Sunday - Change of Scenery

We left Beijing and her 20 million inhabitants this morning and arrived in the cozy little river town of Harbin in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang at about noon. Okay, so it's not exactly a little town. The population here is 10 million, making it more populous than any city in the United States, yet it is only the 8th biggest in China. And this country boy got a teeny bit overwhelmed during our first foray into the streets.

After a white knuckle van ride from the airport to the hotel, I nearly got down on my hands and knees and kissed the filthy pavement when we were finally out of the chaotic city traffic. Our guide told us that in this formerly Soviet-controlled area, we would look like Russians to the locals and we would probably be spoken to as such. She pointed out a nearby Walmart, said she'd see us Monday morning to take us to our new child, and then she split--leaving us to fend for ourselves in a very strange land. We ventured out of the hotel within an hour or so and tried to find some Russians to blend in with. No luck. Here we stand out like...well, we stand out like four Americans with a flamboyant Chinese boy in tow wandering aimlessly in a sea of black-haired, extremely curious Asians. People here don't try to hide the fact that they are checking us out. They stare at us like we're walking around on fire. A young woman at McDonald's (yes we gave in to the temptation of a taste of home) stared at me unflinchingly the entire time we were eating. People snapped pictures of Alex the fair-haired rock star again. We are fish out of water and are treated as such.

Walmart here is at least three stories high. It took us five minutes just to figure out how to even get in the store. We rode the escalator in circles trying to figure out where the milk was (we never found it). A male employee followed us around and stared at us with great suspicion, trying to figure out if we had just kidnapped Truman or something. And the crowds! Imagine going to the morning after Thanksgiving "Black Friday" sales in the U.S. and multiply the chaos by a thousand. I went into full sensory overload and nearly freaked completely out while searching desperately for the poorly marked exit. I virtually sprinted out the door as I fought my way past the throngs of prying eyes and flying elbows.

We're hunkered down in the hotel now. It is a Russian-designed place situated on the banks of a large river. We may venture out again this evening to take in the sights along the shore when the place is lit up for the night. I should be more relaxed by then. I'm pretty sure I spotted a Harbin Brewery beer tent across the street as I ran to the hotel earlier. And tomorrow, all the insanity will be forgotten, or at least rendered insignificant when we get to meet Princess Naughton at 10:00am. I can't wait!