General shock (good shock, though), exhaustion (it took about a week to get over the jet-lag hump), and sketchy access to posting to the blog rendered me without extra words to describe all our experiences here in China. For example, our adoption agency's in-China partners book all their families at 5-star hotels (at special rates). It was delightfully posh and over-the-top frankly, but the comfort was welcomed at the end of every day. Above, Auntie Dory converses with the girls outside her suite at the Garden Hotel, standing on the beautiful plum-blossom carpet (above). All going quite well with Tupelo's adjustment. We finally had a straightforward bedtime in the cribs, with smiles and barely a sound (contrasting with the dismay and crying of previous nights). Below, the little ones (and teddies) luxuriate on puffy linens and pillows:



Dory catches some shade in a small bamboo grove:


We promised Dory a panda, so our guide arranged a trip to the zoo: