Saturday, July 17, 2010

Get up early and schlep some luggage ½ mile across a construction zone on cobble stone streets in 90% humidity. Then do it again… its worth it, we’re now settled into the White Swan Hotel. The rooms, scenery and service here are a significant improvement…we can’t wait to check out the palm tree lined pool tomorrow.

Snap…back to reality, today was Ava’s medical exam. We entered the facility at 10:03AM and exited at 10:57AM. What happened in between was organized chaos, but pretty pedestrian. One room for measurements: weight, height and temperature. Another room for ENT then a cursory physical exam. Finally the inoculations. Richard had us tactically maneuvering between lines among many other families visiting for the same purpose. Ava needed only one shot and we were out of there. Seems we made good time given the crowd.

We strolled over the bridge to the world’s largest Chinese herbal medicine wholesale market. For the next 2 hours we icked, asked and oohed everything from ginsing, fungus , alligator skin and a whole lot of stuff that was loosely described as “from the sea.”

Back on Shamian Island we walked around a bit and cooled off with a green tea frappacino at Starbucks. We were settled into the new accommodations by about 2:00PM. I ventured out to the Carrafour (Chinese version of Walmart) for diapers, snacks, and bottled water. I also found some ingredients for a new refreshing beverage that I’ll call the Shamian shake: 3 ice cubes, 1 jigger vodka, pomegranate, juice, and coconut palm juice---shake and drink (try it you’ll like it).

Contrary to Richard’s advice we ate dinner at Lucy’s Bar & Grill. The place is a well know establishment among adopting Americans on their last leg of the journey. Lucy’s serves up the American food we all love and miss. I had a cheeseburger and fries. Michelle enjoyed the grilled pork chops. Ava shared ours and had some scrambled eggs of her own. It was raining quite hard during and after dinner so we ducked back to the hotel. The three “B” for Ava and she was out by 8, then up crying at 9, then out again at 10…It’s 11:30PM now and she appears to be out for good. Putting her down at night seems to be getting more difficult. I can only imagine as her familiar dull scenery has changed so dramatically in just the past 5 days and we’re already on our third hotel with her. It will be nice to get home and establish some sense of permanent security.

We’ll enjoy a free day tomorrow.

Good night from Guangzhou, China.

Michelle and Daryl.

Hello Boys: Lex, guess what, there are parrots and yellow bromeliads in the lobby of our hotel…it’s not the rainforest, but it sure feels like one! Jack, did you know that a typhoon is the same as a hurricane, except that it originates in the NW Pacific Ocean west of the date line? Can you find that on your sprinkler globe? See you soon we love and miss you – XOXO.

PILE OF SEAHORSES


AVA WITH BRONZE KIDS ON SHAMIAN ISLAND