End of China trip - One broken dad and a ball of fun

     This week has flown by but was full of interesting events for sure. First off I must say how amazing our guide John was. He went out of his way to ensure we got what we needed and was very happy to share his Cantonese customs and culture with us. I think he was excited to have some westerners that liked being adventurous with food and not just looking to replicate hamburgers and fries. Your guides really can make a difference in your trip and I am thankful that the Barker team selected some great folks to help us on this trip.
     Our first stop this week aside from some visa pictures was to visit Shamian island home to   probably the most influential hotel known to so many families who have past through Guangzhou to adopt, the white swan hotel. Its too bad it was not open as it definitely would have been awesome to stay there for its history as well as its perfect location to a nice serene island. The island itself is filled with open space and old colonial buildings. The statues in the main square are not to be missed and from what I'm told visiting adopting families love taking pictures of the lady playing violin with kids in tow and posting to blogs so here is my contribution to keeping that going. My personal favorite though was the two clowns one Western and other Eastern a simple symbol of both sides laughing with each other to bring happiness.

     Next stop on the adventure was the medical visit. Ella did absolutely fine and the dreaded TB test was taken. Daddy Sherpa not so good. While in the clinic I was squatting down and got up to fast and twisted just a bit causing some excruciating knee pain which essentially took me out for a full day and hobbled me the rest of the trip. Thankfully our guide was a big fan of ancient herbal medicines etc and brought me to this pharmacy where we procured some spray and funny smelling bandages. I have no idea what they were, had cool tiger on it, but it worked well enough that I could struggle through until I got stateside.
     Ella and Momma spent the next day at the zoo while this hobbled sherpa layed in bed with ice all day. From what I'm told if you want to see Panda's go to the Washington, DC zoo. The zoo in Guangzhou has them but your not likely to see any. Overall this Chinese zoo seemed to get bad ratings on trip advisor but I think it has improved greatly.
   On to Canton Tower. Having been to the top of CN tower in Toronto I wasn't too excited with this one.  Although Canton tower is much taller and the view is amazing. From the top its a sea of high rises.  Of course for the ultimate cheesiness is the rides at the top and yes we took part in the horizontal Ferris wheel which is the worlds highest at 450M. Worth it? I'll put it at maybe although how often will you get a chance to ride a record setting Ferris wheel? Canton tower at night is pretty special with its dynamic light show. If you get the chance a river cruise on the pearl is worth the effort and gives you a chance to see this spectacle all lit up.
   We wrapped up the week with our consulate visit and a trip over to the temple of the six banyans. The temple was not far from the Marriott, walking distance really unless your on a bad leg and its raining. Then opt for the taxi for a few dollars. Visiting this temple was high on my list as I embrace  Buddhism and read that the monks bless newly adopted children which sounded special. Maybe the rain slowed things down or we just didn't realize how to go about things in the temple but as high on the list for me it was it didn't live up to expectations. An optional stop as anyone who has traveled in Europe knows, once you visit one huge church they all sort of blur.

   
  The consulate visit was a cake walk compared to all the paperwork and bureaucracy we have jumped through over past two years on this journey. The  man working here obviously loves his job or is just ridiculously bored with the repetitiveness and has a fantastic sense of humor. He made the final stop painless, quick, and fun. A combination you typically do not experience from any government worker and for that we are thankful for him. 
  Homeward bound!