Our 2013 China Trip - Part 3 - Medicals, Cow and Bridge and the Island.

Now that we had applied for the boys' passports, it was time to get physicals.  That was our one piece of business to get done on Thursday.  So after breakfast, we headed off to the clinic where physicals for the U.S. Consulate are done.  It was very crowded, but fortunately adoptive families don't have to wait in line with the rest of the Chinese people there to get physicals.  Good thing, or we may have been there all day.  The doctors and nurses at the clinic are always very nice.  I recognized some of them who have been there for years and checked out some of my other kids on prior trips.  There was one lady doctor who was always very nice to the kids that I didn't see this time.  She was older, so I suppose she may have retired.  I always enjoyed watching her work and missed seeing her on this trip.

After the physicals, we visited Shamian Island.  On our previous seven trips to China, we stayed at the White Swan Hotel, which is on Shamian Island.  Both the White Swan and Shamian Island are sentimental to me, because I have so many memories of first experiences with Lael, Arden, Bret, Remi, Stafan, Shepard, Lyric and Cokie.  I also love mornings at the White Swan when you eat the wonderful breakfast buffet while sitting by the floor to ceiling window overlooking the Pearl River.  So I was pretty disappointed we could not stay there on this trip, because it is closed for renovation.  But it was still good to go to the Island and do some shopping and just walk around.  We also ate at the Cow and Bridge Restaurant on the Island, which has really good Cantonese food.

I have to admit, though, I really liked the China Hotel.  The food, service, accommodations and location were all great.  We hope to go back to China someday and take some or all of the kids to visit their homeland.  If we do, Guangzhou will definitely be one of the places we spend time.  Deciding between the White Swan and China Hotel will be a tough call.















The island is famous for being a scenic place in Guangzhou, so a lot of photography is shot there.  It is not uncommon to see models doing shoots with clothes and cars.  Sometimes the models are Asian, but often they are not.  










You can't go to the island without seeing brides and grooms getting their wedding pictures.   It isn't their actual wedding day though.  Weddings are big business in China.



















Good luck finding a Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi in China.  Some stores and restaurants to have "Coke Zero," but it doesn't taste the same as the Diet Cokes we drink here.





I thought it was funny the way Teri and I both had our hands on our chins.   It isn't about what you'll eat, but what you won't eat, which is most of the menu, unless you're eating at one of the 5 star hotels.  LOL 
























The once exciting White Swan.  : - ((  Every time you ask someone when it'll be finished you get a different answer.   I was told the owners are short on money, then I heard they got more money and are doing more work.  All I know is I saw firsthand that it is completely shut down.





Because of the quality, this is my favorite place to shop in China!!







 

Here Boone is at the clinic waiting to get the physical required to get a visa from the U.S. consulate in Guangzhou.







 




 












 




 


This decoration was on one of the doors at the clinic.

 




 




 


Thank goodness for this sign!

 

The women in the pink suits are not doctors or nurses.  They have applied for U.S. visas too and are there for physicals.  There were a lot of Chinese people at the clinic for physicals, and they were all hoping for a visa to come to the U.S.  They were all wearing the pink suits.  This station was for chest x-rays.