Our Adoption Experience

DAY SIX: Yangzhou -> Nanjing

Today was our last day to be in the town where Shane was found when he was abandoned almost 2 years ago. After a hotel breakfast we went for a walk down the streets of Yangzhou to try to find a park so Shane could stretch his legs and also to find some "local" shopping. We were successful in finding a small park, but not any good shopping for local goods. We kept our money and boarded another bus ride to head back to Nanjing, the capital city of the Jiangsu province. Once again, Shane corralled his friend the bus driver (see yesterday's writeup) and we were off.

Speaking of Shane, our Yangzhou tour guide was getting a kick out of watching his antics and he said that he "wishes he were my son" and went on to explain that he thought Shane looked like (Chinese-American tennis player) Michael Chan. The guide originally thought that we had previously adopted Shane and that we were back for our second adoption and was surprised to find out he just met us within the last two days.

We experienced our first episode of "road rage" on the Chinese streets as a truck carrying a HUGE load of cardboard bumped our bus's side mirror and pushed it out of position. Once we caught back up, our driver gave that truck driver the what-for and then swerved in front of him to let him know he wasn't too pleased. Speaking of buses, see the photo below for an amazing sight!

Upon crossing the huge bridge which goes over the Yangtze River, we were back in Nanjing, and checked back into the same hotel as where we first met Mr. Shane Fu Horton. For dinner, more Chinese food just didn't sound good, so we trekked to a closeby KFC. The chicken was "different" than American KFC (no "original recipe" here) and they served it with a side of seaweed soup (or something like that) and french fries (no KFC potatoes and gravy or biscuits :( ). Shane enjoyed an ice cream cone after that and after we showed him that you could actually eat the cone part, he continued to pretty much gobble it up. You would think that the Chinese food would give us trouble, being we're such rookies at this, but the KFC didn't quite settle with Kevin and he tried to go to bed early to shake a sick stomach and, sorry to say this, but he ended up sending the KFC he ate "down the river," if you catch our drift.

Shane had an especially hard time going to sleep and provided us with some heavy cries and many tears, but he eventually gave up. It's hard to tell if these are grieving or bonding issues he's dealing with, or just a rambunctious toddler not wanting to let sleep get the best of him...possibly some of both. As mentioned previously, Shane definitely knows he's our boy and that he belongs to no one else as he continues to show no allegiance or interest in others that try to engage him in conversation, regardless of the language spoken.

Tomorrow we spend the entire day in Nanjing.

Today's Pix:

	<- Shane is definitely a toddler and is in to everything. We have a new term that when something is smashed or messed up, it's been "Shane Fu'd"...kind of like our hotel room in this photo.
Shane meets one of the local boys in Yangzhou ->
	<- There are lots of flower stands in the market areas. Here is Dad and Shane posing in front of one.
Aaaahhhhh ->
	<- This was definitely the most amazing sight of the day. We saw this as we traveled south from Yangzhou back to Nanjing. It's a bus filled with people headed down the freeway, with at least 50 live geese sitting (attached somehow?) to the top riding along.
Shane checks out the selection in the hotel room fridge ->