Shop ‘til you drop is an overstatement but souvenir shopping was today’s predominant activity, both near the hotel this morning and on Shamian Island near the White Swan Hotel this afternoon. Jeannette and Laura were on the hunt for bargains . . . it was pretty hard to judge what was a good deal. (I bought one item today for about $1.25 and got back to the hotel to find that I had purchased an almost identical item for $8 while in Beijing. Only the labels were different.) I sometimes just didn’t have the energy, especially toward the end of the day, to haggle. You realized that you were arguing over just a dollar or two and after awhile the weariness and humidity got the better of you. Tomorrow: The grand shopping finale.
Dinner was at a well-known Thai restaurant called The Banana Leaf in a very upscale mall near the Friendship Store. The food was good but the highlight was when some of the servers began singing and dancing, pulling people from their chairs to dance along. We were shocked and amazed when Jameson agreed to join them and he did a great job in front of all those people.
On the MelodyJoy front, she has begun playing with her tongue and sputtering. At breakfast this morning, she enjoyed throwing things on the floor and waiting for the bus boys (bus girls, actually) to come pick them up for her.
It’s been nice having Aunt Laura along for the ride on this trip. An extra pair of hands and eyes, a little bit more flexibility for Jameson, a co-negotiator in the markets and trip photographer. I think she’s enjoyed being part of these first days with MJ, too.
Tomorrow is our last full day in China and we’ll get MJ’s visa for entering the States. On Wednesday morning, it’s back on the big bird for the flight home. Since we’ll have a layover of about six hours in Portland, we planning to get together with family and friends who might want to come by PDX to say hello. If you’re in the neighborhood, come to the Rose City Café in the airport between about 9 AM and noon or 1 o’clock and we’ll be in the upstairs conference room. We would love to see you and introduce you to MelodyJoy!
Sorry for such a boring blog entry! I didn’t have much to work with today!
2 comments:
Thank you for including the links to the other family blogs in the travel group. It's giving us a "virtual" experience once again of what is a sweet memory for us. We are so happy to see all the Maonan girls with their families!!
I finally am able to get on the internet. I was soooo excited to see you all. What an answer to pray. She's soooo beautiful. I can't wait until you get home! I have been praying like crazy. :) Thank you for including me in your blessing!
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