July 14 – Liam’s Sweet Sixteen

Happy Birthday Liam! We woke up and Skyped with Liam, who is officially 16 in China though it’s still the night before his birthday back in Indianapolis. Today is a lazy day – breakfast in the lavish breakfast buffet on the ground floor of the White Swan, followed by a tour of Shamian island with 4 families from our travel group – the Marshes, the Corns, the Vanderhorns, the Evans-Cohens, and us. We visited the shop where the babies’ visa photographs were taken, and the medical clinic where children were checked prior to returning to the United States. We then dove into the seedy shops of Shamian island, where receipts are nonexistent and bargaining is ubiquitous. I get really stressed out in such contexts, but it helped to be in a group. After our shopping was officially done (I hope it’s done – I eventually just petered out) – we grabbed a quick swim, then a quick lunch – then we just hung out and read by the pool and explored the park next door to the hotel. We’ll enjoy a dinner tonight with the families who are still here – then early to bed to be out the door by 5:30 to catch the ferry to Hong Kong! It’s been a wonderful trip.