The Trip to Sanya

Baby picture of Elainea
The highway to Sanya, a road carved into the hillsides.

Farmers working the fields.

The Girls on the Bus

The view outside our hotel window.

I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Today was a day of traveling and fun. We were not looking forward to the four hour bus ride with two kids! We all piled onto the bus and started off to our new hotel. At first we were not thrilled to pack our bags and move again, but we know that there is a reason for the move. The hotel rooms in Haikou were very nice but too small. It was hard to find activities to keep the children occupied. So the thought of being close to the beach was consoling as we packed our wet clothes (it is so humid that our laundry does not dry).
We traveled to the southern tip of the island and we were overwhelmed with the beauty of her homeland. I tried to soak it all in, but as soon as Elainea fell asleep I drifted off to sleep as well. The bus ride was symbolic of the events of the previous day. Elainea was leaving behind her old life and joining us in ours. What a precious gift! We do not know how to express the gratitude we have in our hearts.
We arrived at the Kempinski Resort and Spa and were amazed! The resort was built by a German hotel chain and just opened in January. We walked into the lobby and saw the gardens and we thought to ourselves, ‘Yes!’ No more being cramped into a little room. We will have so much to do here! Thank You to all that made this possible. It was the pick-me-up we all needed!
Joe, Hannah and Grandma went to the pool and I stayed in the room with Elainea to perform diaper duty. She again opened up a little more. She started running around the room and laughing. She then started moving her crib around the room. She then started playing with the phone, closet doors, bathroom doors, mosquito trap, TV, etc. She is a very active 2-yr-old and is into everything. She is so smart and clever and her laugh is music to our ears. We have noticed that she no longer stands in the corner when Mom is involved with Hannah. She is becoming comfortable with us, and is starting to enjoy life.
We took her down to the pool and she will have nothing to do with the water. She screams when we try to give her a bath, oh well, all in good time. She is so much fun and we look forward to having more time here tomorrow.