Friday the 3rd

Today is our last day in Kunming.  Paul called this morning to tell us that they couldn't get the passport to us unless we gave the official 100 yuan ($16 usd).  Of coarse we were more than happy to pay and he delivered the passport right before we got on the plane.

That morning Paul came to give us some paperwork in the lobby of our hotel and I was following Daisy around as Steve talked with Paul.  At one point I said something to Daisy and Paul looks at me and says: "She can't understand you."  Hmmm, really?  Ya think?  She's a smarty though.  In the lobby they have fish and I kept telling her "fish" and pointing.  Finally she started saying "shh" when she saw them.

We spent about 3 hours packing up all our crap.  Then it was off to the airport where we had lunch in a restaurant while we were waiting for our flight.  We ordered something with green beans and the green veggie that came was most def NOT a green bean, but it was tasty so we ate it.  Translational issue I guess.  Thanks to Paul we can now order COLD drinks.  We say coca cola BEEN.  They usually figure out what we mean after we yell it a few times.

We gave Paul 100 yuan per day for a tip and off we went for Daisy's first airplane ride.  She enjoyed eating the emergency evacuation cards and ripping up magazines.  It was about a 2 hour flight and fairly painless.

Daisy's first airplane.

Daisy loves Daddy and Zacky!

This is how Daisy felt about the trip!

Daisy is entertained for hours by putting hats on and off a head.

We arrived in Guangzhou at 7:00 pm and walked off the plane into a literal sauna.  We thought Kunming was humid?  Ha!  We are talking 95 degrees and 100% humidity at 7 PM.  No desert style night time cooling off here.  Our guide was called Eva and she was adorable.  Luckily our van had good A/C.  I almost cried when Eve handed me a written schedule for the week, Paul could learn a lot from this Eva.

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Before the trip we thought we had wanted to experience the REAL China so we declined staying on Shamien Island where most of the other adoptive families stay because it is more catered to Americans.  Also, we didn't want to have to get 2 hotel rooms so we booked this apartment hotel that had 3 bedrooms, a kitchenette, living room, 2 bathrooms and the coup de gras:  a clothes washer!  Upon our arrival in the apartment, I noticed it was a bit shabby.  Upon further inspection, we noticed: dead bugs and other debris along the edge of the floors, filthy dirty floors that leave babies feet black, rock hard beds the equivalent of box spring mattresses (it literally sounds like you are knocking on wood when you rap your knuckles on it), broken A/C in Steve and my room, a tiny clothes washer with Chinese buttons (no English), no where to hang the washed clothes, no soap or slippers (we had to buy for $5 usd), a refrigerator that keeps tipping like it's going to fall over, a really old, stained, disgusting hot pot that looks like it's a fire hazard (a hot pot is a water pitcher that boils water because you can't even wash dishes or brush your teeth unless it is boiled first), a really bad raw sewage smell coming from the toilet and wafting into the living room, crumbs all over the dining table, no one that speaks English in the place and no breakfast buffet!  I could just FEEL the bed bugs looking at me from the corners of the room!  I was sickened. (Did I mention I have issues with germs?)

The Kitchen.  Dead bugs everywhere.  Beyond the green glass was a small out-door balcony on which rested the washing machine.

The washing machine.  Good thing Steve can read the characters so he knew which button to push.  This machine was the only saving grace of the hotel room.

The living room.  It may look OK, but it was really filthy and run down.  The fridge would try to tip over when you opened it.

The dining area and the stinky bathroom.  Note the cushion on the chair is faded and yellow.

Grandma's bedroom.  Again, it looks OK but those beds are hard as rocks!

We immediately went down to the desk and made a list of everything that needed to be fixed.  More like we pantomimed our list.  Finally, a house keeper came with a dirty, wet sponge mop and swiped at the floor a couple of times in the hallway.  Then he suddenly disappeared.  I took Daisy down to the desk and shoved her black feet in the guys face.  He got the message.  Later a maid came and mopped everything while my mom supervised, after making her go back for some soap.  I kid you not.

The view from our balcony at night.

The day-time view.

It was late by now but we went in search of a store, got lost and ended up at McDonald's.  I gave Daisy a couple of french fries to get her to stop screaming.  Then we went back to the 8th floor of hell and went to bed.