Where Is Danielle?

Danielle is living in the city of Urumqi (pronounced oo-room-a-chee with the "oo" silent). Above are many photos of Danielle's orphanage in Urumqi. She lives with a wonderful foster family and visits the orphanage for preschool classes.

The name Urumqi means "beautiful pastures" in Mongolian.  Urumqi is the capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, situated at the northern foothill of the snow-capped Tianshan Mountains.

Located in the northwest of China, Urumqi has a population of 2.35 million. Urumqi encompasses an area of 12000 square meters with 235.9 square meters for urban downtown. It is said to be the most inland city in the world, that being the furthest from any ocean. Most people in Urumqi can speak some level of Mandarin Chinese.  It is a very modern city.  It reminds me of Denver, with the snow cap mountains in the distance.

One of the main tourist attractions is Heavenly Lake, which is situated in north side of Bogda Peak of Tianshan Mountains, about 70 miles east of Urumqi City. Heaven's Lake (Tianchi) is arguably one of the nicest spots in all of China. The huge clear water lake, the pine trees covering the hillsides and the snow capped mountains in the background make this a spectacular sight- reminiscent of Switzerland or the Rocky mountains but somehow with more vibrancy and color.

Our journey to Danielle will start in Beijing where we will enter China, then we will go straight to Urumqi to meet her.  We will spend the week in her home city, visiting Heavenly Lake and other wonderful spots while our approvals and visa documents are processed.  Then, after about 5 days, we will fly to Guangzhou to have more paperwork completed, along with her medical exam and our appointment at the U.S. Consulate.  Once we are given her visa in Guangzhou, we will head back to Beijing and then back to home.