She Came With A Cookie She Left With A Tear

Yesterday was the Forth of July we spent the day doing much necessary paperwork, getting more supplies at the local Wal mart (which does sell frogs, turtles and snakes in the food section..all live), and packing for our airplane trip to Guangzhou.

Today we left early....as we did so it was bittersweet..we know our babies are from Jiangxi province and they are leaving all they know, the food, the people, the language. As we traveled throughout the town this past week, Claudia and some of the others would be searching in the faces of the locals for someone familiar..they would respond when the locals flocked us and talked with them, and they really really enjoyed the local cuisine, especially Claudia who eats non-stop. As we entered the airport I showed Claudia the mountains one last time and I kid you not a small tear ran down her face, (it could be the slight cold she has but somehow I believe she knows this is good bye.)

The babies were circled by strangers is the airport all eager to learn about us. Most gave us thumbs up, said thanks for all we are doing and kept saying we had big hearts. Many strangers took our photos and one man was drawn to tears expressing the gratitude to our group for helping these lost daughters of China. After a short delay we boarded the plane expecting lots of crying, but alas the girls were great and we all made it in one piece. thereafter we boarded the bus and started on to our "home" for the next few days, The White Swan Hotel on Shamian Island In Guangzhou. All I can say is this place is the bomb. The view above is the view from my room. The place has every amenity...

More than a century ago the Mandarins of Guangzhou designated a 44-acre sandbank outside the city walls in the Pearl River as an enclave for foreign merchants. The foreigners had previously lived and done business in a row of houses known as the Thirteen Factories, near the present Shamian, but local resentment after the Opium Wars -- sometimes leading to murderous attacks -- made it prudent to confine them to a protected area, which was linked to the city by two bridges that were closed at 10 every night.

The island soon became a bustling township, as trading companies from Britain, the United States, France, Holland, Italy, Germany, Portugal, and Japan built stone mansions along the waterfront. With spacious gardens and private wharves, these served as homes, offices, and warehouses. There were churches for Catholics and Protestants, banks, a yacht club, football grounds, a cricket field, and the White Swan Hotel.

Shamian was attacked in the 1920s but survived until the 1949 Revolution when its mansions became government offices or apartment houses and the churches were turned into factories. In recent years, however, the island has resumed much of its old character. Many colonial buildings have been restored, and both churches have been beautifully renovated and reopened to worshippers. Worth visiting is Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church (Shamian Dajie at Yijie), with its cream-and-white neo-Gothic tower. A park with shady walks and benches has been created in the center of the island, where local residents come to chat with friends, walk around with their caged birds, or practice tai chi.

We look forward to enjoying the next few days on the island and finalizing all the necessary paperwork so we can retun home to Colton.

Again I posted some more new photos below and the link to our hotel is also at the bottom in case anyone is curious.