1st Day in Guangzhou

We got up a little earlier this morning because we needed to leave for the airport by around 8:30a.m. We had a nice breakfast, although I cut back to cereal and toast, paid our bills, said good-bye to the hotel staff, and loaded the bus for the airport. Our rep Michael was with us the entire time, managed the bus trip, and moved us through the airport right up to the point where we cleared security. He really did an amazing job for us all week and we were sad to say good-bye. I hope we will see him again in the future. Our plane ride was a little less than two hours and was uneventful until the last 10 minutes when Luke had what can only be described as "an accident". Let us just say there was a moment when I thought it might be beneficial for us to open the doors in mid-air. Once we de-planed and the girls de-diapered, we moved quickly through baggage claim to meet Maggie, another agency rep who helped us get the hotel and get checked-in. We are staying at The White Swan Hotel and there are many, many adoptive families that have stayed here in the past and that are staying here now--and not just from our agency but from many others. It is a beautiful place on Shamian Island (spelling) and sits along the Pearl River. We have included a few pictures of the room we are in and of the view that we have at night. Some have suggested that this is too nice of an experience to pass-up so I am going to lobby for us to live here permanently. This will also give us chance to get to Ruth's Chris, which many of you have begun to question my sanity for passing up when we were in Hong Kong. And besides, the internet (and you all) are keeping us up-to-date with yourselves, the Rays and the Brewers so we have little left to ponder. The best part of our initial day here was that Maggie took care to have a few Papa John's pizzas delivered to our room. Although not a Pegasus, the food was wonderful and Luke is now indoctrinated into pizza--or at least breadsticks. After lunch, we toured the hotel so we could get the amenities in our mind so we could best plan our week. There are two nice pools, a fitness area, squash courts, shopping, an arcade, a fish pond, etc., etc. The weather is high 80s and I am not certain we should leave. Other than going broke in the interim, this would be a nice way to live. After our tour, we put on our suits and went out to the pool. When Luke took his first bath with us, he was not happy. Now, we think he may actually be a fish. He had a great time in the pool with the girls and will happily put his face in the water and likes to "float" on his back. I told Melissa I could have him jumping off the side of Country Aire inside of three weeks and off the board in four weeks but she does not seem up for the challenge. As an aside, take a look at me in the picture with him--I think I am "the white swan". Luke and I came back for a brief nap while the girls enjoyed a little more sun time and Bill and Cole spent time in the fitness room. Bill and Cole actually have a squash tournament planned for tomorrow. Piper wants to play but I told her you had to somehow have Morton in your name--she is pretty ticked--I'll let you know how the tournament unfolds. So, we concluded the evening with a light dinner in our room--for me a penne pasta with pesto sauce. Sorry, I am really scraping for details. Luke is doing well--he still has a few sniffles and a little "digestive" problem. He is usually very content but does have a temper that makes us laugh--it will just take patience to correctly channel it all. It is all good! We do miss all of you, nice hotels and good food notwithstanding. China is a wonderful country, full of super people and many wonders. In the end though, there is no place like home.

Take care.

Dave