Birthday Sweets, Chinese Style

Clockwise from left: Happiness something Cake, Pineapple Mountain Thingy, Coconut Milk Twist, Chocolate Crunch Roll. Center: Custard Tart.
My favorites were the Pineapple Mountain Thingy (not official name) and the tart. :) Yum!

US Consulate

This morning we finished all of the paperwork and official stuff and Will is ours. Tonight is our last night in Guangzhou. One more night in Hong Kong and we're home. I can't wait. We're all ready to begin "normal" life with Will, I'm ready to see my kids at home, and we're looking forward to proving to Will that his new home is not a 250 sq. ft. 7th-floor hotel room. We celebrated with Hawaiian pizza and a nap. Will ate 2 pieces.

On our way to the US Consulate.

Guangzhou is pretty much this non-stop. Business buildings topped with high-rise apartments.

The appointment took place during Will's naptime so we were on high-alert for meltdown. He did pretty well! 

17 million people need places to live.

Outside the consulate building. Brandon and I were both feeling the nerves. The last hurdle. Plus about 200 eyes were on us for this picture. Our guide cleared a space in the crowds to take this shot.

Kind of cool to spot this Victorian high-rise.

Met this couple from Nevada on our way out. Note the 'Y' cap.
We're done! Hooray!

Number 727

Seven-Two-Seven is our room number. It's also today's date. It's also my birthday. So for my day I'm posting some of my favorite shots with Will.

Happy Birthday to me.

Seeing Guangzhou: Shamian Island

Shamian Island used to be the headquarters for all of the European consulates, established in the 1800s, and I think it remained under that purpose until the 1980s. Now the consulates are scattered in the bigger cities (except Poland is still there). All of the adoptions used to take place there, with all of the families staying on the island at the White Pearl hotel, and the children were brought there. Also there is a rare Protestant chapel that holds service on the island. The settlement is very Colonial European in architecture and layout. One side is bordered by a moat and the other is the Pearl River. We ate lunch at a place called Lucy's and did a little shopping. Will had a hard time and I sweated my face off, but I liked going there for a change of pace. Quiet and lush.

The island is famous for it's bronze statues devoted to family life.

 These two are little buddies. They blink and click and mimic each other. Sweet sweet sweet.

We finished off with a cold cold drink from Starbuck's. 

I drank two more bottles of water when we got back to the hotel. Whew.

Can you find Brandon?

Seeing Guangzhou: Open Air Market

Yesterday, our guide took us to the largest open-air market in Guangzhou. The humidity was a bit high. Like a warm, wet blanket.

The pet market.

The spice and medicine market. It smelled great.

Yeah, these were alive and squirming.

The food market.

Then we turned into a covered supermarket, neighborhood-style.

Being a cook, this was awesome. Everything looked really fresh and vibrant.

Next stop: Shamian Island.