Wednesday, May 30th
Guangzhou China
Today John went to go to the bank and drop some laundry for our final day. I almost went to look for him. It took him 1 1/2 hours to exchange money at the bank. There were only 11 people ahead of him in line but the bank is so slow that it takes forever!
This morning we did tourist stuff and went to see the Six Banyan Temple. Apparently this is the most visited tourist site in Guangzhou. Because no one speaks English, we had the hotel front desk people write on the back of the hotel business card where we wanted to go. We just had to show that taxi driver and he knew where to go. We crammed into a small taxi with the wheelchair and stroller and headed out.
This was definitely a different experience. We saw a few Western people this time, but the temples are still a religious location. Many people were bringing food offerings and burning incense. There were multiple temples in this area. The temples were interesting but it was hard to know what they were for. There no brochures explaining there meanings.
We went up to the top of the Six Banyan Temple. It was about 8 stories high and each staircase got steeper and smaller. Each floor had a tithe/offering box. At the very top was an enclosed area that was filled with Chinese money. I carried Cami up to the top and it made me very nervous. I am not big on heights. We didn't stay more than 1 hour probably.
We caught a taxi back to the hotel. Several taxis went right past us. One taxi stopped but when we told him that we would need to put the wheelchair in the trunk he drove off. Finally, a taxi guy stopped and picked us all up.
John, Cami and I needed to be at at the White Swan Hotel by 2:15 pm to take the bus to the US Consulate, so we ate at Lucy's for a quick lunch. When we got to the White Swan the lobby was packed with babies and parents. We ended up taking 4 tour buses to the US Consulate. It was about a 45 minute drive and the AC was not working. We were dripping by the time we got to the Consulate. We were not allowed to take in camera's, cell phones, or liquids. As we were going in, we noticed a lady being interviewed. We all filed through security and into a large room with rows of folding chairs. There were about 150 babies and their parents. The Consulate Director welcomed everyone and then told us that Rueter's News Service was here and would like to video the process and possibly interview some people. The Director asked us to all stand and raise our right hand. Everyone did and Camryn leaned over and looked at everyone and then raised her right hand exactly like everyone else! She is so smart. We were the last agency (we are the only ones there from that agency) to be called to receive Camryn's citizenship papers.
As we were walking out, the reporter asked if we would mind talking to them. We were able to share God's Plan for our life and why we are adopting! I heard it was being taped for CNN. Maybe we will be on the news!
We went to Lucy's for dinner and then finished the packing process that we started the night before. 5 people, 9 checked suitcases, 4 carry-ons, 1 wheelchair, and 1 baby. We were up until 12:30 packing and were up the next morning by 6:00 to be able to catch the bus to Hong Kong.
