Today is our official “get out of the apartment” day. We have reservations at a nearby Marriott Courtyard, but we thought we better have someplace to rest and relax after we finally “pull out”. Judy has a haircut appointment and while she’s gone, Lynn comes by to pick up some of the items she’s taking off our hands. She has arranged for someone to pick up our dryer and take it to her family in Chongqing (about 900 miles). The dryer is small, but it ends up only costing 150rmb ($25) to ship it. Unbelievable!
When I finish with Lynn, I take several of our suitcases and taxi over to our hotel to check-in. Then I taxied over to Dragonfly Spa for my final “foot massage”. I didn’t want to leave China without enjoying this one last luxury. Afterward, I meet up with Judy and we go over to the bank to transfer the funds. One of the important pieces of paper was the “tax statement” showing how much income we’ve paid tax on. They don’t want money “escaping” without proper taxation. We didn’t have any trouble, but it took a long time (almost 45 minutes) while we worked through the process. As we walk out of the bank with the account depleted, I’m hoping I estimated correctly how much cash we’ll need before we actually get out of China permanently.
Back at the apartment, we gather our remaining suitcases and bags, take one last look, and get on the elevator. As we leave, both of us are remembering that first trip up the elevator to the apartment as we arrived, beat and worn out, and not really sure what lay ahead.
Last look, as we exit!
We get fully moved into the hotel, and then walk over to nearby Taj Pavilion for dinner with Shannon and Dom. We’ve grown to enjoy Indian food, and will be looking for some good spots when we get back to DFW. During dinner, we discuss when our next chance to get together might be. It looks like they’ll be making a trip to the US next summer. We’re also beginning to plan an Australian trip in two years to visit them, and see the country. After dinner, it’s back to the hotel, where we get ready for our trip to Siem Reap and Cambodia, early (4:15 am departure) tomorrow.