Last Full Day in Guangzhou - Day 14

We just got back from a jam-packed morning and early afternoon. We are jamming out to Leo Sayer on the wonderful musak that is piped through the rooms. Sophie knew this was going to be a very special day so she dressed in her new outfit that Ileana bought her at a local store.

One of today’s highlights was shopping for pearls. We went to a mall with about 500 stores, all specializing in sales of pearls, jade, cut glass, and other gemstones. It was overwhelming but Sophie loved it. They brought out strand after strand of pearls, you chose which ones you liked, and then they were hand- strung to the size you wanted. We bought Sophie her first strand of pearls (to be given to her at a much later date).

After a quick lunch, we decided to take a self-guided tour of a Buddhist Temple called “Six Banyan Temple”. It was a very beautiful place. The campus consisted of several small pavilions, each with remarkable Buddha statues in them. The largest of these Buddhas was cast in 990 and is over two stories tall. At the center of the complex is the “Flowery Pagoda”, a nine story tower. I took the walk to the top of the pagoda and got a great view of the city.

From the top of the pagoda, you can see how extensive the roof gardens are in the city. Every rooftop has something going on. Our guide told us that either you pay extra if you live on the top floor or the roof area is rented by other people in the building. Most of the roof area is used for gardening. It is all so interesting.

When we got back to the White Swan, there was quite a bit of chaos. The entire staff of the hotel (200 or so people) was flanking a red carpet. This was all at the door where our cab was arriving. When we got inside, we were informed that the Primer Minister from Vietnam was arriving (he is the somewhat obscured gentleman circled in the pic – boy would I suck if I were a photojournalist). Pretty exciting stuff though. Unfortunately, his press entourage made it impossible to get up into our hotel rooms for the next half hour and I can’t imagine that the rest of our stay will be very pleasant with this guy here.

Things have been a little chaotic in Guangzhou. It is an incredible city but I doubt many of the adoptive parents ever see much of it. It is very easy to spend your time here without leaving Sha Mian Island. If we had another day here, we would definitely venture out more. Part of the chaos is due to the large group of people from our agency. It is also tough because we were so close in Nanchang (all on the same floor, all on the same tours), that we all seemed to know what was going on at all times. It is not quite the same here. Luckily, all of the important stuff – the consulate appointment, check-ups, paperwork, visas, etc. are all going very smoothly.

-Chris