Day 5 in Guangzhou

Well the tooth fairy found Joseph in China! Even left him RMB instead if American cash. He was so excited when he found it. We had to promise to take him to 7-eleven so he could buy something special with his money!

As we finished getting ready for Matthew's consulate appointment Joseph wiggled his other loose tooth right out!

He showed everyone we saw yesterday his growing toothless grin and his money from the tooth fairy!

Matthew's consulate appointment went well. Minus the sirens blaring and overhead speakers announcing, "duck and cover" "move away from windows" "we are on lockdown" "seek shelter immediately"...all the parents and kids in our group are hiding under the help desk windows in the center of the room and we realize all of the workers are just going about their normal day. Not a care in the world! So we finally found someone who spoke enough English to ask what was going on. Apparently they run an emergency drill weekly and we just caught one. No need to be concerned! 

When we got back from his appointment we grabbed a quick lunch and headed back to meet our guides who were taking us to the outdoor shopping mall and pearl market. Joseph finally got his taxi ride! He has been asking since we told him he was coming to China if he could ride in a taxi. Today was his day!

The outdoor mall was 8 blocks long. There was a central plaza area with a stage Joseph found entertaining!

We found Joseph wheeling and dealing in the pearl market ;)

Back at the hotel for more fun and resting

Just as Matthew fell asleep for a nap our friends knocked on our door to ask if we wanted to go to Shamian Island with them. The island is where most adoptive families stayed before the White Swan hotel started major renovations. The US consulate building, medical exams and passport pictures were all there before moving into new buildings in town the last few years. It is very tourist friendly with lots of shops and western restaurants.

The White Swan hotel...still a long way away from opening.

There is a beautiful waterfront there as well overlooking the pearl river. 

There were fish tanks at one of the restaurants we ate at a few nights ago. Matthew was loving it. We got to the waterfront here and he got so excited again. Apparently he loves water and fish! 

The island was really pretty. As touristy as it was we had more people staring at us and sneaking pictures of us there than anywhere else on this trip. Getting home from the island was also a challenge. The other day when I went out shopping we had trouble getting a cab. On the island it was the same. We only had one cab stop and then he refused to take us. So we had a shop owner walk us to the subway station so we could go back to the hotel. The subway stations are surprisingly clean and very easy to navigate. Once you enter the station you feed out into a shopping mall area. This one had a Hello Kitty store. Joseph wanted to get a picture with her for Anna!