Last Day in Guangzhou

It's hard to believe we have been in Guangzhou for nearly 10 days, but it is almost time to move on to Hong Kong for our last leg of the trip. We had a free day today, so we started off the morning by having breakfast at the hotel. I ran into my Facebook friend Katy, who happens to be from Kansas City. Then, we met a family on the elevator who is actually from Kirkwood and lives near the high school where I teach. Again, what a small world.

Katy and Katie in China

After breakfast, Simon took us back to the seamstress to pick up our new custom-made clothes. Our amazing seamstress stayed up until 4 a.m. to finish our jackets and Bill's vests. What a sweetheart! We are thrilled with the quality. Here are the photos I promised (Don't worry: Wendy is not left out. She has a full wardrobe of traditional dresses and PJs coming back in our suitcases.):

We promised Maria we would tell all of our friends about her amazing work. If you are in the market for some traditional custom-made clothing, we highly recommend her.

We spent the afternoon exploring the beautiful Liuhuahu Park near our hotel. The Chinese definitely win the prize for exquisite gardening. The park contains several scenic restaurants and many fun activities, including boat rentals, exercise equipment, a playground and table tennis.

We are constantly seeing elderly people working out. It is very inspirational.

Boompa/Dad--this fishing one is for you!

We couldn't agree more!

Wendy fell asleep in her stroller, so Bill watched her while Maddie and I went to the hotel pool one last time. Then, the two of us enjoyed the hot tub in the women's locker room. It was very relaxing and reassured Maddie we will still get to spend one-on-one time together. Maddie has been incredible on this trip and is growing into her new role extremely well. 

After receiving Wendy's travel visa from Simon, we spent most of the evening packing and playing with Wendy. We showed her how Play-Doh and bubbles work, and she liked both. I'm going to miss seeing the custard pies she loves--the same kind she had in her hand when we first met her--and the Chinese characters on her bubble bath and wipes from the hotel gift set. Guangzhou has been very good to us. Our guide and friend, Simon, rocks! The weather and sightseeing have been awesome, the people have been amazing, and of course, this is the special place where we met Wendy for the first time. It has been her home, so it will always be an important part of ours. We met a lovely Chinese couple in the park this afternoon and they kept saying "lucky girl, lucky girl," but really, we are the ones who feel lucky.