New Articles for April 2011

Celebrating the return of White Rabbit candy to American store shelves!

Five new articles have been posted in the past week to weninchina.com. In the "Food" section, we add an entry on the dumplings known as jiaozi.  In the "Safety and Health" section, we've added three articles with advice on handling different aspects of China's climate:  "Dealing with Heat & Humidity," "Dealing with Cold & Damp," and "Sandstorms." And in our "People and Culture" section, some tips on getting out of uncomfortable situations without giving insult, at "Saying No."

Many new articles coming up!

While I haven't posted new articles at weninchina.com in the past few months due to heavy overtime at my employer, I have been gathering research, drafting articles, and editing. Plus, I've taken my family on a Thanksgiving trip to Hong Kong to take lots of pictures and collect lots of fresh insights. Finally, the airline situation seems to be changing every day, with many new flight options about to be available.

I've been working on "health & safety" articles such as "how to deal with the heat & humidity," "how to deal with cold & humid conditions," and "how to deal with sandstorms." There are also some cultural articles in preparation, such as "how to say NO." And of course, an airport guide for Hong Kong will be prepared...

Over the next month I should have several of these articles up on the main site. I hope you'll find them useful.

So, how do you get to sleep on long flights?

I'm in Hong Kong this week with my wife and daughter to check out the sights (and it would appear, miss the awful weather back home.)

Thankfully, our little girl slept like a rock on both the flight from the USA to Tokyo as well as the Tokyo-Hong Kong leg. My wife got a few hours' sleep on each leg.

I, however, managed only about 90 minutes, and that was just after leaving Tokyo. At least the Hong Kong airport is incredibly easy to get through, because my brains were mush by then.

So what are *your* tips, as parents, for getting good rest on long flights?  (Let's keep liquor and drugs out of it, since you still have to stay clear-headed enough to take care of the kids, right?)

Comment on this post - I'll add your ideas and other research for an upcoming article.

Now things start getting interesting!

After years of waiting, we are now finally at the beginning of a major expansion of flying between the USA and China, and this is going to be great news for family travel!

American Airlines will be entering the Los Angeles - Shanghai market in April 2011, which will help keep a lid on fares.

The bigger news is a set of new routes Delta will be launching from April through July 2011:  Atlanta - Shanghai, Detroit - Beijing, and most importantly for adoptive families, the return of Tokyo - Guangzhou service!

The Guangzhou flight will be operated by a Boeing 767-300, which is a much larger airplane than the 757-200 that predecessor Northwest Airlines used up to 2009.  That should also make seats more available and likewise keep fares out of Guangzhou from getting out of control.

As schedules start to load, we'll be updating our Transpacific Flight Planning page with fresh details.

One Perfect Bao

Had this absolutely perfect char siu bao last month at Ping, in Portland, OR's Chinatown.

The bun was steamed just enough to be puffy and warm, but still a little doughy and moist.

The pork was slow-cooked and succulent, juicy even without its sauce.

Plenty of cilantro for every bite to get a hit of fresh greens.

And the fried onion cracklins - so inspired - crunchy and approaching the flavor of crispy bacon.

And then I ordered another...

Link to our Portland (PDX) airport guide: Portland.html

Link to our article on Bao: Bao.html

Vancouver and Portland airport guides now added

Continuing our series of family-friendly North American airport guides for Transpacific gateways, this week week we've added entries for Vancouver, BC and Portland, OR.

Both facilities are exciting, comfortable spaces with plenty of natural light and public art. Here are some scenes from Vancouver:

We walk you through the customs arrival process and connecting between flights, showing you how to get around, shop, and eat; and where your children can play or relax.

Some scenes from Portland below:

And be sure to check out weninchina.com's Planning Transpacific Travel page as the complement to help you determine which options you'll choose to and from China.

Family-friendly airport guides

The big children's playspace in Terminal 2 at Chicago O'Hare Airport.

For many families, the adoption trip to China may be their first time across the Pacific or even out of the country. Even for experienced road warriors, a flight home from Asia may take them into an unfamiliar airport. Combine that with serious sleep deprivation and taking care of a new little person whom you've just met and are still trying to bond with, and you may not even be able to find your way through your own hometown terminal.


We're starting a new series of articles at weninchina.com to guide you through the primary North American gateways to Asia. We'll talk about your arrival, how long it will take to get through Customs, where your connecting flights are, and the features of the airport from a family-travel perspective. How are the restrooms? Where can we sit quietly and decompress? Where can the kids blow off excess energy?


This season, we've already posted guides to Seattle/Tacoma, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Chicago O'Hare, with Portland OR, and Vancouver BC next on the list.


If you have suggestions, feedback, or want to share your stories with other travelers, please leave a comment here or email us at weninchinainfo (at) mac (dot) com. Hope you find these new guides useful.