Planes Trains and Automibiles

As I had said before I was going to make a few more posts after we got home, if for no other reason than to post more photos.

Well we have been home for a week now and plenty has occurred.  So let’s recap.

When it comes to travel Chelsea is a trooper.  Prior to joining the family her worldly travel experience consisted of a 1 mile bus ride to the school she was attending.  Her longest bus ride was when she left the orphanage to come to the government office in Hefei to meet us; and you know how that went.  She got sick on that ride and a few rides after but nothing that any parent could not handle.  The next challenge was her first airplane ride from Hefei to Guangzhou.  We were a little concerned about the motion sickness and pulling from our personal experiences Sophie screamed the entire plane trip last time.  OK yes, she was two but that is all we knew about adopted Chinese girls and airplane rides.

Chelsea apparently decided that being adopted by this family was her lot in life and she may as well make the best of it.  To that end she turned out to be a world traveler in disguise.  She wanted to wear her backpack carry on.  She wanted to pull a wheeled carry on behind her.  She seemed (in most cases to know where she was going and often lead the way along with one of her brothers.

Leaving Hefei Myriam warned us (and Michael remembered) that in China although you have an assigned seat boarding a plane is a lot like festival seating at a “Laser-Floyd” show at the planetarium.  Every man woman and child for themselves, and pretty much in that order…We made it onto the pane but the festival continues with people taking pictures having conversation or arguments,( what do I know I don’t speak the language and it always sounds like the Chinese are angry when they raise their voice) three rows apart. Photos were completed and the plane began to move.  Chelsea was excited about everything she saw.  Planes taking off, meal truck moving on the ground even people walking around in safety vests were a sight worth poking Chase in an effort to get him to see the same thing.

By the time we left Guangzhou and flew to Beijing things were less exciting.  By the time we left Beijing to fly to Seattle Chelsea had been there and done that.  She did not even have a desire to sit near a window.  Michael was excited because the plane ride that was designated to be 11.5 hours turned out to be only 10.  He was giddy about not having to spend an extra 90 minutes buckled into those awesome airplane seats.

Do you ever wonder, when they tear a stadium down one of the first things to land on the selling block is the stadium seats?  They are small, metal and ungodly uncomfortable and they do not recline.  Yet these seats go at a premium.  You know why they sell because they are still more comfortable than the airplane seats.   Think about it.  Most of us travel to and from on plane rides of approximately 3 – 4 hours; roughly about the length of a MLB baseball game.  Which seat is more attractive to you?

Chelsea has gotten over her motion sickness, we have tested her on planes trains and automobiles and she is a champ.  Now off to the next “FIRST” adventure.