Week 23: 9/4/05

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#FFCC80" TEXT="#080000" background="67cc8b83.jpg"> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Random Things to Make You Giggle"><B>Random Things to Make You Giggle</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id77.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hong Kong Disneyland"><B>Hong Kong Disneyland</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our Parkview Apartment"><B>Our Parkview Apartment</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 1: 4/3/05"><B>Week 1: 4/3/05</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 2: 4/10/05"><B>Week 2: 4/10/05</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 3: 4/17/05"><B>Week 3: 4/17/05</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 4: 4/24/05 "><B>Week 4: 4/24/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 5: 5/1/05 "><B>Week 5: 5/1/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 6: 5/8/05 "><B>Week 6: 5/8/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 7: 5/15/05 "><B>Week 7: 5/15/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 8: 5/22/05 "><B>Week 8: 5/22/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 9: 5/29/05 "><B>Week 9: 5/29/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id48.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 10: 6/5/05 "><B>Week 10: 6/5/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id51.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 11: 6/12/05 "><B>Week 11: 6/12/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 12: 6/19/05 "><B>Week 12: 6/19/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id55.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 13: 6/26/05 "><B>Week 13: 6/26/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 14: 7/3/05 "><B>Week 14: 7/3/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 15: 7/10/05 "><B>Week 15: 7/10/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 16: 7/17/05 "><B>Week 16: 7/17/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 17: 7/24/05 "><B>Week 17: 7/24/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id65.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 18: 7/31/05 "><B>Week 18: 7/31/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id67.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 19: 8/7/05 "><B>Week 19: 8/7/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id70.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 20: 8/14/05 "><B>Week 20: 8/14/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id71.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 21: 8/21/05 "><B>Week 21: 8/21/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id74.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 22: 8/28/05 "><B>Week 22: 8/28/05 </B></A></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f00000cc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Week 23: 9/4/05 </B></div> <div> <A HREF="id79.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 24: 9/11/05 "><B>Week 24: 9/11/05 </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id80.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Week 25: 9/18/05 "><B>Week 25: 9/18/05 </B></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Australian Sunrise" ><B>Welcome to Chase family planet!</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Australian Sunrise" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >    |    </FONT> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Welcome to Chase family planet!">home</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Adventures in Asia">Adventures in Asia</A>   ·   <A HREF="id46.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us">Contact Us</A></div> <bR> <div> Week 23: 9/4/05 </div> <div> Hello Dear Ones!<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Okay, this is it... do you have your luggage packed? Hepatitis A shot? Mosquito spray? Plenty of bottled water? Visa in your passport? Good! Then we're off to mainland China to visit one of the wonders of the world... The Great Wall of China!<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Wear 'em out!</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Our plane tickets were for a 6:30 p.m. departure from Hong Kong to Beijing on Wednesday, so we had the morning to kill before we left for the airport at 4:00. There is a pink dolphin watching tour here that only goes out on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. We have tried many times to book the tour, but Mike's scheduled day off never aligned with one of those days when it wasn't pouring buckets of rain. We finally had an opportunity to go without Mike, which was a little sad since this was one of the things he really wanted to do. Our friend Robbi joined Jeff, the boys, and I for the five hour tour which included a drive to the north side of Lantau Island followed by a two and a half hour boat ride through the open waters. The pink dolphins are only found here in Hong Kong, and they are slowly becoming endangered as their habitat is becoming more polluted from all the ships in the harbor and from the massive land reclamation that takes away the shallow areas where the dolphins call home. The tour guide put a lot of blame on Disney, which was built on 100% reclaimed land, for the decline in the numbers of dolphins. I was grateful that none of us happened to be wearing any clothing with Disney logos! We did get to see many dolphins, and they are indeed quite pink! I had heard about the tour from a book about things to do in Hong Kong with children, and I was surprised it was recommended as the boat we were on had only netting to keep the kids from falling into the water, and even then it was made up of several nets that didn't necessarily overlap. It was not at all a relaxing or enjoyable trip for me having to keep a hand on Benjamin and an eye on explorer Nathan at all times. There was a little bit of drama as we got close to Chinese waters and a police boat came up along side of us and asked to see the boat registration and identification. The tour guide didn't seem at all concerned, and Nathan was just worried that the police boat was going to crash into us and sink us. Evidently everything was in order as the police gave back the ID and sent us on our way with a wave.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>There Goes a Plane!</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> We got home and tossed a few last minute things in our suitcase and then took off for the Airport Express station. We checked our luggage and got our boarding passes, and then took our seats on the train that whisked us off to the airport. Mike joined us halfway there, and we got through all the checkpoints and onto our plane with no hassle. The five of us took most of the row, we had one lucky lady who sat next to me and Benjamin, and Jeff, Mike, and Nathan sat across the aisle. The flight was pretty uneventful but our arrival was very strange. Our airplane stopped far away from the airport, and we got off the plane and boarded a bus which drove us the rest of the way. Once at the airport, we had to go in a dark corridor to a flight of stairs, then up the stairs and into the airport. All of this was done in near pitch black darkness, which none of the other passengers seemed to think was at all strange. Nathan was spooked and I was just laughing so hard at the extra special "Welcome!" we got to China. We cleared immigration and customs and then were met by our tour guide, Nancy, who with the help of our driver, Mr. Woo, would shuttle us around Beijing for the next three days. Beijing is the capital of China as well as the second largest city in the country. The total area of Beijing is 10440 square miles, which is about two and a half times the size of Los Angeles County. So we spent a lot of time in the van! My initial impression, late as it was, was that everyone was driving on the "wrong" side of the road, which is to say they were driving on the same side of the road that Americans do... the opposite of Hong Kong. It made me realize that going back to California and driving my van for the first time will be an interesting outing! We had a big day ahead of us in the morning, so once we got to the hotel (which gave us a room with two twin beds in it) we went to bed pretty quickly.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> Since this trip was so last minute and since I'd given up hope that we would actually ever make it to Beijing, I didn't read up too much on all the tour books I have for it. Of course my hobby is research and I love to know everything I can about everything I can think of, so it was a bit distressing to be looking at these magnificent buildings and waterways and not even knowing a little bit about them. Kind of like being in Russia when I was 14 and walking through Lenin's tomb and seeing his body but not knowing at the time who he really was or why thousands of people would be interested in going to see him each day. We had our tour guide Nancy to fill in the blanks, but she was a government approved tour guide there to tell us what they want us to hear, so rest assured that although this is the abbreviated version of events, in the coming month I plan to write out the extended version. Our first morning we went to Tiananmen Square. It was hot and windy, but not at all humid so we were very comfortable. Knowing a little bit of the history of what took place there, it was interesting that our tour guide didn't say a word. She did point out the giant portrait of Chairman Mao, which she said is changed every 20 years. As we left Tiananmen Square, I was surprised to find that the Forbidden City was right behind it, in very close proximity. Ancient history and modern history just a stone's throw apart. We walked through it and saw lots of work being done in preparation for the 2008 Olympics that will take place in Beijing. Songs from Disney's Mulan kept going through my head as we walked through. There were not very many children there, and ours certainly stood out. Not just because they are blonde but because there we were standing in a giant courtyard bigger than anything we've seen in Hong Kong and we are asking them to just stand still, not run, don't shout, which led to a fierce rebellion. After walking all the way through the Forbidden City, we were taken to lunch at a fancy Chinese restaurant. Nathan was calming down, but Benjamin seemed crankier than I have ever seen him, which was surprising since he's generally so even tempered and cheerful. I went to use the washroom and was confronted with a row of only squat toilets. The stalls were lined with mirrors, which seemed very cruel. Let's just say that when I returned to the table, and told Jeff and Michael about the major accomplishment I had just undertaken with great success, they gave me a round of applause which I greatly appreciated. Now being an "old pro", I wonder why I thought it was such a big deal...<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Explosions - Don't read while eating</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> For those of you who got my updates from our time living in Japan four years ago, you may remember Nathan's extreme diaper blowout at Kamakura. It's a day Mike and I still laugh about until tears run down our eyes, remembering the first time either of us witnessed the explosive nature of a baby's bowel movements, and the damage it can do to the clothing of everyone standing within four feet of the baby. We have felt somewhat blessed that Benjamin has never treated us to the mass destruction of all of our clothes while sightseeing and far from home. Now that he's two and eating adult foods, we figured we'd made it through the woods unscathed. We were wrong. </div> <bR> <div> Lunch was winding down when Benjamin held out his hand and said "Mama... ick". Since he's a very hands on eater, I figured he just needed a wipe with the napkin to get sauce off his fingers. Looking closer, I saw differently. Feeling alarmed, I slowly leaned over and peered at Benjamin's lap. There was a disgusting river running from Benjamin's pants, down the high chair, all over the white linen table cloth and on the floor. I have never seen anything like it in nearly five years of dealing with children's bodily fluids. I shouted to Mike "Take Ben to the bathroom! Go! Go!" while Jeff sat stunned with his eyes bugging out, looking like he wanted to help, but not really knowing how to (yes, he tells us he still wants children after this trip). I dashed out the front of the restaurant to find the tour guide and gave her the run down of events and told her that we needed to buy Ben a new outfit, pronto. We jogged towards a shopping mall right outside and raced through stores with knock offs of American brands of clothing until we found a single cart selling twenty outfits for children. The bored teen manning the cart said the outfit I chose was 35 Yuan. I said fine, but Nancy pulled me aside and said to bargain, that I could get it cheaper. I was in no mood for bargaining, thinking of poor Mike in the men's room with a naked toddler getting a bath in the squat toilet at the fancy restaurant... At that point I would have gladly shelled out 350 Yuan, but I got the outfit for just 30 Yuan, which is roughly $3.80 in US dollars for a shirt and pants. We jogged back and found Mike, Jeff, and Nathan sitting outside with Benjamin clad only in a diaper, clean and happy as a clam. I guess that would explain his foul mood, poor guy. We put Ben in his new duds and I apologized for the seventeenth time to Nancy, telling her that she'll probably never want to take a group with kids ever again. She didn't contradict me. We headed to our next stop, which was a silk factory.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>The Nightmare</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> We have noticed that in China when they call something a factory, it's really just a thinly disguised store with pushy salespeople. The silk factory was no different, but at least the tour part was incredible. We saw the silkworm cocoons and how they make it into thread, a technique that has been used for over a thousand years and is still used today. We watched and I participated in splitting open a twin cocoon and stretching it over a form to dry to be used in making duvets. Then we were treated to a fashion show that was a little strange, where four models came out onto a catwalk wearing traditional Chinese dresses made of silk and then modern silk garments. The strange part was that the five of us were the only people in the darkened room which had full theatrical lighting (although very old instruments) and sound, and here we were getting our own private show. We were all spread out in the room, Jeff on one side, Nathan in the middle, and Mike, Ben, and I on the other side. I remember looking over at Jeff and Nathan, who both had goofy grins on their faces watching the pretty models wearing silk bathrobes, and thinking that I would never forget this quirky place. Two minutes later, that was confirmed when we stepped out of the catwalk room and into a showroom filled with crowded racks of silk clothing. Nathan loves to touch things, and I had just told him not to touch ANYTHING in the store when he giggled and ran away around the back side of a rack. I sighed and thought about how frustrating it is to be a parent when I heard a sickening thud and a scream, followed by the shriek of a German tourist standing next to me. I stepped around the rack and saw Nathan on the floor with his hands on his head. Jeff came running up and pulled him up and as Nathan turned and took his hands down, blood spurted out of his face onto the ground, onto his shirt and then onto mine. I quickly pressed my hand onto his face where I saw an eye-shaped hole in his forehead and pulled him into my shoulder to shield him from the onlookers, and even from myself who didn't really want to get a closer look just yet. Blood was quickly flooding between my fingers and my stomach did a giant and very uncomfortable flip-flop, not from the blood, but from the immediate thought that this was the worst thing that has happened physically to Nathan, and the realization that we were on a razor thin ledge between the irretrievable past and the unknown future, and the ledge just fell away to leave us falling towards whatever waited.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> The factory sales people quickly gathered around us and encouraged us to go outside, and one of them went to look for Nancy, who I'm sure was not happy to hear about the latest mishap. Michael plucked Nathan from my arms which was excruciating for me. There's this reaction that moms have when their child is hurt or frightened which affects their arms... they have to be wrapped around the child in question. Of course since Mike has missed out on so much with the kids over the last six months, I didn't really want to snatch Nathan back from the death grip in his father's arms, possibly giving Nathan the idea that it's only mom you come to in these situations, but it was the hardest thing ever to resist! We decided all together that a trip to the hospital was necessary as this wasn't just a simple cut to the skin, it was actually a gaping wound. Nathan continued to cry on the hour's drive to the hospital in horrible traffic, the tears mingling with the blood. With my own arms and hands covered in drying blood, I rubbed the spot between Nathan's eyes that used to lull him to sleep as an infant, the same spot my dad used to rub on my face when I was his tiny baby, and Nathan's eyes closed and he began to snore. Benjamin fell asleep in Jeff's arms in the back of the van, so just Mike and I went into the hospital with Nancy to see what could be done. We were told this was the international clinic, but we were the only non-Asian people there, and no one spoke English. Mike sat with Nathan while I registered then paid for the privilege of being registered. Then we waited for the surgeon to look at Nathan's face. It was not good, he said through Nancy, stitches were necessary. I figured he would give Nathan something to take the edge off, then put in a row of tiny stitches that would leave a scar that would be barely recognizable. Instead, he told us to hold Nathan down and proceeded to put two enormous stitches in, ripping through the skin in the process while the un-sedated, un-medicated Nathan bucked and kicked and screamed in terror and fright while Michael and I applied our entire body weight and strength into trying to hold him still to prevent more ripping of his skin by the needle. It was nothing short of a living nightmare. I prayed that Nathan would just pass out, as with each failed attempt at gaining a chunk of skin, the doctor was making the stitch further and further apart which I knew was a bad thing as far as trying to make a smaller scar. Nancy stood in the doorway with her hand over her mouth. When it was over, the doctor put a huge bandage across his forehead and sent us to get a tetanus shot for Nathan along with a prescription for some antibiotics. I paid the cashier, and our hospital bill came to $34 US. Back in the van, Nathan was back to being cheerful and happy almost immediately. I was not, still grappling with the emotions that I'd had to swallow so that when our terrified child looked into my eyes he would not see the same terror on my face but a confident smile saying that everything was going to be all right.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> That night at dinner back at our hotel, I finally lost it, compulsively half crying and half laughing in what is frequently called hysteria. Nathan had a giant bandage on his head totally incongruous with the giant goofy smile on his face, and I just couldn't take it. I excused myself and ran into the bathroom and just cried and cried, not caring that other ladies were coming and going. Two thoughts battled in my mind. </div> <bR> <div> <I>The first thought</I>- WHY did this have to happen in China? Anywhere else he would have been seen by someone who had experience in sewing up children's faces. Now my child, my precious, beautiful first born will bear a scar on the most prominent feature of his face, the long Chase forehead.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I>The second thought</I>- Thank you God, <I>thank you</I> that it was not Nathan's eye that was lost, or the bridge of his nose broken and smashed. Thank you that it was only his skin destroyed which will grow back, not his skull fractured or his brain damaged.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> I fought valiantly to regain my composure, but when I got back to the table and Nathan looked up at me and said "Mommy, why are you crying?", I lost it all over again. Just thank goodness for Jeff, the best person on the planet to travel with since he's so easy going (from now on we'll take him with us where ever we travel). When I apologized for crying so much and for not getting my act together he just laughed and said this was his favorite part of the trip! I finally got it out of my system when I called my own mom at about 5 a.m. her time to just cry on the phone while I hid in the bathroom in our hotel room. Moms are the best, aren't they? Between her and my dad who was listening in on the extension, I finally released enough tension to go to bed. Nathan and I alternated having nightmares throughout the night, both of us waking up screaming at different times, disoriented in the strange hotel room.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>The Dream</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> The next morning we arose early and the kids jumped on Mike to wish him a happy birthday and then went to jump on Uncle Jeff and wish him the same. We donned the outfits that I had chosen so carefully for us all to wear, as for almost two years I'd been dreaming of having our 2005 Christmas card photo featuring the four of us standing on the Great Wall of China looking like the perfect happy matching family. I looked at Nathan's poor bandaged head, and was actually able to laugh at how having coordinating clothes was the absolute least of my worries. You can make the best plans in the world, but you can't control everything. And as a certain extremely wise cousin of mine informed me when I lamented over my first Mother's Day portrait featuring the newly walking one-year-old Nathan with a swollen, split lip and a cut near his very black eye, it's the pictures that show life as it really is that you treasure more than the perfect ones where everyone is looking at the camera and showing all their pearly whites in perfectly pressed clothing with not a hair out of place. I don't know... I have room in my album for both kinds!<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> We set off for the long drive to the Great Wall, which is on the northern border of Beijing. We were all chatting and off in the distance I saw the gorgeous green mountains with a streak of white, looking like a snake crossing the peaks. Nah, I thought, that can't be it. But as we got closer, it was indeed the Great Wall. I spent a minute trying to figure out how I felt about this. I remember seeing Mt. Fuji in Japan and speaking gibberish since I couldn't get the words out. But five years later, looking at the Great Wall, it wasn't gibberish going through my head at seeing this enormous man-made project started over two thousand years ago. It was just silence and awe that despite all the obstacles we have faced in Hong Kong, the lack of Michael's presence, the illnesses, the injuries, and the incredible craziness and mountain moving it took to get the five of us to China, there I was, right where I had said I most wanted to be. In a life where many people say it's just as much about the journey as the destination, I was speechless at finally arriving.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Our tour guide dropped us off and said she'd see us later, we would climb unaccompanied. For three hours we climbed steep, uneven rock steps high above the far off city, surrounded by nature, cicadas humming. The smog and haze that normally engulfs the Wall this time of year was not present and we could see for miles in every direction. Like in the opening scene of the movie version of <I>The Sound of Music</I>, I wanted to twirl and burst into song. We had decided to take the route less traveled, and it was the best decision as the more traveled side was clogged with tourists, and we had "our" side virtually to ourselves. Between Mike, Jeff, and I, we took over 500 photos in three hours, because you'd take one photo, thinking it was the most gorgeous shot you'd ever take, walk five steps and then find you were mistaken, here was an even better shot. The kids did awesome, Benjamin led the pack despite the high elevation and the heat, and he'd turn around beckoning and say "Um on, Mama! Um on!". Nathan had his binoculars with him, and he enjoyed spying on all the bugs and birds and rocks. Everyone told us we'd do best to leave the kids behind, but I can't imagine being there without them, our whole family and our best friend together, even though the kids more than likely won't remember too much about it. Mike's cell phone kept ringing as people from his office were trying to get in touch with him, and it was so much fun to hear him say "I'm not in the office, I'm on the Great Wall of China". My mom and dad called and sang their annual off key version of "Happy Birthday" to him, as did my cousin Kelly, who joked "So are you on the Great Wall or what?" and then screamed when he said that indeed he was. Jeff called his twin brother to wish him a happy birthday and we finally completed the giant loop back to the beginning where we'd started, still full of energy, or possibly just energized by this once in a lifetime experience where everything was perfect, even the shot we'll use for our Christmas card that includes Nathan's giant bandage. All of us bought the requisite cheesy tourist "I CLIMBED THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA" tee-shirts, which were the only souvenirs we bought in Beijing.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>All the Rest</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> I have lots more to tell you about, but not enough time to get it done while the boys are running wild in our house now devoid of personal belongings, so rest assured that the "Long Version" of events will follow some time in the coming month on the website (I can hear some of you saying "this isn't the long version? It's taken me a week to read it!"). The rest of the trip was fun, but blessedly unmarked by anything more serious than sore muscles and mild crankiness from the children, followed by a great flight home. We went to the hospital down the hill from us as soon as we got in so that Nathan could be seen by the doctor here. I'm sad to say that if I was hoping the doctor would say that Nathan's experience was normal or that he'd be left with just minor scarring, those hopes were dashed when the doctor looked at the swollen skin and giant stitches and said "What did they do to him?" in a soft, sad voice. There was no hope of fixing what had already been done, as Nathan's skin was healing rapidly. Thankfully there was no sign of infection. Nathan has moved on, totally fine and in no pain, it's just me, his mom who will carry a scar in my heart to match the scar on my firstborn's face, along with boundless gratitude that it's just a scar, and that he still has his face.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Next Week!</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> We catch up on current events, and it's all about Disney as the clock is ticking down to the Grand Opening of Hong Kong Disneyland! Until then, come see a small sampling of our amazing photos from China!</div> <bR> <div> <B>Happy traveling!</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#00BF00" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <B>Heather, Michael, Nathan, and Benjamin Chase</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="771" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 292 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="607680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The Police Boat</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="605680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Jeff!!! What did you do???</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 721 WIDTH="755"><div> <IMG SRC="608f49b0.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="667" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> After it appeared that the police meant us no harm, we were more obvious about taking photos.</div> <div> This is Jeff, Robbi, Benjamin, and Nathan (who was worried that the police were there to crash into us and sink our boat).</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 308 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="60a680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Nathan scouting for dolphins...</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="60c680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Nathan scouting for older women...</div> <div> Nathan age four, going after an eight year old...</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 292 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="60e680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A pink dolphin!</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="610680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> And it's pink flipper!</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 308 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="572680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Arriving in Beijing, we picked up a hitchhiker</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="376"><div> <IMG SRC="56e680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Walking in Tiananmen Square with our tour guide, Nancy</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 308 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="570680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> In front of a government building</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="376"><div> <IMG SRC="56c680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Tiananmen Square, notice the giant portrait of Chairman Mao over Heather's shoulder.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 233 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5a9bcd30.jpg" border=0 width="700" height="211" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The Forbidden City</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 292 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="574680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Actors portraying the emperor and concubines</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="57b680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 276 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="57d680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="57f680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 308 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="581680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="376"><div> <IMG SRC="583680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The Imperial Garden at the Forbidden City, where the emperor would take his concubines for a stroll.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 486 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="58568e00.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="587680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 518 WIDTH="376"><div> <IMG SRC="589680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> The fancy Chinese restaurant.</div> <div> Doesn't that look like a plate of worms in the lower right hand corner?</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="376"><div> <IMG SRC="58b68e00.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Benjamin, just moments before the great diaper explosion of 2005.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 308 WIDTH="376"><div> <IMG SRC="5a0680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Cocoons at the silk factory on a machine that is pulling each strand of silk and twisting it into thread.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="59d68f00.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="240" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Our private fashion show at the silk factory</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 355 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="598680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Nathan on the way to the silk factory.</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="594fa4d0.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Nathan with stitches after the silk factory.</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 568 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5a258c20.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="450" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The Temple of Heaven.</div> <div> Ben wearing his new pants and no socks.</div> <div> Nathan with a giant bandage.</div> <div> Mommy with 43 new gray hairs and a bloody shirt.</div> <div> Daddy looking cool as a cucumber.</div> <div> Why can't we have daddy around more often?</div> <div> He makes everything better.</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 502 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5a468e00.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Mom and Nat in the wind.</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5a668e00.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A tree on the Temple of Heaven grounds.</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 472 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5a858c20.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="450" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The Temple of Heaven under repair in preparation for the 2005 Olympics.</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 518 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5b068f00.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="240" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> A quick frozen lolly before we climb </div> <div> the Great Wall of China.</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5b468e00.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Say "Cheese"!  </div> <div> Our first photo at the Wall.</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 562 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5b7681c0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="540" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Here we go!</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5b968e00.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Teamwork</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 594 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5bb681c0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="540" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Now I know why they call it "Climbing" the Great Wall...</div> <div> some parts go straight up!</div> <div> Sherpa Mike carrying the prince.</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5bf68e00.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The side of the Wall that all the tourists climbed.</div> <div> We took the road less traveled and were</div> <div> rewarded with the most peaceful</div> <div> three hours of family togetherness.</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 292 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5c1680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Taking a little break.</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5d3680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Mike and Heather</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 550 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5c568e00.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Sherpa Jeff carrying the bags while </div> <div> the prince takes a break and waits </div> <div> for the rest of us to catch up.</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5c768e00.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Heather taking a picture of Nathan,</div> <div> Benjamin is the little white dot at the top,</div> <div> sitting down and telling us to</div> <div> "Um on Mama!  Um on!".</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 292 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5cd680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Cute.</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5cb680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Even cuter.</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 502 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5cf68e00.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5d168e00.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 276 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5d5680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5d7680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 551 WIDTH="376"><div> <IMG SRC="5d968e00.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> We find a shady spot and pass out the candy and water.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="376"><div> <IMG SRC="5db68e00.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The steps down were much more brutal than the steps up.  Our thighs were jelly at that point, but the kids still had energy to spare!  We finally met some other climbers just as we were leaving.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 472 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5e558c20.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="450" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Birthday dinner at a fancy hotel</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 502 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5e768e00.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Happy Birthday Michael!</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5e968e00.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Happy Birthday Uncle Jeff!</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 308 WIDTH="376"><div> <IMG SRC="5eb680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> We went to a Chinese Acrobat show after dinner, a major highlight of our time in Beijing.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5ee68f00.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="240" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Enjoying the show. </div> <div> Ben enjoying a little finger sandwich.</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 518 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5f0680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The Summer Palace lake</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="376"><div> <IMG SRC="5f468e00.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The long covered walkway at the Summer Palace with thousands of individual and unique paintings.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 292 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5f6680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Peking duck for lunch</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5f8680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Peking duck restaurant</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 292 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="601680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The local refrigerator delivery service.</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5fd680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> On the plane back to Hong Kong</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 341 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="5fb680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Benjamin playing with his plane on the plane</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="376"><div> <IMG SRC="5ff680e0.jpg" border=0 width="360" height="270" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Ben fell asleep in this seemingly uncomfortable position on the plane for nearly the entire four hour flight.  The flight attendants kept checking to make sure he was breathing.</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>