LAST NIGHT IN GUANGZHOU

As much as I can't wait to get home and settled back into life again, a part of me is sad. I am sad to leave this wonderful country. The people here are so nice. I feel like I'm leaving a part of my heart here in China. This is Emma's country and something for her to be so proud of. She has an incredible history to be very proud of.

This has been an amazing trip and I can't wait for my fellow Panda's to experience it. You will have the time of your life. Treasure every moment, take in every site, smell every smell, talk to the people, they are very interesting and have a lot to share. Engulf yourself in their Provence and get as much information that you can. It may be the only chance that you have.

Guangzhou is the vacation part of the trip of the trip. Don't get me wrong, there are still schedules that we have to follow but, we have a lot more free time. The shopping is great. There is one store that you don't want to miss, that is A Gift From China. 100% of the proceeds go to the orphanages. They have the most beautiful gifts. I bought Emma's Christening dress there and many other things. It is beautiful. The gifts are not the typical tourist gifts. If you want the best squeaky shoes, I would recommend Sherry's. The prices aren't the greatest but, they do have the cutest ones. I forgot how many pairs I am up to. Actually I am embarrassed to admit how many I bought.

Tonight most of our group went out to eat. We went to an Italian Restaurant. It was really nice and the food was good(not Giorgio's) but, it was very welcomed after all the Chinese that we have been eating. It was nice to share this last night with most of our group. We had a very nice walk a long the river to get to the restaurant and just as nice of a walk back. People are always out socializing, walking around and just enjoying themselves. We got back to the hotel around 8:00 and put Emma to bed. Now I have to pack. We leave tomorrow after we have our swearing ceremony. Emma will legally be ours by US standards. We get her Visa tomorrow. Now we will be able to leave with her. When we touch down in Chicago and puts her foot on the floor, she becomes a legal citizen of the US.

We fly back to Beijing tomorrow. We will get in really late and then have to get up early. I think they are squeezing in Tienanmen Square before we have to get on the long flight home. We leave Beijing later in the afternoon. We will arrive in Manchester Wed. at 9;24 pm. So if I don't get to post again, I will see you all when we get home. I can't believe that we are coming home in two days. The time has gone by so fast.

Oh, one other thing, we took a trip to the pearl market today. WOW! I did some damage, won't say how much but, lets just say I got myself the most beautiful set of pearls. I just love them.

Well, signing off from Guangzhou. Thank you to all of you who have followed my blog. It's nice for the support. I will continue the blog when we get home. It might be a few days but, keep checking back.