pam and I need to buy an extra piece of luggage to check on the plane to lessen the load she as in the suitcase she brought. If not, we’ll pay a huge fine for packing 60-plus pounds.
The limit in China is 44 pounds; the limit domestically in the United States is 50 pounds.
Photos and text copyright 2006 by Terry R. Cassreino
Climbing the Great Wall of China
Saturday, April 1, 2006, 10:09 p.m.
Two days until we get Cao Ai Hua
By Terry R. Cassreino
BEIJING - We made it.
We climbed the historic, legendary (and awfully steep and long) Great Wall of China at the Badaling section, which is about an hour outside this country’s capital city.
And because of that, Pam and I have been designated “true men.” That’s right, both of us are “true men.” I know because Pam and I have an official placard stating exactly that.
Heck, after a three-hour bus ride through Beijing’s creeping traffic (a trip that normally takes an hour) and then trudging up to the side of a mountain, we ought to be rewarded.
We left the hotel at about 8:30 a.m. Saturday and arrived at the Great Wall about three hours later. We had about two hours to explore the Badaling section.
That was more than enough, believe me. Pam and I left our group determined to scale the summit of a mountain, which this particular section of the Great Wall hugs.
Then we revised our plans as we started to climb up a slope that had to be at least a 45-degree angle. It was so steep that our hands could almost touch the ground as we walked upright.
Check point
We made it to the first check point, stopped to admire the incredible view and brushed off several natives who tried to sell us overpriced Great Wall books and fake watches.
After a break to catch our breath, we turned to each other, checked our plans and agreed we had enough. It was time to meet the rest of our group and go to the next attraction.
The Great Wall of China, or at least the more substantial portions that wind through the mountains north of Beijing, dates back to the Ming Dynasty in the 14th to 17th centuries.
The wall was a series of defensive barriers that grew with the passing of each empire. At least three locations are worth viewing in and around Beijing.
One part of the wall, the Great Wall at Simatai, is remote and relatively unrestored. Part of the wall is overgrown with weeds and creates an interesting challenge for hikers.
Hikers Pam and I are not. So, that part of the wall was out of the question.
Another part is the Great Wall at Mutianyu, which is a popular portion of the wall that is usually less crowded and is said to offer spectacular views.
But that was out of the question; our tour operator had other plans.
Tourist crowds
Instead, we visited the Great Wall at Badaling. This, tour guides say, is usually overcrowded with tourists eager to climb hundreds of feet to the highest point at this section.
They weren’t kidding. The crowds were as thick as kudzu growing along wooded areas of Interstate 55 north of Jackson. And many were like us, struggling just to walk one step at a time.
In all seriousness, however, this is an amazing sight.
I’ve never been to the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls or the Rockies. But I’m willing to bet those generate the same feeling among visitors as the Great Wall.
If you stand at one of the checkpoints along the wall, gaze at other portions far in the distance and look over the valley below, you realize how insignificant we really are.
Breathtaking, spectacular, unbelievable - those words just don’t describe what we saw. And just as amazing is the fact this was created hundreds of years ago by hand.
During the wall’s construction, literally hundreds of people perished on the job. And many were laid to rest on the construction site, in the mountains or in the wall.
This was another in a long list of highlights on this trip to China. And it’s likely the first and last time Pam will be designated a “true man.”
Photos and text copyright 2006 by Terry R. Cassreino
Two days until we get Cao Ai Hua
By Terry R. Cassreino
BEIJING - We made it.
We climbed the historic, legendary (and awfully steep and long) Great Wall of China at the Badaling section, which is about an hour outside this country’s capital city.
And because of that, Pam and I have been designated “true men.” That’s right, both of us are “true men.” I know because Pam and I have an official placard stating exactly that.
Heck, after a three-hour bus ride through Beijing’s creeping traffic (a trip that normally takes an hour) and then trudging up to the side of a mountain, we ought to be rewarded.
We left the hotel at about 8:30 a.m. Saturday and arrived at the Great Wall about three hours later. We had about two hours to explore the Badaling section.
That was more than enough, believe me. Pam and I left our group determined to scale the summit of a mountain, which this particular section of the Great Wall hugs.
Then we revised our plans as we started to climb up a slope that had to be at least a 45-degree angle. It was so steep that our hands could almost touch the ground as we walked upright.
Check point
We made it to the first check point, stopped to admire the incredible view and brushed off several natives who tried to sell us overpriced Great Wall books and fake watches.
After a break to catch our breath, we turned to each other, checked our plans and agreed we had enough. It was time to meet the rest of our group and go to the next attraction.
The Great Wall of China, or at least the more substantial portions that wind through the mountains north of Beijing, dates back to the Ming Dynasty in the 14th to 17th centuries.
The wall was a series of defensive barriers that grew with the passing of each empire. At least three locations are worth viewing in and around Beijing.
One part of the wall, the Great Wall at Simatai, is remote and relatively unrestored. Part of the wall is overgrown with weeds and creates an interesting challenge for hikers.
Hikers Pam and I are not. So, that part of the wall was out of the question.
Another part is the Great Wall at Mutianyu, which is a popular portion of the wall that is usually less crowded and is said to offer spectacular views.
But that was out of the question; our tour operator had other plans.
Tourist crowds
Instead, we visited the Great Wall at Badaling. This, tour guides say, is usually overcrowded with tourists eager to climb hundreds of feet to the highest point at this section.
They weren’t kidding. The crowds were as thick as kudzu growing along wooded areas of Interstate 55 north of Jackson. And many were like us, struggling just to walk one step at a time.
In all seriousness, however, this is an amazing sight.
I’ve never been to the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls or the Rockies. But I’m willing to bet those generate the same feeling among visitors as the Great Wall.
If you stand at one of the checkpoints along the wall, gaze at other portions far in the distance and look over the valley below, you realize how insignificant we really are.
Breathtaking, spectacular, unbelievable - those words just don’t describe what we saw. And just as amazing is the fact this was created hundreds of years ago by hand.
During the wall’s construction, literally hundreds of people perished on the job. And many were laid to rest on the construction site, in the mountains or in the wall.
This was another in a long list of highlights on this trip to China. And it’s likely the first and last time Pam will be designated a “true man.”
Photos and text copyright 2006 by Terry R. Cassreino
Blog is delayed
Saturday, April 1, 2006, 6:45 p.m.
Two more days until we get Cao Ai Hua
My regular blog will be delayed a couple of hours. I'm still trying to find Pam after she fell off the Great Wall. I hope she caught a ride back to the room. Until then, enjoy this photo of me from the Wall. Don't I look good? If you look hard, you will see the wall behind me. I walked that entire length. It took me just five hours. I ran. Actually, Pam carried me and she ran. Anyway, I'm going to look for her. I'll be back in a few.
Photo and text copyright 2006 by Terry R. Cassreino
Two more days until we get Cao Ai Hua
My regular blog will be delayed a couple of hours. I'm still trying to find Pam after she fell off the Great Wall. I hope she caught a ride back to the room. Until then, enjoy this photo of me from the Wall. Don't I look good? If you look hard, you will see the wall behind me. I walked that entire length. It took me just five hours. I ran. Actually, Pam carried me and she ran. Anyway, I'm going to look for her. I'll be back in a few.
Photo and text copyright 2006 by Terry R. Cassreino
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