Guangzhou!

Friday was a travel day.  We left Beijing and flew to Guangzhou.   I think we were all excited that we would soon be able to retire the heavy coats, hats, and gloves!

Our guide picked us up at 9:00 am to head to the airport.   Our flight did not leave until noon so we had plenty of time.    We arrived and Emma helped us check in.  We did not have Claire's passport yet so the check in process was different for her and required a good bit of Chinese back and forth between the agent and our guide.   Finally, we got the all clear and we headed to security.   This is where we had to say good bye to our guide.   We snapped a few pictures and joked that Emma will probably need a long nap today after dealing with our two families for a week!

We made it through security, grabbed some French fries at KFC, and boarded our flight.

The flight was easy.  Claire is pretty laid back so far and did not seemed at all bothered by her first airplane flight.  We landed a little late due to a late take off, but as soon as we stepped off the plane, we were greeted by the sun and warm temperatures!  Yay!!!!

We found our bags, met our new guide Sarah, and loaded into the bus to head to the hotel.

We are staying at the Garden in Guangzhou.   The hotel is beautiful....

....but our room was not good!  We are staying on the apartment side of the hotel which we knew was somewhat dated, but we were not prepared for just how bad it would be!  After two visits downstairs to talk with the manager, they moved us to room 1704, which was MUCH better!   Not only was room cleaner and larger, but it was actually a three bedroom apartment (instead of two).   We have a full size kitchen and a washer and dryer.   The extra space is such a blessing!!

Once we got the room settled, we headed out to get some dinner and pick up a few snacks and essentials at Walmart  The Walmart in China is a bit different than what we were used to!   Interesting selection of meats for sure!!

After Walmart, we headed back to the hotel.   It was a long day and everyone was so tired!!