Friday, January 9, 2009

A BITTERSWEET FAREWELL


Yangshuo was not all we wanted it to be – bad weather and illness certainly made it less than an ideal stay. But through the good days and the bad days there was The Magnolia Hotel and The China Cafe owners and staff. They had limited English, but were all there each day with warm smiles and friendly greetings. Sometimes they giggled at our antics or our attempts to communicate with them. Mostly they were all incredibly welcoming each and every day of our 16 day stay.

On our last night there, we were sitting in our room when there was a knock at the door. It was Jenny with a going away present for us. Two knit hats for the girls (which were very useful the next day in the cold Guilin Park) and a giant wall fan for our family. She expressed their pleasure at having us for guests. It was a most thoughtful gesture and it warmed our hearts to know that they too enjoyed this familial relationship.

Thank you to everyone at The Magnolia Hotel and The China Cafe and to Malcolm and his family for a wonderful stay!





1 comment:

Jen said...

Where/when did Marty lose his hair? Looks good. The fashion sense of Yangshou rubbed off a bit? :-)