More tips about travel to China

So we have had more time to think about tips to pass along to all of you.





1. If you are going to buy t-shirt buy them at least 1 size bigger then you would normally wear or maybe even 2 sizes.... LOL Let me just say those Olympic t-shirts Riz bought are going to make nice night shirts for Sophia in a few years LOL





2. NO liquids in your carry on bags in China travel. NO liquids no 3 oz containers in a quart size bags no medications (only insulin).





3. Bargain everywhere you shop it is customary and they expect it. We started at half the asking price and then settled somewhere in between.





4. Have a back up plan if you intend on posting to a blog or website. I was able to post to our blog while in Beijing but not in Nanchang plus I was so exhausted some nights I just could not post. My good friend Cheri was gracious enough to post pictures to our blog to keep everyone happy.





5. While traveling keep your Passports, ID's, and Airline tickets easily accessible not packed in your carry on. We seemed to always be behind the family who had packed theirs in their carry on suitcase (they were not with our agency. Those of you who traveled with us know who I mean, just think BIG COUNTRY LOL) It was SO annoying to always have to wait for them to dig out what they needed.





6. Bring a thermos so you will always have freshly boiled hot water ready for a bottle or washing bottles/nipples





7. Have your laundry done outside of the hotel it is way cheaper. While in Nanchang we had it done at Tiffany's (it was a bit wrinkled but clean) and while in Guangzhou we had it done at the Ladybug Store next to the Cow and Bridge restaurant.





8. While in Guangzhou take a morning walk down by the river to see the local people doing Ti Chi it was really a nice morning and so amazing to see hundreds of people doing Ti Chi.





9. Don't be afraid to try the local food we went with 3 other couples and our guide to a local restaurant in Beijing and had the best meal and experience dinning out.





10. Did I mention not to over pack? LOL





11. Download SKYPE to your laptop and practice using it before you go so you will know how to while you are traveling. having SKYPE allowed us not only to talk with family and friends while we were there but also take to the Airlines the day our flight was canceled. We were able to get confirmed seats on the same flight the next day. We were very lucky the flight was full and most of the rest of our travel group had difficulty getting home.





12. Which brings me to this one.. IF you happen to get stuck in China one more day or even a few more days try to not stress everything will be OK you will get home. Try to make the best of a bad situation we all chipped in helped each other and shared Chinese money, SKYPE, food and Water while at the "Hell Hotel"





13. Don't feel bad about using the stroller if you need to. Sophia LOVED and still LOVES the stroller. When we got our disposable cameras developed that we sent in our care package she had been sitting in a stroller so was very used to it. We just made sure that every time she was in the stroller one of us was in front of her so she could see us and we would bend down and kiss her over and over. I have a beautiful Mia Ti wrap that Sophia HATES and it has never been used LOL.....





14. When you get home be prepared for JET lag it WILL kick your butt. If by some chance you manage to be OK you can count on your baby's clock to be turned around. It will be several days before everything is right again. It took Riz and I about 5 days to feel like ourselves again (even yesterday I got this wave of overwhelming tiredness and we are back 2 today).Sophia still is not right her sleeping is way off from her China sleeping habits...I am not sure it will ever get back to that but it is improving so it is all good....

and now for some 4th of July Baby Cuteness............