The first visitors came to us via K-State. A woman who is a director of development at the K-State Foundation was traveling in China and wanted to meet K-Staters living abroad. Although we'd never met her, we were thrilled to have someone coming to see us! We met her, and another Kansan from McPherson (who does business in China), for a traditional Sichuan lunch in Hong Kong. Here's our destination, The Red Pepper:
It was fun getting to know these visitors and to catch up on the latest K-State news. We spent part of the afternoon with them walking around Hong Kong. While our time with them was short, it felt good to be in the company of other purple-loving people!
This past weekend, it was a very special treat to see our next visitors - a family that was in our adoption travel group in 2005! They were on their way to adopt their second daughter in the Hunan province and had a layover in Hong Kong.
When we adopted Lydia, we got more than one new family member. The other families (9 of them) became instant relatives - sort of like aunts, uncles and cousins. It wasn't something we expected in the process. But with our daughters, there is a common bond that will connect us for life - and we're glad for that. Since 2006, we've had annual reunions for the Hubei Girls. Sadly, we missed the reunion in 2009.
However, Lydia and her little friend pick right up where they left off in 2008. They quickly scampered off , holding hands, to play "detective" and other make believe games. It was a joy to see them together!
We tried to visit the world's largest Buddha statue, which is a major tourist draw. However, Mother Nature had something else in mind - it turned cold, began to rain, and the fog made visibility very, very limited. By the time our bus reached our destination (via a very windy and bumpy route over a mountain), we knew that we wouldn't be able to SEE anything - not even a 110 foot tall Buddha. So we headed back down the mountain shortly thereafter.
Despite the lousy weather and our failed attempt at sight-seeing, we had a fantastic time reconnecting with these friends. The visit was much too short!
We would be thrilled to have more visitors. If you're reading this, consider yourself as having an open invitation to visit - we offer free lodging (with a sea view) and tour guide services. Make your reservations now!
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