Our Itinerary

This past Thursday, August 24, 2006, we found out that our Consulate Appointment was set for September 25, 2006. That means we can travel! It also means we no longer have to worry that we'll have to wait until November since October is as good as closed to adoptive parents for travel. So, I am pleased to announce our flight information (which has been booked!!) and our itinerary while we're in China:

September 13, 2006

9/13 Tampa/Chicago UA1589 Lv. 8:25A, Ar. 10:08A

9/13 Chicago/Beijing UA 851 Lv. 12:03P, Ar. 2:25P (Next day)

September 27, 2006

9/27 Hong Kong/San Francisco UA862 Lv. 1145A, Ar. 917A

9/27 San Francisco/Denver UA892 Lv. 1113A, Ar. 241P

9/27 Denver/Tampa UA1414 Lv. 341P, Ar. 856P

China Itinerary:

Day 1 - Departure from your hometown to Beijing, you will meet the other families in your
Group when you reach China. (If you wish to depart early for China, we will transfer you to your group hotel once you arrive in Beijing. Unless otherwise noted, families arriving early will be booked into the group hotel.)

Day 2 & 3 - Arrive in Beijing (Great Wall Guide will be outside customs holding a green flag with “GW” and transfers you to your group hotel.)

Day 4 - Beijing Cultural Tour: The Great Wall, Tian'an Men Square and the Forbidden City. (Full day touring.)

Day 5 - GOTCHA DAY!!!! Travel to your child's Province. You will receive your tickets for the capital city of your baby’s province at the airport in Beijing. You will also receive your tickets for all other Intra-China flights from your guide prior to your flights. Your guide will hold your airline tickets until that time. (Great Wall will have a Guide meet your flight and transfer you to the hotel once you arrive in your province.) Your child is usually delivered to your hotel once you arrive unless otherwise listed on your Intra-China itinerary. (Some families travel to the Office of Civil Affairs the same afternoon to receive their child; the Province officials determine this procedure.)

Days 6 to 10 - Bonding with your child, sightseeing, and all official paperwork will be done this week (Receive your child’s passport.)

Day 11 - Travel from your child's province to Guangzhou.

Day 12 - Have baby’s brief medical exam.

Day 13 - Consulate Appointment. (Guide takes your paperwork to the Consulate for review.) Please keep in mind that the American Consulate accepts appointments only on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of each week.

Day 14 - Pick up baby’s exit visa that afternoon, the day after the scheduled American Consulate appointment.

Day 15 - Morning departure from Guangzhou to the US, or a flight to Hong Kong to connect from Hong Kong to the US. If you are flying China Southern for a direct non-stop flight from LAX to Guangzhou, and from Guangzhou to LAX, and the airline flies the day/night you receive your baby’s exit visa, you can depart Guangzhou that day/night.