Our Itinerary

We got our itinerary last week so I thought that I would share that with all of you.

As I posted earlier, we will be leaving NEXT WEEK on Thursday, July 20th and will arrive in Hong Kong on Friday, July 21st. Wewill have all day the 22nd in Hong Kong and then will leave on Sunday, July 23rd for Chongqing with our travel group and our 2 guides, Mandy and Mary. We will arrive in Chongqing at 4:05pm and will be staying at the Chongqing Hilton. Not sure what we will do with the rest of that day....maybe go to Walmart!!! I really hope that we go to a hot pot restaurant, which is something that the area is known for.
The next day, July 24th, is the day that we FINALLY get to meet, hold and kiss Ava!! Our group will leave at 8:30am in a van together to drive the 1.5-2 hour drive to the Fuling Orpahange to meet our girls!! I don't think that I have mentioned it before, but our group consists of four familes, including Eric and I. So there are 8 of us traveling with 2 guides that are with us the entire trip.
We will get the girls and hopefully be able to talk to the caregivers and ask them some questions. We will then drive back for a 2:00pm appointment at the Adoption registration office for the registration, notarization and passport application. The 25th, and 26th are free days while we wait for the notarization of Ava's documents and her passport. The 27th all of that is collected, but it sounds like another free day. I think that things are planned during the free time, like trips to the zoo and other area attractions.
On Friday, July 28th, our group will fly to Guangzhou and stay at the White Swan hotel Until we check out there on August 2nd. While in Guangzhou, Ava will have her Visa medical check up on the 29th in the morning, more free time with probably LOTS of shopping. Our next appointment will be on Tuesday, August 1st for Ava's Visa ceremony at the U.S. Consulate. On the 2nd we will travel by train back to Hong Kong to stay at the Regal Hotel at the airport again and we will leave as a group the next day for HOME!!! Our whole group that was 8 and will now be 12, will fly home together on the same flight and arrive at O'Hare on August 3rd at 2:17pm.
That about sums it up in a nutshell. As you can see, there is a lot of waiting time for documents and applications. I just hope that there is enough internet availabilty that I am able to post on this blog while we are gone. It may not be everyday, depending on how our days with Ava go, but please check back often for updates. Thank you for all of the support and prayers that you have given us