Marjorie-Nanning!

We are in Nanning!  We were picked up at the airport by our tour guide and a private van since it is now just Malissa and me.  The drive took about 45 minutes and most of the scenery looked unfamiliar. The city has changed so much since Mike and I were here 11 years ago.  Once we got close to the hotel I was beginning to recognize a few sites.  The bridges over the river that separates the northern and southern part of the city look the same.  Also the tree lined side streets surrounding the hotel look the same.  

We asked our guide, Cindy, to take us to the Civil Affairs building since I thought that was where we met Malissa for the first time.  The building, though, is not what I remember.  The photo below is the front of the building.  If any of my travel buddies out there remember the name of the building where we received our little girls, please share it with me so Cindy can take us there.

I remember a building with an awning similar to this but a lot more steps.   Also, it seems like the bus was able to pull up right in front of the building along the street.  This building is behind a gate and we had to get permission to walk up to it by a security guard.  I don't remember any of that.  

We arrived at the hotel soon after our stop at the Civil Affairs building.  The lobby looks exactly how I remember it with its majestic stairway and fountain.

Our room number at the hotel, Malissa noticed, is her "Gotcha Day"--914 (September 14th)!  It is not the same room we had 11 years ago, but it looks exactly the same, even down to the furniture.  I have a few  photos at home of Malissa crawling around the room and the television stand and the desk are the same.  The last time we were facing the street side, but now we are overlooking the back of the hotel with the pool and the People's Park close by.  So many memories are flooding back to me and all are wonderful!  Strolling throught the park with the other families and our babies in their strollers, swimming in the pool, meeting other families in the lobby by the fountain, eating in nearby restaurants, feediing Malissa her first meal in our hotel room, watching her peaceful face while she slept in the crib next to us, etc.

Now that we have had a chance to rest in our room we will meet up with Cindy again to do some more sight seeing.  I'll share more later.

p.s. Happy birthday to my brother, Russ!