Back in Beijing

Long day yesterday. We decided not to go the nationalities museum because we wanted to have our guide take us to the clinic at the hospital to check Ava's congestion. Some of the other families had gone a couple of days earlier and were given an antibiotic which seemed to help a lot. (Our guide sent us back upstairs to put another layer of clothing on Ava since some of the other families had got the finger wag from the doctor for not dressing them warmly enough.) It was an interesting experience. 'Foreigners' are only allowed to go to certain medical facilities. The People's Hospital of Nanning (etc., etc.) was very big and very modern. A full waiting room in the pediatrics clinic. We really didn't wait very long though (and I don't think we jumped the queue.) While we were waiting, a young girl asked us in English if she could ask us some questions. We thought it would be about Ava but in fact she just wanted to practice her English. Her name was Lisa and she was nine years old. In China they start learning English in primary school. Her English was good, very slow and precise. She said she thought Ava looked like a lovely princess. When our number was called we went to the office with our guide but there were still two people in line ahead of us. Personal privacy is not an issue in China. Everybody was crowding in and watching the examination of the person whose turn it was. It was very much like a production line. The doctor listened to Ava's breathing and checked her throat and said it wasn't serious. She gave us some antibiotics and said we should keep her hydrated. Oh, and she should be wearing gloves...in 75 degree weather.
We all packed up in the afternoon and headed for the the airport to catch our 2 hours plus flight to Beijing. Ava was a sweetheart on her very first flight. Of course she was under the weather and not her usual firecracker self. She slept mostly. We got in late and then had to wait for two other families to arrive from other provinces. Unfortunately one got in very late. By the time we got to the hotel, it was nearly 11 pm, I think. We all crashed hard.
This morning has been lovely (for me anyway.) Ava and I have been playing all morning and she's been letting me carry her around a good bit. She seems to be better this morning and her cough is less congested than it has been. Rob continues to be very congested though and has been sleeping on and off this morning. (Many of the parents have this, too.) I think this week will be much better health-wise for both of us, though. I feel pretty good now myself but have a very hoarse voice. Ava has her Canadian medical on Monday and I'm hoping we can snag some drugs for Rob as well. We have some paperwork to do this afternoon but I think we'll go for a walkabout afterwards after Ava's nap. The hotel is great, very modern. All of the families are on the same floor and we all got upgraded to bigger rooms. We have a pretty spectacular view of Beijing from our window. We are also within walking distance of Tiananmen Square. I'm a little in the dark on what our schedule for the week is now. It'll all be a nice surprise.
As for questions about the babies, we've had only a few so far. So many western families trooping around with Chinese babies draws a lot of stares. But everyone is very polite and likes to goo at the babies. When we arrived in the hotel in Beijing last night, a young couple was walking out of the hotel and the young man became very excited to see a blond boy about 10 years old with one of our families. He talked to him very excitedly and patted him on the head and shook his hand until his girlfriend dragged him off.
That's about it. In spite of sickness, we've been having a wonderful time getting to know our beautiful girl. It just gets better and better. Will try to get Rob to post a couple of pics when he wakes up. Bye for now.