If we could do one thing over again we would never have taken that train. The night before my mom had gotten pretty sick so she felt very weak. I felt so bad for her but at that point there wasn't much we could do. We had 6 bags and a baby. At the train station there are no carts, no help and a bunch of escalators. Boarding the train with all the bags was pretty rough, so much so that me, my mom and Ava almost missed getting on the train. Luckily, some nice passengers helped us out.
The train ride was roughly two hours long, Ava screamed for 1 hour of the trip. We did everything we could to calm her but she was past the point of no return. Our happy girl is always happy except when she is over tired, then look out! Gotta love the people that stare at you with the shut that baby up look. We tried to ignore them but the staring gets to you after an hour.
Once we arrived at the train station we had to drag our bags yet again through what seemed like an endless maze. We were stopped at a health screening booth (I'm assuming for Sars or Avian flu?). I panicked because Ava was sweating from screaming. We passed the temperature check but my poor mom did not. We all had it by this point so I give my Mom credit for keeping her cool. She had a temp but kept denying that she was sick (which we all knew she was). I was panicking! Were they not gonna let her into Hong Kong?! Luckily after a few minutes and a surgical mask she was on her way.
Once we passed through the cheery (not) officers at customs and immigration we boarded our bus. By this point we had traveled for 6 hours. Everyone was tired, babies were crying and none of us had eaten. We get to the bus to find out its not big enough for all of us and our luggage. We had to wait for a van to arrive to take our bags. Our driver then got lost on the way to the hotel. If we could do it all over again we would have paid the extra money for a van to Hong Kong; never again will we take the train.
Friday morning we boarded a plane in Hong Kong for Chicago. Luckily my mom was feeling better for the 14 hour flight. I was the one breaking down. The thought of 14 hours on a plane with a screaming baby you can't console was more than I could take. Ava wasn't herself that morning so I was very afraid that she was getting sick. I told Brian, I cant do it, I'm staying here! And I was serious! Well our girl pleasantly surprised us and never cried in 14 hours! She slept, played and ate. She was also quite mesmerized by the emergency landing pamphlet. She was perfect. I made a pact with her as we boarded the plane; she kept her side of the bargain ;)
We are glad to be home but we will miss China. It was a truly amazing experience. One that you cannot understand unless you have traveled this journey yourself. It was an experience of a lifetime. We have heard many horror stories about difficult transitions and horrible trips. Ava grieved at times but bonded and attached to us all so well. She is truly a dream come true. Some people say how lucky she is; we are the lucky ones!
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