We left Beijing Friday morning and I truly believe that our plane must have bypassed Guangzhou and gone directly to heaven. What a different atmosphere this is!!! There are birds chirping, trees and flowers growing, no horns honking, no cars, buses, trucks, or bicycles trying to plow you over, the food is edible and the hotel is downright luxurious! Guangzhou appears to be rundown, old and very poor but it is different… in a good way. Guangzhou is located on a small island where the streets are paved with brick and it just seems quaint in this vast and busy country.
When we arrived Friday, we had a nice calm drive from the airport to the hotel where for the first time we didn’t feel that our lives were in imminent danger. We then strolled over to the medical clinic so Aiden and Gavin could have their medical checks. And that is where all the fun ended! Aiden was a real screamer! They never did anything to him that would have caused him any pain or discomfort. It all started when they weighed him (28.5 pounds) and then got progressively worse when they looked in his ears and had to do his chest x-ray. He was one unhappy camper by the time it was all over! Nothing a few M&Ms and goldfish crackers couldn’t cure though!
Saturday we had the day off and Aiden and I spent a good majority of the day here in the playroom that the hotel has for the children. I think almost all adoptive families come through this hotel at the end of their stay in China. The American Consulate that processes the visas for our adopted children is here in Guangzhou. The playroom is called the Swan Room and Mattel helped design it. It really is a great feature of this hotel so our children can get out of the rooms and play. Mattel and the White Swan Hotel also give each of the families an exclusive Barbie with an Asian baby. I had heard about it before and couldn’t wait to get mine. My mom said if she knew all I wanted was a Barbie she would have bought me one so we didn’t have to fly half way around the world for one!
Today we went shopping again. We went to one store that had a little of everything and then headed to the Pearl Market. That place was amazing – it was a mall of several floors and store after store selling fresh water pearls and costume jewelry. Amazing but overwhelming! The first store I bought a beautiful painting where the man actually finger paints everything.
All in all we are in a much happier place! We are all mostly feeling better although dad is still suffering a little with that head cold. We have air conditioning and we have Lucy’s Café & Bar (as close to home as it gets here). The hotel is fabulous and one of the prettiest I’ve been to with tropical waterfalls and huge koi ponds. It is relaxing to just walk over one of the bridges and watch the fish. Our guide Kelly is fantastic as well and incredibly informative (she is above and beyond better than our guide in Beijing). And to top it off, we will be leaving for home in just a few short days. Life is good.
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