Hello Guangzhou!

Yes, I wanted to cry on our way to the China Hotel. Because we are closer to HOME!

We woke up today around 6:30. Girls were snoring.  We have 1 room with a bathroom with NO LOCK!!!!  How are we going to survive this week.  We NEED a lock.  We finally woke them up after 7 because we wanted to get a shower. We knew as soon as we stepped into the shower they would wake up and need to use the potty. And there are no shower curtains in this bathroom.  :-(

Breakfast was heavenly!  And what's better than the food??? Seeing so many AMERICANS!!!! Friendly Americans. We met several families and not from our agency. From our old agency. How cool is that?

10 AM go to medical exam.  We met 3 other families in our group.  The medical exam is no longer on the island.  So we drove about 25 min. Nice building.  Much nicer than the old one.  We made it through each rotation. Then time for shots and a TB test.  I was still with Maggie in one station when Bill took Hope to get 3 shots and a TB test. He said she did not even flinch.  Maggie's turn....she held Bills hand. Would not look at the needles.  She also got 3 shots and a TB. She did great.  No tears from either of them.

We left there and headed back to the hotel. We used the bathroom and then got a taxi to go to Shaimian Island. I needed to order our granite etchings and charcoal sketches of the girls.  Man have prices gone up. We talked them down to 150 yuan (they wanted 200) per face.  Melissa W, our sketches will not be finished before we leave, so I told them I would have you & David pick it up for us. I hope that is okay with you. :-) They said that would be great.  I will give you our receipt. They are already paid for.

We ate at Lucy's. Maggie did NOT want to eat anything.  She looked green again. Where is this motion sickness coming from????  It's hot too, that could have something to do with it.  We ate (Maggie nibbled) and then ordered our stuff and then headed back to the hotel.  So thankful we had takeout, because we had 2 plastic bags which Maggie puked in in the cab. Poor taxi driver rolled down the window. I'm so glad he did not kick us out. :-)

Now we are back at the hotel. The girls laid down.  Bill left at 3 to do paperwork with our guide.  As soon as he left Maggie woke up. I'm trying to get her to go back to sleep.  It's storming here with thunder too.  And it's LOUD!

Today has been better in some ways. The girls are still testing us, but will stop if we threaten to take them back upstairs to go to sleep.  (then they laugh at us which frustrates us).  Hope has not hit AS much today.  OH, and when we tell people she's 13, even the doctors at the medical exam, they look at us like we're lying.  She definitely does not act 13. And definitely does not look 13. And I'm even questioning if she's 13.

OK, pics from today!!!!

There are more bikes in GZ than I've seen in Beijing or Hefei

Sweet Moment

My lunch. American Fried Chicken.  (LOL)

Hope's lunch.  Meat on a stick

Maggie's lunch. French Fries

The White Swan. Stayed here in 2006. It's closed now for renovation. 

Brides & Grooms

Fans the girls bought to help them stay cool