Guangzhou makes up for Beijing big time. First of all, it's a quaint, little town of 10 million. It has an easy to use subway system, blue skies and lots and lots and LOTS of newly-formed families. We've taken to Guangzhou and are glad that we get to end our time in China here. I don't know where to begin. I apologize for being off line for so many days. We've been in a whirlwind of paperwork (2 hours' worth yesterday alone), shopping (ahem…this isn't a requirement, this is a sickness of mine that I've just decided to indulge in) and exploring this town and our hotel's complex. We can pay $13 a day for Internet access or we can do the cheap way and go to Starbucks once a day for free access and an ice mocha. You can guess which we've chosen. You may not hear from us as much but we have more cash for squeaky shoes and once you've seen these things, you'll understand our decision. We're at the DongFang Hotel which is super fancy and we feel pampered and well rested and just taken care of in every way. We are not a novelty here which is nice. In Changsha which is a smaller, more out-of-the-way town, we stuck out. People stopped us everywhere to gawk and take pictures. Here, in the city where ALL Americans must come to get our children's VISAs? Well, we're just one of the crowd. It's nice to walk around without all the stardom. It's blooming hot here but we're careful about sunscreen and hats and mostly going out in the mornings and evenings. We've spoiled ourselves by eating MickeyD's and Papa John's. I know. I won't touch McDonald's in the States but abroad is another story. We've also enjoyed some excellent Chinese fare and Danny ate spicy Hunan food till he was literally sweaty and red-faced.
We spent some time on Shamian Island today which is a haven for adoptive families because that's where the famous White Swan Hotel is and all families are required to go there for their baby's medical examination. There are dozens of little shops which specifically target bargain shoppers like us. We….ummm…we bought an extra suitcase to bring home all our treasures. We purchased various items for Reagan to give to her as she gets older including the cutest "Made in China" t-shirt and a soft panda and a dragon puppet and a silk outfit and…well, you get the idea. We had some fun. It's so great to spend money on Reagan that I nearly forgot to spend money on myself. Nearly.
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