Life at the White Swan

September 15th – 17th: We did some last sightseeing of Nanchang on the 15th. Nanchang, and the Jiangxi province, are known for their porcelain, so we hit a quality shop and dropped some cash. Enough, that on the morning of the 15th I had to head to the flea market to get another suitcase. I am confident I bought the best suitcase $8 could buy. We went to another temple, as well as another park where Ethan could play on playground equipment. We tried to keep moving before crowds gathered, as some folks have gotten pretty aggressive in getting their picture taken with Ethan, to the point of physically grabbing him to stop him for a moment to take a picture. We know they mean no harm, but it’s distressful none-the-less. We made about the 5th trip to the great Chinese bakery across the street and fed the fish at the local temple, before packing up for our next stop.

In the evening we flew to Guangzhou, a short flight. We arrived around 8:00, with half the kids asleep. The bus ride was an additional 45 minutes, so nearly everyone (including us) ordered Papa John’s pizza at the hotel. The White Swan hotel is all about service. There is an attendant on each floor who mans a station near the elevator ready to call an elevator and hold it open for us as we enter or exit. There’s little need for the "Do not disturb" signs, as they know when we’re there and when we’re not anyway. They remember which room we’re in and direct us there each time we exit the two-sided bank of elevators. Like everywhere else, the breakfast buffet is excellent. There are numerous shops and boutiques inside the hotel, all very up-scale. Ethan and I have put in about 3 hours at the great pool here already, which has been a wonderful return to what Ethan loves.

The hotel is on Shamian island, a quiet refuge from the bustle of the rest of the city. The entire island is a half-mile long, and easily walkable. There are countless shops near the hotel geared toward tourists. Most list no prices, but even the ones that do immediately offer a "discount." I saw some ties I liked and asked how much they were. They told me 150 yuan ($22.50) each. Frankly, these ties would have been a bargain at that price in the States, but in the end I worked out a "buy one get 4 free" deal. We ate at a Thai restaurant the last couple of nights, and I thought I was being daring and exotic by ordering the Thai style fried squid. I was put in my place this evening by the American sitting at the table next to us who ordered the goose claw – whole and completely recognizable. Imagine a fried chicken foot, only much bigger and without any breading disguise.

Yesterday we posed on the famous "red couch" here at the White Swan, though it doesn’t look like the one we’ve seen in countless shots of other babies. Oh well. We tried to get a shot of all the babies on it at one time, but with 15 infants it didn’t work out so well. Sophie kept trying to grab the face of the girl next to her, who was already crying, you get the idea. We got a family shot, as well as family shots of all the other families, and that’s what matters.

We’ve (Kerri’s part of we) had to do some paperwork here, as well as another doctor’s visit for Sophie since arriving, but otherwise we’ve just been walking around, shopping, and swimming at the great pool here. The hotel comes with two twin beds, and we decided we could find better ways to spend the $30 a night it would cost us to get a rollaway for Ethan, so we’ve made due, without much difficulty. The other family with 5 year old boy opted for pairing their son with the mother, but we’ve got Ethan, who flails wildly and shifts constantly while sleeping. Both knowing this, Kerri and I required zero thought or conversation before independently concluding Ethan would get his own bed. It’s worked out fine.

Ethan’s celebrity took a twist today when a modeling agent on the island for a shoot of wedding dresses and tuxedos stopped us, gave us a card, and asked us how long we’d be here, as he’d love to shoot Ethan. We told him no thanks. I told him I was available. He said no thanks. Little else to report, as our shopping continues into tomorrow. We plan on getting the ubiquitous squeaky shoes for Ethan’s cousin Laney in retribution for my brother taking every opportunity to give Ethan loud and annoying toys. While the clerks all tout the leather uppers and attractive design, all I’m interested in is finding the ones with the loudest, highest pitch squeak. I guess new walkers find these things addictive - payback’s coming bro.