This morning we arose pretty early (5:30 for me and a bit later for the others) to finish packing up, shovel down some breakfast and be ready when our driver appeared at 7:30. It was hard to leave our beautiful mountain retreat - but we were recharged, feeling healthier, and ready for the final phase of our trip.
The drive from Yangshuo Mountain Retreat to Yangshuo bullet train station took almost an hour, but it was one of the most beautiful car trips of my life. The mountains were gorgeous - and everywhere - and we passed miles of small towns, rice fields, farmers, water buffalo, and just...LIFE...in China.
And then, suddenly, in the middle of seemingly nowhere we come upon the brand new train station, the outside of which isn't even finished yet. The driver vaguely pointed to the entrance and then we were on our own. To our advantage, the station was quite small - only four platforms - and we had no trouble figuring out where to go and when our train was boarding. We settled in for the comfortable two-hour ride to Guangzhou.
Tony and I realized that this was our third time in Guangzhou - that seems crazy. But we didn't stay long. We were very happy to see Sophie waving the white Sun Travel flag as we exited the busy train station. She showed us the way to our car and driver (Mr. Chen) and we immediately set off for the 4-5 hour car ride to Maoming.
Our two previous trips to Guangdong Province were in November and March and let me say that it's a whole different animal in late June. We've only been here a few hours but have already seen two storms, bright sunshine, and clouds. Sophie says she is taking us to visit a beach that's on the way to Maoming, since there isn't anything else scheduled for today. That sounds GREAT to me. We're only about 2.5 hours into the drive and my butt hurts!
Here's my view for a big part of the day - I love that Mr. Chen is growing bamboo in his car.
One of the best parts about having Sophie is a guide is her intuitive knowledge of how and when to improvise a plan. We knew we had a long slog drive ahead of us (though Mr. Chen was doing all of the heavy lifting in that respect) when she suddenly suggested that we stop at the beach on the way to Maoming. Wait - what? I sort of knew the geography of Guangdong Province but was not aware that there were tourist-type beaches there. Needless to say I am learning more than one new thing each day that I'm here. Apparently Sophie used to take trips with her family to this very beach and she seemed excited to show it to us. Plus, everything that Sophie does is magic to FS and SF, so they were all in.
We rolled in to Maoming Beach at about 4pm and while it was still very much China, it was also exuding shades of Florida USA. Palm trees, high-rise condos, beach umbrellas, the whole nine yards. It was AWESOME! I don't know who was more excited - me, the girls, or Sophie. While poor Tony (wearing laced shoes) stayed above the water line, all of the girls let the incredibly warm water wash over our feet and soaked up the sunshine.
(Photo credz to Sophie.)
We took a bit of a stroll down the beach and collected some really cool spiral shells that we don't often see at home. We also collected some sand for our sand collection. Then we wandered back to poor Tony who was still standing guard over our shoes and devices.
Next we made a quick detour for some fresh coconut milk. The palm trees in Maoming are definitely coconut producers and there were stands set up where you pick your coconut, they hack out a piece of it, pop in a straw or two and - voila! Beach juice. The girls shared one and pronounced it wonderful. Thanks to Sophie, FS had a super positive first impression of her hometown.
After the coconuts, we had fully intended to go find Mr. Chen and head to Maoming proper, But then Sophie's tour deviation took a deviation of its own. Just off the beach were several brand-new seafood "establishments." And by establishments I mean the kinds of places where you pick your eel or your snails or your prawns out of tubs on the pavement. Sophie asked if we wanted to have a seafood dinner and we just knew it would be a great time - we were in! First she located Mr. Chen who helped her pick the dishes and select the seafood. Since he is considered a true local, this also ensured the best possible price. The next thing we know, dish after dish of freshly prepared seafood from the China Sea began to appear on our table.
(L-r) Mr. Chen, Sophie, SF and FS - who despite all appearances, is NOT choking on a fish bone.)
The photo above was taken BEFORE several more dishes arrived, including steamed crabs. Amazing! I was really proud of the girls for trying everything on the table - including the snails and head-intact prawns. They are already pros when it comes to fresh fish and mussels. We learned at dinner that you should never turn a served fish because it's like "tipping a boat." You carefully pull the skin and bone off without turning it. Quite a trick.
We learned several interesting things about Mr. Chen at dinner. First - he speaks a little bit of English. Second - his son attends university in St. Louis where he is majoring in sports management. Third - he owns a business that includes several drivers. Fourth - his nephew is fatherless and he acts as a father figure for him. He is a really kind man who graciously served us tea and soup and whatever else we needed all throughout dinner.
Finally we all piled back into Mr. Chen's van and made the half-hour journey north to Maoming proper. This city is "smallish" - which is this case means about 3 million people. The downtown is vibrant and bustling. We are staying in a beautiful hotel called La Palazzo. After settling in, we agreed to walk to a nearby square with Sophie to see some of the locals dancing. However, a thunderstorm intervened. The weather here in Guangdong is incredibly mercurial. While we were waiting for the weather to clear, Sophie dropped two bombs on us about our orphanage visit tomorrow. First - despite what we have heard to the contrary, FS's orphanage was not torn down or moved. It stands in the same location where it was eleven years ago. There is a plan to move it, but not until the end of this year. Second - that the Director who was here in 2005 is still here. Though, again weirdly, we were told the Director is a man (and have a photo of him with FS) but it's in fact a woman. This goes to show, once again, that if you want information about your adopted children, you have to COME HERE.
We meet Sophie tomorrow at 9:20 before heading to Maoming to see what else we can find out and then have lunch with representatives of the staff. It'll be a big day for Flying Sparrow - especially since we will get the FINAL word on the actual translation of her name, which we have heard several variations of over the years.
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