LAST DAY!!!!

Today was our final day in Guangzhou.  We have called this city home for 2 straight weeks!  We met another adoptive family from the US in the elevator this evening.  They had just arrived.  We spent 10 minutes giving them the run-down of the city-where to shop, where to eat, where NOT to eat, which streets to check out, and which streets to steer clear of.  We are so thrilled to be leaving, but are sad to be leaving the only home Quinn has known.  Now we will be heading to a place where NO ONE speaks her language, very few people look like she does, and the food stinks (compared to what she's used to.)  She'll have lots of love and I feel certain that our little brainiac will adjust quickly, but I feel for her just as I am cheering to go home.  After packing everything this afternoon, I got so excited, I poured a glass of wine and we had a dance party in our room to "Born in the USA", "Rocky Mountain High", and "American Girl."  She LOVES music and dancing so she had a blast getting her groove on:)

This morning we had our final tours.  We started with the Buddhist temple Five Banyans.  It was beautiful as you can see.

 Then we headed to Five Rams Park.  Goats are esentially the mascot of Guangzhou, and , as Jack told us, they are worshipped, despite the fact they are also eaten:)  This sculpture was huge, carved out of 150 pieces of marble.  The rest of the park was stunning as has been everything other park we've seen thus far.

 This is a banyan tree like I've been referring to in many posts.  There are some around Guangzhou that are hundreds of years old.  This one is tiny compared to some we've seen, but it exemplifies their beauty and majesty.

 Then we headed to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall.  He was what I consider the 20th century version of Abraham Lincoln.  He had a profound impact on China.  A pretty cool man, I think:)  Many historical events have taken place over the decades at this hall.  There were many class groups touring while we were there.  It's like going to the Lincoln Memorial or something similar.

 Now that we're ready to leave our home away from home, I'll show some pictures I've taken over the weeks of the Garden Hotel.  For anyone who thought we were in the middle of nowhere, nothing could be further from the truth!

 View from our room at sunrise

 And at night

 The spectacular lobby

The desk area where we've spent many hours skyping and blogging

TOP FIFTEEN THINGS WE MISS ABOUT HOME

(We couldn't narrow down to 10:)

15. Napkins and knives at lunch and dinner

14. Not being stared at on the streets

13. Clean air and everything thing else clean when you don't live in a big city

12. Clothing options-we didn't bring enough warm clothes so the repetition is getting old

11. High speed Internet that is not censored

10. TV, DVR- and we don't even watch that much TV when we're home:)

9. The peace, quiet, and tranquility of our backyard and neighborhood

8. Driving- not 100 miles an hour and honking our horns every two seconds

7. Dessert-China is not known for sweets

6. Our BED!

5. Public toilets with seats, toilet paper, soap and paper towels

4. WATER- drinking it from the tap, at restaurants, in ice form, to brush teeth with, to wash food with so we could eat salads and fresh fruits and veggies

3. Church and being around Christians

2. Our friends

1. OUR BOYS, OUR BOYS, OUR BOYS

TOP TEN LIST OF WHAT WE'LL MISS ABOUT CHINA

10. The value of a $

9. Tea with every meal

8. The mental break we've had from work and daily routine

7. Housekeeping

6. Exporing new sights everyday

5. Learning something new everyday

4.Meals ready-esp at breakfast

3. Great food

2.Guangzhou weather

1. Having one-on-one time with Quinn

Whew....signing off from Guangzhou...next post from the good ole US of A:)