Day 11 - Around Guangzhou

Today was a low key day.  We had a lazy morning and hit the breakfast buffet.  We have been switching between the main restaurant and the executive lounge.  We enjoy the opportunity to connect with different families each day.

After breakfast, we headed to Yuexiu Park.  Once again, we observed the people exercising, dancing and singing.  Hannah loved feeding the fish.  Today was pretty hot and humid, so our park visit was pretty short. 

Hannah experienced the subway for the first time.  We took the subway to China Plaza.  It is a multi-story mall that also has a grocery store.  Hannah enjoyed playing at the toy store.  We stocked up on some supplies at the grocery store.  Matt grabbed some dumplings at the food court and we headed back to our hotel.

For dinner, we had the privilege of meeting the sister of Matt’s co-worker.  She and her husband came for dinner at our hotel.  They treated us to a lovely Chinese dinner.  After dinner they drove us around the city.  We got in our evening exercise with a visit to  Sun Yat-Sen Memorial and Yuexiu Park.  We had no idea the park was so large.  They took us on a long walk to see the famous Five Ram Statue.  We were thankful the humidity had subsided from the afternoon rain.  It was a pleasant night.

Day 10 - Shopping at Shamian

Today we took a short trip over to Shamian Island.  This small bit of land was a French and British concession back in the day and once housed multiple foreign consulates.  It is a very beautiful place to visit with historic buildings originally designed in British colonial style.

Our first stop was to the Protestant Church for an 11 AM English/Mandarin service.  We heard the service was good, but was not able to experience it ourselves because Hannah had other plans.  After crying for about 30 minutes we were done with our morning tantrum.  By the way, it sure is nice having been around the block once now.  We actually know where we are going here and don't feel quite as lost here like we did last time.

We spent the rest of the morning roaming the island looking for souvenir gifts for people back home.  We even ran into a few store keepers who seemed to remember us from last year.  I promised I would bring them back the picture we took last year so they could see it.  True to Shamian we also saw many Chinese tourists and many woman taking selfie glamour shots.

 

For lunch we ate at Lucy's.  They try really hard to be an American restaurant, but you know what, it is just really hard.  Deanna played it safe (not!) by ordering a Cheese Pizza.  After one bite she quickly determined that her $10 pizza was made with ketchup instead of tomato sauce.  Matt had black pepper fillet which was good and Hannah ate rice off of Matt's plate.

After lunch, we stopped at the public playground and Hannah got to show off for us by going down the slide.  She really enjoyed playing at the park with the other Chinese children.  After the park, we hit a few more shops and then took a taxi back to hotel.  There, Hannah took a nap while mom and dad hung out.

After naptime, we went with a few other families to a Mexican restaurant in town called Tekila's.  They actually have pretty decent Mexican food, the waitresses speak decent English, and the best part ... they have a play area for children!

Day 9 - Visa Medical Exam

Today, we started our day off like every other day with a trip to the hotel's breakfast buffet.  Only this day was different and exciting because now were in Guangzhou.  That means only one thing: more American food choices!  We loaded up on muffins, doughnuts, and French toast.  Hannah enjoyed congee with brown sugar mixed in.

Our trip to the medical exam went smoothly.  Hannah did great with all of the doctors and nurses.  She didn't even cry when they took her blood for the TB test.  All is well when you can snack on food and eat suckers.  She saved her tantrum for the bus ride on the way home and cried for a good 30 minutes.  Sometimes snacks just aren't enough to get over the pain of traveling in a moving vehicle.

Snacking in the waiting room

Station #1: Height, weight, and temperature

Station #2: Ear, nose, and throat

Station #3: General medical check-up

Hannah did great with the TB blood draw

Unhappy girl

Our afternoon was rather uneventful.  Deanna went to a mandatory Holt family meeting while Matt stayed back in the room, and Hannah took a nap.  Later that evening we took turns going to the executive floor and eating hor dourves for dinner.  The selection tonight was mini lamb tacos, duck cabobs, and a vegetarian macaroni blend.

Tomorrow we plan to travel to Shamian Island and go to church with another family we met from Decatur, Illinois.  Please pray for Deanna!  She has had a migraine headache since yesterday and woke up with it again today.

Day 8 - Travel to Guangzhou

We started our morning out with a brief swim in the hotel swimming pool.  Hannah was nervous at first and gave out a little yelp when she first got in the water.  Within a few minutes, though, she was loving it.  Swimming with Baba was a lot of fun for her!

At 1:30 in the afternoon we left for the airport.  It was pouring rain outside and some of the streets were rather flooded.  Let me tell you something ... Hannah does NOT like riding in cars.  We have found that out over the last several days.  1.5 hours later we were at the airport, checked in, and through security.

In the hotel lobby with our Holt guide Lisa

By the way ... it is always very interesting what the Chinese security personnel need to check.  Plastic bottle full of water ... No Problem!  Kite string and a bouncy ball ... need to see it.  They even had to partially deflate the bouncy ball from Wal-Mart.  Apparently, a ball that can't bounce is much safer than one that can.  We're just glad they didn't confiscate it completely.  Also, we all got the official pat down after we went through the metal detector.  I'm still not quite sure why the even bother having that.

At the airport, ready to check in

Hannah eating her snack balls

Our flight ended up getting delayed by 2 hours.  While we were waiting we got to meet another American family on their way to the same place we were going.  This family was adopting 2 boys from China on this trip.  With their new additions, that brought their number of children up to 8.  We found out that from the other 6, 2 were adopted from Ethiopia, 2 were biological, 1 was adopted from Guatemala, and 1 from China.  WOW!  We simply stood in awe and silently thanked God for humbling us in this way.

The plane ride to Guangzhou included Hannah eating almost an entire container of snack balls and some rice.  We had at least 2 or 3 crying fits on the 2 hour plane ride.  Each time, either a stewardess or the lady sitting next me on the plane would say something to Hannah is Chinese.  Almost immediately, Hannah stopped crying.  We were thankful that Hannah was able to settle down, but really wondered what they were saying.

Hannah looking at the China Southern plane we were about to get onto

Hannah eating more snacks on the plane

We arrived at our hotel around 9:30PM.  Hannah did a pretty good job traveling and we didn't have any MAJOR breakdowns.  Thank you for all of your prayers.  They were surely felt.  We also want to praise God for the great blessing it is to be able to use our Marriott Rewards points to pay for much of our hotel stay in Guangzhou.

Day 7 - Tantrum in the Park

Today we went to People's Park with our guide Lisa and her son. It is amazing to see a beautifully landscaped park, complete with a lake and a rock garden, amongst such a busy city. It is certainly comparable in size and beauty to Central Park in New York City.  But Central Park is missing something this park has.  This park has people, lots of people, who enjoy being around each other and are not shy.  

At this park, we found people doing exercises of all types, dancing, performing tai chi, practicing martial arts, strength training, playing badminton, and much more! There was a man performing Beijing opera, men playing cards, and men writing Chinese characters on the ground with large water pens.  There were also people playing with Chinese yo-yos and playing with Chinese tops. You see, it is the people that change the park from just an ordinary park into a lively place.

 

A sign of behavior to come?

While strolling through the park, we got to interact with a few of the people there.  One man painted Wuxi's name on the ground with his water pen so that we could take a picture.  Another man let Matt and Lisa's son try their hand at Chinese yo-yo and offered instruction.  Matt also got to try playing with the Chinese top.  Everyone was very nice and eager to have us join in with them.

This park was not just for adults, though.  There were also some activities for children.  We saw people riding around in motorized electric cars they had rented.  We also saw people riding around in motorized boats.  Apparently pedal cars and paddle boats are a thing of the past here.  We settled on something a little slower paced and got to feed the fish.  Hannah absolutely loved it!

In the park, there is also an "amusement park" with carnival rides.  We found one that looked not too scary and gave it a try for $5.  Matt and Hannah, Lisa and her son, piled into a children's roller coaster, buckled the children in, and went for a whirl.  She loved her first ride!

Shortly after this is where the fun ended for Hannah. She started crying and flailing and stomping around. She spit, she drooled, and did everything else that comes along with the terrible two tantrums! As if we didn't have enough stares, we now had a fog horn of crying to draw more attention.  She continued to cry for at least the next 20-30 minutes while we tried to comfort her.  Conceding defeat, we left the park and took the 10 minute taxi ride back to our hotel.  She continued to cry all of the way home, up to our hotel room, and only finally calmed down after being in or room for 20-30 minutes.  This little girl has some stamina!  We share this to be real and show that this trip isn't all roses and sightseeing. This is real life. Parenting is hard; whether it be struggles with biological or adopted kids.

After eating a few noodles, Hannah put on some PJs and went down for a much needed nap.  She slept for 3 hours!  Throwing a tantrum, after all, is hard work for a little girl.  While Hannah was sleeping, Deanna went out shopping with the two ladies we met at dinner last night.

We made our way to "walking street."  Deanna had heard that there was a market at the end of walking street.  The street is under construction for the new subway system that is being built.  It was a mess!  The market was something I had never seen before!  There was so much stuff!  There were tiny aisles and many vendors that were all selling similar merchandise.  I have no idea how they all stay in business. We started on the top floor with the children's clothing.  Then, we made our way downstairs and to the building next door.  It is really hard to accurately describe this experience.  The phrase that comes to mind: sensory overload!  A few purchases were made and then it was off to dinner.  They took Deanna to Pizza Hut.  Just like the other restaurants we have dined at, there were many dishes ordered.  Apparently, a good host orders many dishes.  There was pizza, pasta, potato salad, fries, shrimp, soup and dessert.  It is served family style.  Our hosts were very interested to hear that in the States, we would have just ordered pizza and possibly one side.  We are so grateful for the friends that we have met.  They have been so kind and generous.  Their hospitality is top notch.  After dinner, it was back to the hotel.

A man and his pet monkey

This is how you do Pizza Hut in China

Green Tea Cake

Meanwhile, Matt took Hannah up to the tennis court again to play with her ball.  That lasted all of 10 minutes.  Then they strolled around the hotel, met with Lisa to check some paperwork, and ended their day with a trip to McDonald's to eat corn, milk, and ice cream.  Lovely combination!  Hannah squealed at her first bite of the cold ice cream.  Every subsequent bite she had to blow on it first (to heat it up?) before putting it in her mouth.

Tomorrow we head for Guangzhou by plane.  Praying for a smooth ride.  Pray for us!