A day of recovery on Shamian Island

Good morning! I'm sure you have been wondering what is going on with us since we didn't post yesterday. We had a very long day yesterday (Sunday) and did not get back to the hotel until late. We were exhausted and pretty much went straight to bed after a quick bite to eat. Today, we spent recovering by shopping, strolling, napping, and swimming (I didn't get in the pool this time). Yesterday, our guide took us on a trip to Hengyang, Hunan, the birthplace of our Lillian, Sophi, Kari, Sydney, Rachel, Maria, Laney, Meagan and a couple of other families from our first travel group. It was a day filled with emotion for most of the adults. I'm not really sure that the girls really understood the significance of where they were, but they'll appreciate the pictures and video we took once they are bit older. One of the most exciting parts of the day (at least for me) was the fact that we got to ride one of China's bullet trains from Guangzhou to Hengyang. By car, the trip would have taken 6 1/2 to 7 hours, but by train, it was a little over 1 1/2 hours. At one point, I looked at the LED information screen and it stated we were going 339 km/hr. If you convert that to MPH, that is 210 mph! It was amazing! The trains are clean, spacious, fast, and the ride was very smooth. The train stations are massive architectural feats. It was a great experience. I don't know why the USA has not yet started building high speed railways. China has definitely done it right! Tomorrow is our US Consulate appointment where we'll file our papers for Rose's American Visa and her Citizenship. After that, it's only a few more days until we'll be home. As much as I am looking forward to coming home on Friday, I am not looking forward to that long day of travel. It includes a 5 hour layover in Shanghai, and 12.5 hour plane ride to Chicago, and another 5 hour layover in Chicago. We won't arrive back in Lexington until 9:30 to 10:00 p.m. on Friday evening (assuming the weather cooperates and we get out of Chicago). Oh, I am already worn out just thinking about it. At least the reward will be that we will finally be home! Anyway, its only 3 more days and then we set off for home!!!!!!! Enjoy the pics. Here are some pics of the train station and train ride from Guangzhou to Hengyang. The terminal (first few pics) was just amazing! The last pic shows the train terminal in Hengyang, which was half the size of the one in Guangzhou.

Here are a few pics of Hengyang.

Here are a few pics of today's recovery day. We didn't take alot of pics, but I thought these pics of Rose's first pig-tails were just too cute not to post!