Shanghai, Day 1

Well, after an hour to Atlanta, then an hour and a half wait, then nearly 15 hours from Atlanta to Korea, and then a 4 and a half hour wait, and finally a 2 hour trip from Korea to Shanghai, and circling the Shanghai airport for nearly half an hour--we are finally here!You can see how tired George was while finding anything that looked remotely comfortable to curl up on.
Since we have been here, George has bonded with little Preston and Roscoe, the dog.

I think Mike has taken a liking to him, too. (Mike is the driver!) He had ice cream and a Diet Coke waiting for him when we got into the airport. Somebody must have put the bug in his ear about Dad's favorites!
Today, we went shopping at the markets where we were continually surrounded by so many Chinese we could hardly make it through. It is like a whole city block of little tiny shops inside a huge warehouse which was freezing. I don't see how those people can stay inside in that temperature all day long! We got every name brand in the world there--since everything is made in China anyway. You all would go crazy shopping here. It is like a dream come true if you can just learn the bartering method. George and I just stood in awe as Alison was bartering away in her excellent Chinese! One of the Chinese girls said, "She is very clever!" as Alison got everything far better than any of us could imagine. George said she could even put him to shame, and I thought he was the best!
Tonight, John and Alison took us to a restaurant in downtown Shanghai right on the river. The skyline of Shanghai with all the lighted boats going in front of us as we continually ate and ate, was amazing! It reminded me when we were on the Seine River in France for my birthday which all of you planned! Since we don't drink, you had to spend so much money to be in this special private room on the river, so we had to keep ordering food. Finally, we were asking for take-out boxes to bring home to John and Alison's housekeeper. We knew she would love it!
We are having a great time. But we truly said our prayers tonight, thanking Heavenly Father for our safety today. Seriously, the traffic and weaving in and out is going to actually finally make Dad's hair go gray! It is absolutely absurd the way they navigate here! We love you all!