Hello from Guangzhou!

Well, we are here in Guangzhou - our last city on our nearly three week
trip! We are SO happy to be here! Getting through the airport in Kunming
was tough, but Hannah's first plane ride was a total success. She had a
bottle as we were waiting to take off, fell asleep as we were taxiing to
the runway, and didn't wake up until after we had landed in Guangzhou.
She's already a much better traveler than her Mommy (who was not too
happy about all the turbulence, but pretty pleased that on our 1 3/4
hour trip they served us a full lunch). Guangzhou is beautiful - very
hot and extremely humid. It's also completely under construction for the
Asian Games in the fall, but we really don't care - we're just so happy
to be here.

We are staying on Shamain Island in Guangzhou at the famous White Swan
Hotel. It's clearly a five star hotel - definitely the fanciest place I
have ever stayed at! There is a full waterfall in the lobby...pictures
to come - Hannah was far too interested in looking at the waterfall and
the giant fish that live in it to look up for a picture! :) This is the
hotel where most American families stay who are adopting from China, and
we are suddenly not such an oddity. There are families that look like
ours everywhere, and we have already met people from across the US. The
island clearly caters to adoptive parents, and we even located a
Starbucks about a block from the hotel (Mara hasn't had coffee since
Beijing, so this was a HUGE discovery!). There is a huge playroom here
that is sponsored by Mattel - Hannah had a great time with all the new
toys and meeting other kids. (the second picture is of her playing
there...assuming they are posting in the order I think they are!)

While we were in the playroom, some of the other moms recommended a
place for dinner that was phenomenal. Only a block away, high chairs for
the kids (the first we have seen anywhere in China) and an actual baby
food section on the menu. Her congee with chicken was a HUGE hit (though
we probably should have ordered TWO bowls of the stuff the way she
eats!). It was also the best dinner that Mara has eaten in China - a
noodle dish that tasted exactly like the noodles I used to eat when we
went with my grandparents for Chinese lunch growing up. SO delicious - I
think I could eat there every night while we are here!

We go for Hannah's medical exam in the morning - one more hurdle to jump
through before our consulate appointment on the 7th!