We left Michigan in a blizzard

We left Michigan in a blizzard, but only an hour and a half late for our long plane ride to Shanghai. The flight was uneventful and smooth which was great because we got to Shanghai late and missed our connector to Guangzhou. Tomorrow was set to be a big day with a visit to the Provincial Government office to see if we could shed any more light on Coco's early origins. We were not able to schedule a new flight for 24 hours through Delta so we had to go a little off road early in our journey. We basically handed over our passports, and a handful of U.S. dollars to a couple of gentleman with cell phones to order us tickets for an earlier flight on a domestic airline so we did not miss this important appointment that we solidified months ago.

A reminder with international travel that you have to check more than your baggage at the airport. You need to give up your suspiciousness, your need for things to go smoothly and embrace some awkward moments.

We are currently holed up at an airport Ramada (decked out in it's Christmas finery) having a glass of wine and trying to figure out how to sleep in the middle of the American day. Hoping like heck for a smooth flight tomorrow and on to the next leg of our journey.

Watching Coco observe the first part of China was interesting. I am reminded that although in the US our family is sometimes observed for our differences... our family make up is unusual for tourists in China and the locals really checked us out today.

Stay tuned!