Guangzhou Days

Okay here's a stab at another post.
Guangzhou used to be called Canton by the whiteys who "discoverd" the place. They called it that because they split them selves up into "cantons" ala switzerland as they set up shop here...and boy did they. We're staying in a Huge hotel on Shamian Island (seprated from the busy streets by a green canal) this place feels like Chicago...only BIGGER! As we drove from the brand new airport into town we passed miles and miles (really) of apartment buildings...some newer most older and all with trees and laundry growing out of the balconies and roofs and the plmbing on the outside. There must have been housng for 7 million (really) that we saw...lots more we didn't. The highways are up on overpasses which weave between buildings and we could have reached out and grabbed us some chinese skivies if we wanted. We get to the White Swan Hotel. I guess nixon styed here...good choice on his part, he always had a nose for the buffet. This is USA ADOPTION CENTRAL in china every time ou turn around, theres a mommy and daddy and chinese baby...so much so that the consulate until last month was actually here in the hotel. Now they moved it to a seedy part of Guangzhou so it could be more secure. Anyway right off the bus, I check in and P goes with L to get here american passport photo taken..she's just woken up..bus puts her to sleep like nobodies business...and she has a grumpy and pissed off look. Unlike her chinese passport pic in which she's a happy fun ball ...hmmm..I'd be p.o.'d to be going to dubbya's america right now to. ANy way soon she'll have dual citizenship.

THe white swan sits on the bank of the pearl river. On L and my morning walks (@6:45a) we walk the perimittier of the island. The Shamian Island Vistors and Convention Beaureau's slogan is "Shamian Island, the romantic style of european falvor buildings" and it's true..this is where most of the consulates and emabassies were built during the late quing and republican periods (late 1880's) and the architecture reflects this..old colonial type..kind of makes me think of new orleans (old new orleans) alot right now. Any way when we walk in the morning the place is crawling with elders and school kids. There must me a couple of grade schools on the island and most of the elders are out doing morning exersises (tai chi or badmitton) I got a cappaccino this morning at "blenz" and was walking past a group of guys kicking a hacky sack type of badmitton birdie thing. I had L on my back in my trusty super-sherpa rig and the hackysack-shuttlecock thing flew at us..the chinese guys all gasped as I deftly, capp in hand and baby on back, kicked the thing back to them..they all gave out a resounding "Heng Hao!" (very good) ..I said "How's it Hanging!" back and kept on to P sleeping at the hotel...gotta keep these chinese guessing.

The river outside is wild! lots of low slung sanpans and river barges and neon enrusted vista-emporer tourist boats tooling around. this is a busy SEZ (special economic zone) and there is a HUGE trade fair here each year. I keep thinking what Duluth needs is a Guangzhou party boat with huge chinese characters saying "loose your coat and expose your figure to a night of romantic dreams yet wonderful music!" in neon on the side to float around the harbor and pounding out caprmeter's disco remixes at ultra high volume.
Here's a shot of a mama and papa and baby on the family vehical. We wish we could do that at home, probably the only way L would go to sleep on time. Guangzhou has been a commerce center for ...well...since it began...It's also the epicenter of cantonese cooking. The symbol of the city is 5 goats or something...it must be because guangzhou-ian-ites-ers will eat ANYTHING! There's the famous qingping market just three blocks away where you can buy eels as pets and dogs as an appitizer. Yesterday, as P was in bed, L and I and a couple of other families walked off the island into the town a bit to the Toy Wholesale district. Knock-off central..I bought a set of imitation teletuby squeek toys (tinky is still winky in china) In the midst of the worst urban industrial chaos din and deisel exhaust throng of chinese people, my daughter took her afternoon nap on my back. Your staunchest most capible nascar lovin, 12 guage totin' northland guy would find the nearest melon merchant and hide under his cart whimpering but my daughter looks, yawns and dozes off. She's an odd duck. She loves every type of food I do, all the ones P cant stand. She also loves to go through reciepts...examine them in intense detail like her mom (and grandmom joan). What a kid.

Okay, the next day after we got here (sunday) we all got in the bus and went to a buddhist temple. It was the beginning of the month so the tiny 6 banyon tree temple
was packed. After making the sweaty rounds, leaving incense at the many statues, our entire group was invited in to a shirne and we all knelt and got the babies blessed. It was a very moving experience. Now after we've had taosit blessings and buddhist blessings, she just needs a catholic baptism and a unitarian...er...whatever they do and we'll have ALL the bases covered...hehe actually it's us that are blessed to have such a individualist for a baby..you all just wait. Any way we then went to a jade and pearl wholesaler/factory and well we succumbed and spent 700 yuan (87.50 usd) on a pearl necklace that will be her 16th birthday present. We also bought a cool vase for our mantle. L has been a tough baby to get to go to sleep when she's supposed to. When we get home we'll be more firm (watch out Aryn and Darin..I'll buy you some ear plugs) but here we feel uncomfortable about towing the strict line in a hotel with other families so close so..we've taken to trying to keep her on a schedule...morning walks from me at 6:45..nap 1 at 10:30 nap 2 at 3:30 and bed by 8-9:30p it's tough. She's a smart cookie and already knows many toys by name, including the border collie (murphy) that we brought for her. Tonignt (09/06 for us) we go as a group on a cruise/dinner on the pearl river. That should be fun!

more later