Fantasy Island

Hello friends and family! We are alive and well in Guangzhou, China. Sorry for the few days without any posts, but we have been traveling, settling into a new place, and looking for "cheap" internet access. This is quite a place. Smack dab in the middle of this huge Chinese city of 12 million, there is this little island in the Pearl River, which feels more like a European city, or maybe a southern U.S. city like Savannah or Charleston. It is hot and steamy (think Miami on steroids), and quite lovely. Our hotel (the White Swan) is one of the "Leading Hotels of the World" and for good reason. It is quite elegant, the breakfast buffet is amazing, and the service is top notch. They "make up" our room twice a day, change our bedspreads to down comforters, turn down our sheets...and most important, leave a chocolate by the bed for bedtime. There is incredible artwork on display all throughout the hotel lobby...the most amazing examples are the incredible jade sculptures, some of which are more then ten feet tall...absolutely stunning. There are two beautiful swimming pools, and yesterday we saw two workers, literally, drying and polishing the plants outside...and considering how much rain they get here, that is a big job!!

Well, on to more important things. We are healthy, content, and ready to come home. Eliana is growing in every way...muscles are getting stronger, smiles and laughs more, loves to eat anything (last night Daddy introduced her to chicken and sweet and sour sauce while Mommy wasn't looking). By the way, we ate dinner at this wonderful Thai restaurant, and the food was incredible, but cost us 140...actually divide that by seven and a half...such a deal. It's called the Cow and Bridge, for those of you who are familiar with the restaurants here that are frequented by adopting families.

Guangzhou is where the U.S. consulate is located...that's why we all have to go through here on our way home. It seems as if there have also been a number of other Western consulates and offices here over the years, as Shamian Island (where we are staying) has a distinctly different feel in terms of its streets, architecture, food, etc. compared with other Chinese cities. I think they tried to make it "feel" European/American, and they definitely succeeded. As we write, we are in the outside cafe of a new Starbucks, that offers free WiFi. It is truly different here than where we were last, in Nanchang, where we picked up our little Pang Pang. That is a large city, further in the interior of the country, and is more "real" China. Which is, of course, a wonderful thing, as we have come to love and appreciate so many things about this great country, but we were definitely ready to move along on our trip. Hazards in Nanchang essentially are limited to the roadways (and sidewalks) if people are REALLY in a hurry, and we generally found enough good food to eat that our bodies could tolerate.

Our boys back home will be happy to know that Eliana seems like she will be a good little swimmer. We have taken her to the pool twice, and she seems to really like it. Of course, if the water gets anywhere near her little chin, she sticks out her tongue (which is currently functioning as a fifth limb), and tries to "lap up" the water. It's quite funny, and probably a result of trying to eat everything that comes near her little mouth, including the leaf I lifted out of the water to show her!

We thank you for your prayers, and we know that our God has been with us in every way. He has been before us and behind us and has hemmed us in and has put his gracious hand upon us. We love our new daughter, and we know you all will too. We head home in three days, and we can't wait to see all of you soon!

Milan

Pics from Guangzhou