First off, a correction. I guess my brain has been addled by travel and sharing a small room with three children. The orphanage fee was charged in US dollars. The visiting fee is being charged in RMB. So it is actually nowhere near half. More like less than a tenth. I was not comparing apples to apples.
If we thought the kids were celebrities in Beijing, here hey must be rock starts. Correction, they are Bono. They are the Beatles.
We got to our hotel around 3pm yesterday. It was a beautiful, sunny day, not too hot. Unusual for this time of year as it is usually brutally hot and humid. This is a different hotel than where we stayed four years ago. Then we were at the Lakeside. It was in a cool location with a view of the water, but rather isolated. There was a small park where we could walk, but that was about it. It is currently closed for reservations. This hotel, The Gloria Grand, is right in downtown Nanchang. A few blocks away is a wide boulevard closed to traffic. It is lined with stores and resturants, there are vendors and some performers. It is very obviously the place to be for families on a summer evening. It is also the location of the McDonalds and the KFC. After a week of nothing but Chinese food we decided the kids needed a treat.
After showers and some exploring around the hotel we set off in the direction of the pedestrian mall. This was our first experience of the trip crossing streets on our own, no guide to lead the way. This may sound like basic stuff, but crossing the street in China is nothing like crossing the street at home. Cars do not stop, lights are suggestions, there are not stop signs and few crosswalks. People go when there is a break in the traffic an then expect the cars to go around them. And the cars do, sort of. It is like a game of chicken. Once you go you must commit. Hesitation is dangerous. Scary enough on your own, scarier by far with kids in tow.
We got to the mall unscathed and set off looking for some American fast food. Turns out it is at the far end of the concourse. All along the way we were watched and gawked at, we had children following us down the street. Once at McDonalds it was like being in a fish bowl. People stopped eating to watch us. People finished their meals but stayed till we were done. It was a very odd feeling. Of course, once we were finished we had to walk back the way we came.
Later today we head off to the orphanage. Not sure how many people there will remember Devlin. Her main caregiver is no longer there. But even if she were, how much does any one child leave a mark when so many come through. Yes, she was there a little longer than some. Yes, she had some big health issues that needed extra care and therefore might stand out in the mind a little more. I hope they remember her.
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