Guangzhou - Our Journey - Part 3

The in-country flight from Nanchang to Guangzhou was an interesting one to say the least. After the wonderful experience we had on China Southern coming into China, it was clear that the other airlines were far different. The flight attendants were not the least bit pleased by the vast number of new families with their needy babies on board. When the local Chinese newspapers were being passed out to businessmen on the flight and I kindly asked for one, I was given a look that is forever burned in my soul. Undaunted by the daggered-look fired my way by a puzzled woman wondering why this westerner with no obvious Chinese language skills would want the local paper, I happily accepted one for my daughters' scrapbooks, where it rests to this day.

Alas, and thankful to the person who invented Cheerios, we finally landed in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, for the next phase of our adventure. We arrived at the luxurious White Swan hotel where we had further embedded ourselves into debt to upgrade to an executive suite. It was worth the cost, as we had an amazingly comfortable suite with plenty of room and peace for the girls to take naps, play, and to be our retreat for the rest of trip.

Above is a photo of the waterfall in the White Swan Lobby. It was a beautiful hotel, nicer than any we'd stayed at in the USA; and we were so pleased to be there. In the hotel itself is a vast array of restaurants and shops; and shopping and sightseeing abounded within walking distance.

The hotel was so comfortable with much softer beds than in our hotel in Jiangxi, so it was a welcome change.

Even though we traveled alone, we did meet many other families and were able to go on several day trips with them to see some of the attractions that Guangzhou had to offer, and we made some new friends.

We enjoyed walks along the Pearl river and shopping for souvenirs and other keepsakes. We bought several Chinese dresses in many sizes that they could grow into over the years, that they have worn at annual Chinese New Year celebrations through our local Families with Children from China. We visited many tourist spots, and it was just an awesome experience to be there and learn more about China and its people.

We attracted a lot of attention wherever we went in Guangzhou, as people were fascinated by the twins. In both Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces, people wanted to touch them for good luck.

The people of China were kind and hospitable, and we wished we could have stayed even longer and seen more. But the time for us to return home quickly approached. After the girls getting their required medical exam and receiving their visas and passports, it was time for us to head home to America, and we bid a fond farewell to China, promising to return again to visit with our daughters when they were older.