These are notes to my future self, if we ever return to China for a brother or sister for Penelope.
1. Pack light. Wal-Mart, Carrefour, and vendor’s galore are available by the hotels to purchase just about anything. Except Little Noses. Bring that.
2. If you’re bringing wireless devices only (tablets, iPhones, etc), bring a router or USB to Ethernet adapter. In Zhengzhou I had to go to the lobby anytime I wanted to get online.
3. Bring toys. How we made this mistake is beyond me.
4. Don’t bring peanut butter, unless it’s in a clearly marked, unopened 3 oz container. Remember this for the return flights also.
5. Bring a pillow for your posterior or book 1st class. The seats on the 13 hour flight are not kind to one’s rear.
6. Pack food you will eat. We wasted a lot of space carrying food we never touched.
7. Remember you can’t dry clothes in the hotel room. If you want to wash socks or underwear it’s going to take a long time for them to dry out.
8. Have more than enough memory for your camera. Don’t skimp on the brand or size of the flash cards. Too many pictures turned out blurry.
9. Pack light!!! You’re going to need to buy a cheap suitcase on the way back anyway. Can’t stress this enough.
