Sunday, March 8, 2009

Sunday in Guangzhou

Today we started with the best breakfast buffet in China. Nanning had some great food, but the White Swan hotel definately knows how to fill a stomach in the morning. It is just a great atmostphere here and everyone is so friendly. This morning we sat by a mom who is adopting a 4 year old boy. He has bilateral club feet. This is her 6th child and 4th adoption. She was just a great lady and had lots of great advice for us. Everyone we meet has a different story and different path that led them here. It is so very interesting.

This morning we toured the Chen Family Temple. The Chen family is/was the largest/wealthiest, most famous family in Guangdong province. They had this large temple built where they lived, studied and worshiped. It was very cool. Maeve had a great time walking all over the place. It was a chilly day and there was a continuous mist all day. It didn't damper our fun though! After the temple we stopped at a very nice shop and picked up some great things for Maeve.

Tonight we did another group dinner (all the Great Wall families...about 24 families!) a Thai restaurant called the Cow and Bridge. It was excellent. I could eat Pad Thai everyday so I was in heaven. Food is so cheap here and our meal was ~$20 (this was pretty nice restaurant too!). After dinner we spent some time in the play room and then gave Maeve a bath. She still hates the bath, but it is getting better. Tomorrow we have a "free" day, but plan on doing a lot of shopping. Susie is going to hit the pearl market and hit it hard!! Things continue to be going great here with Maeve and everyday she seems to emerge more and more. She is really attaching to us and we are so thankful that she was in a foster home instead of the orphanage. She is right on target for her age developmentally and physically. We keep saying she is going to give her brothers a run for their money!!
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Front of the Chen Family Temple.
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The large front doors. Very ornate!
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This is Maeve's "escape" pose. As she is trying to get out of our arms, she twists her body around and wiggles out of your grasp. Slippery little sucker!
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Okay, I guess we won't complain about our beds here in China as this is apparently what the royalty used to sleep in.
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Chen Family Temple courtyard. Every inch of this place has amazing detail.
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Maeve knows how to nap during every tour!
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Goofing around in our room. She is very smiley, but it has been hard to catch it on camera. This was a good one.
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Dinner at the Cow and Bridge. Yummy!

2 comments:

Marian said...

Congratulations on your little beauty!! Marla shared your blog with me at work, while she showed me a photo of Maeve which looks amazingly like my son. She sees him daily in her office. I hope someday we meet up with you in KC and can see Maeve in person!

Heidi and Jason said...

I just saw your room and Maeve's bed. It is identical to Tai's, the blankets, the bumper, everything! I am sure they are all the same, but oh my, it made me a little teary! The view from the window is identical too. Have a great time, and treasure every minute. It is such a wonderful time! Check out the Italian restaurant. If you liked Cow and Bridge and Lucy's then you will LOVE the italian place!
who is your guide?
Heidi