Last Day

Today is our last full day in Guangzhou. We are ready to leave!! We were ready to leave a week ago! We had a late breakfast, came to the 'free Internet' store and will pack today. We got to talk to our little Jackson this morning which we always look forward to. We are anxious to see everyone at home and get home just in time to celebrate Christmas with our families. :)

Sobering Moment

Today we went to the US Consulate. We went to a waiting room with about 75 other people. An American worker came out and told us what we are supposed to do when we get to the states and had us take the oath. What a long haul, but well worth the work and effort. With tears in our eyes we finally had come to the end of our journey. She just needs to plant those precious little feet on US soil and it truly will be over. :) This evening we went on a Pearl River Cruise. It was nice. It was the perfect event to give us time to relax and have an enjoyable evening. When we returned to our room we ordered out Papa John's! :) We have ordered that a few times when we were tired and didn't feel like going anywhere.

Visa Paperwork

Today we completed the paperwork necessary for Ruby to get her Visa to come to the USA. We filled out the form that allows her to become a citizen as soon as she lands on US soil. Thank God we are almost there!! That night we went to the Thai restaurant. Yummmy Green Curry with chicken. :)

Shopping, Shopping, and more Shopping

Today we decided to go back to the department store, GrandBuy. We went with some friends, Sarah, Jay, Jordan, and Lillie. Near that street we also found some nice purses and hair accessories. I went back in to the GrandBuy store and found a toy for Ruby I was looking for a few days before that they did not have and they had it today. I was so happy. After this we met Jay and Sarah at McDonalds for lunch. Only the SECOND time we've been at a McDonald's since we got here. Not bad. :) Since neither of us thought we could communicate with the taxi drivers to get us to the Pearl Market we opted to go back to the hotel and then have our guide ask the taxi driver to take us to the Pearl Market. We got there and shopped for about an hour. It is amazing at how many stores there are selling beads. Something everyone should experience. Mom and I have always wondered who strings all those thousands of beads we buy. Now I know!

Church

This morning the group went to the Zoo but we opted to stay at the hotel. A few yards from the hotel is a Christian Church that we attended the service this morning. The service was great and we met many people there. Again, we 'layed low' today to try and rest.

Pearl Market

Today we went to the Pearl Market. When we went here 2.5 years ago the prices were VERY reasonable. This time they were OUTRAGEOUS!!! One sterling silver and stone bracelet cost $800 AMERICAN DOLLARS! I thought do these people think we are that gullible??? Oh well, needless to day I didn't buy anything there!! We walked to the market through the famous Qing Ping market. This was about a 30 minute walk from our hotel. It was very interesting to see the way the locals live and the businesses they have. They were selling everything from pets to Chinese herbs. On the way back one person (Kim Malsom, that works in the CCAI Dossier department) wanted to get some Chinese herbs for her boyfriend. He likes to cook and he wanted her to get some herbs for him. We went to a local vegetable and meat store. They had tons and tons of fresh vegetables and chickens in cages that had only a few hours left of daylight. ;) After this trip I was wiped out. It took the rest of the afternoon to recover from all the walking. I pulled a muscle in my side so I was trying to recuperate and get back in shape for the rest of the trip.

Sightseeing

Today we went on a half day sightseeing tour. We visited a Buddhist temple and if you wanted you could get a 'blessing' from the monks. We opted out on that one! Then we went to the Old Chen House. It is a house that belonged to the Chen family 1500 years ago. FYI they have 'western' toilets there! ;) That was a relief! We walked around and took pictures there. Finally we went to a Provincial Arts & Crafts center aka tourist trap. It was OK and we did manage to buy a few things there. That afternoon we just spent around the hotel.