BaBa, Shoes, Pizza and a Rickshaw(Written by BaBa) Our adventures in China have been filled with mixed emotions. From the joy of meeting Lana for the fist time to the frustration of waiting and waiting in government offices. It has been a great trip and exciting to see my daughters become sisters!
My personal adventure began when we realized that Lana's shoes were really too small and she needed to have new ones before we did any sightseeing. We had also decided to have pizza for dinner (thank the "O" family for this bright idea!). Well, Pizza Hut does not deliver in China, thus began my quest to feed and clothe my family. The hotel provided me with a card explaining in Chinese that I wanted to go shopping and also to the Pizza Hut near the Bell Tower and then they graciously called me a taxi. So, with a the girl's feet traced on a sheet of hotel stationery in my pocket, I climbed into a Chinese taxi. I made it to the store with no problems and was even able to find matching shoes for the girls.
Then I set out to get pizza. I could not find the Pizza Hut so I had to do the unmanly thing and ask for directions! I stopped at a corner stand and asked and as luck would have it, they did not know where the Pizza Hut was. Then I decided to approach a man driving a motorized rickshaw and ask if he knew. I showed him the card from the hotel and he nodded that yes, he knew where the Pizza Hut was. So, I got in. I showed him a 10 yuan bill (about $1.30), he took it and off we went at warp 10! After about a block he stopped and began yelling in Chinese and showed me his cell phone with the number 20 on it, so I gave him a 20 yuan bill, and he took off again. We flew through traffic, against traffic, dodging cars and trucks and pedestrians, with me bouncing around in the back holding on to my daughter's new shoes! We jumped a curb, honked at the people in the way and screeched to a stop in front of the Pizza Hut! The return trip was uneventful, I successfully purchased two pizzas and showed my card to a taxi driver and made it back to the hotel to deliver warm pizza to my family.
The best part of the story was seeing Lana's eyes light up as she opened the box of her first pair of new shoes!
