Last Night in Guangzhou!

Can you believe it? We are spending our last night in Guangzhou tonight and will be on the road back to Hong Kong tomorrow afternoon at 3:10 pm local time with a brief stop over at the United States Consulate so Savannah can be sworn in as a citizen of the United States! Yea!!!!

Today’s activities started with a great breakfast at the hotel in which both Mom and Dad got to eat their entire plate of food, a feat I am sure will be few and far in between for years to come. Savannah had her staple of congee and some oatmeal and people watched the entire rest of the meal (that’s my girl!). After breakfast Paul, Catherine, Ann Marie and I walked the entire Shamain Island and took in the early morning atmosphere. It was amazing to see the local townspeople, young and old, exercising and playing games. There was tia chi, badminton, ballroom dancing, people using exercise equipment in the park, swimming in the Pearl River, you name it, and we saw it! And believe me, there is no obesity problem here! Ann Marie wanted to tell everyone that she saw someone her Grandmothers age “jogging” in the park this morning and it was inspiring!

After taking a short break due to the rain this morning (the first we have experienced since our ride in last Sunday), Paul and I ventured off the island to one of the main shopping districts in Guangzhou. Did we stick out? Yes! Did we mind? No! We actually ate lunch at Pizza Hut since it struck our fancy and the girls told us not to eat anything “local”! Our on trip we took many back roads and got stares and curious looks from many people, but overall we have found the people of Guangzhou very nice and we have received the thumbs up from many of the locals we encounter on our trips around the area. At the shopping area there were so many shops that it reminded us of the local mall, only this was one long street of shops, much like Rodeo Drive in Guangzhou! We didn’t buy anything, but the window shopping sure was fun!

Our final meeting with Helen here in Guangzhou was to finalize our plans for the U.S. Consulate and to present us with a gift which is pictured here. She shed a tear when she told us that she spoke for the people of China when she thanked us for taking these little girls into our homes and giving them a life they would not have in the orphanage. We thanked her for all she had done, we took a group photo and with that we are one last step away from making Savannah a U.S. Citizen!

The last night on the island was going to be spent having a final dinner alone with our daughter and shopping for the many souvenirs that Ann Marie has listed for our family and friends, but things did not go as planned as you may guess. Due to the odd times at which we did things during the day, Miss Savannah missed her nap so she was a bit cranky, at least for a little while. So, while Ann Marie went on shopping, we came back to the room for dinner and play time and all I can say is we had a blast! I have video but do not know if we will get it up in time before we return.

So as we sit here on this last night in Guangzhou, Savannah has finished the night off with a bath and is now snug in her bed between our twin beds and Ann Marie and I are beginning the arduous task of packing for the trip back to Hong Kong. So here is a big Thank You to the people of Zhanjiang and Guangzhou, China for being such gracious hosts and allowing Ann Marie and I to become the family we always wanted to be. When we talk to you next time we will be back at the Regal Hotel at the Hong Kong Airport. Till then….

Michael (Driver of the Stroller), Ann Marie (The Big Spender) and Savannah (Holder of the Magic Bowl)

P.S. For those of you may not have heard, Savannah’s favorite toy so far is an ordinary plastic bowl which she has carried everywhere!