It is Sunday today. We miss church and normal routine. We joked that Nathanael won't know what to do when we don't have to get up and go go go everyday. At home, we are stay at home people most of the time. We spent a lot of time in happy room in Kunming but we still got up every morning and got showers and dressed early for breakfast, and we usually had somewhere to go in the morning before lunch. Guangzhou has been so busy, the time is flying here. We only have today and tomorrow before we leave on Tuesday afternoon for Hong Kong. Can't tell you how excited we are to be home to see all of our friends and family and hug our kids again. Just to sleep in our own bed again will be almost heaven. These Chinese beds are really hard on our necks, backs and shoulders. But those are minor complaints for a trip that has gone so smoothly. It has not rained one time on the whole trip. The sun is shining again today. It is a little chilly but not cold, around 50 in the morning and warming up throughout the day to mid 60s. Veronica, our guide, tells us this is the coldest winter in Guangzhou for at least 5 years or so. In July-September it is very hot and very humid. Thank the Lord for nice weather both here and in Kunming.
Nathanael slept almost 12 hours in his crib Saturday night, after he ate a big supper and he was really worn out. We start out the morning by meeting the group by the elevator at 9:30 for a sightseeing and shopping trip. Veronica offers a stroller that was left with her by the last group, and we quickly jump on that! Nathanael likes riding in the stroller and Keyanna is so happy. No more carrier! He especially likes Daddy to push him so Keyanna is free! Free at last! Not that she doesn't love to carry him and hold him, but you know how it is when you never get a break. I wish he would let me hold him!
Our guide Veronica
This is just to show you that he is not always happy and smiling. He can pitch a fit with the best of 'em. His fits don't last long. Usually it is just because he is not getting his way. So sorry sir, that doesn't work in this family. We just ignore it and it stops after a few moments.
Hooray for stroller!!!
Fish behind us are covered completely in roses. Next week starts spring festival for Chinese New Year so there are a lot of preparations being made now. From what we can gather, this is like Christmas to the Chinese. The children are given money in red envelopes that they can spend on whatever they want, and they even hang the red envelope from a tree. Everyone closes their businesses and goes to their hometown to visit and celebrate with their families. Veronica says many people have already left Guangzhou, and it is normally much busier and more crowded here.
This is the Chen Dynasty temple that has been converted into a museum.
Looking back to the fish from the temple entrance
Some high rise apartment buildings. The apartments here are hard to get. Families pass down the apartment to the next generation.
Huge doors are open. You can see there is very intricate wood carving on the walls inside.
Stone lions guarding the entrance
These big fellas are painted on the huge front doors for protection
The other front door
Inside there is more intricate architecture
Big tree or little tree?
Little tree!
Chinese embroidery art exhibit. Unreal how they do the detail on the ripples in the water. From a distance it looks like a photograph.
These are amazing!
Probably costs thousands and thousands of dollars to buy something like this, but they are definitely beautiful.
More embroidery
Apartments directly behind, overlooking the courtyards of the temple
Some old dead guy is buried behind the red wall.
Mommy gets a turn pushing. He wants to be moving all the time.
This museum stuff is boring!
Somebody play with me!
Somebody talk to me!
Can we go now?
Leaving the museum. The grounds outside.
Back on the bus. Whatcha got to eat? I bought some goldfish-like crackers at the 7-Eleven. He loves them, of course.
I took a pic of these signs: no horns and no smoking
because these are 2 things they do a LOT of in China.
After about an hour of shopping in the "Government Store", Nathanael fell asleep right after we got back on the bus. It is about 12:45 now. The Government Store is really just a big souvenir shop but Veronica says the quality of the merchandise here is much better than the shops around the White Swan. They do have a lot of very nice gifts. We bought a few gifts for people back home and an outfit for Nathanael to wear for the "red couch photo". The red couch photo is a tradition. At the White Swan everyone in the group dresses up their children for a picture on the red couch. His little outfit is really nice. It is dark red silk with a golden dragon on the shirt and golden buttons and trim.
Zonked out!
Drinking a bottle of Mt. Dew I bought at a small shop across the street from the Gov't Store. It was only 2.50 Yuan which is only about 40 cents. That is cheap for a half liter bottle. The bottle is so bright flourescent green it is almost blinding in the sun!
Here is the restaurant where we ate lunch
They brought out a very soft egg/sausage dish for the babies to eat. Here I am trying it. It is really good! Nathanael was asleep for the whole meal.
Really tasty peanuts. Fun with chopsticks!
Nathanael's friend Juniper. They call her Juni. Cute name and cute baby. She is the daughter of our friends from Montana.
Another of Nathanael's new friends, Kayla. Very cute.
Another of Nathanael's new friends, Jackson. He loves to hug, but Nathanael is so wobbly Jackson's hugs usually end with a big pile-up in the floor.
My lunch. It was SO good.
More of the food
This was the unfortunate name of a club we saw on the way to our next stop. They left out a few steps!
This man is riding a tricycle where he can use his hands to pedal.
Our next stop is a shopping mall that sells a lot of jewelry and pearls. It was almost deserted because most of the shops were already closed for the coming festival week. Since we were about the only people in this place I pushed Nathanael while running all the way around the circle. He was loving it. The faster the better!
She is stringing pearls for someone in our group who bought a necklace. She is very fast.
We were not buying anything so we had to entertain ourselves.
And we had to entertain Nathanael
After his nap he was in a great mood
Laughing at Mommy
Get me Mommy! This is fun.
He talks (babbles) a lot and he can get quite loud. He also sometimes throws his head back and forces out a fake laugh. It is so funny.
This is outside of a supermarket. We have been seeing a lot of large bunnies like this. It has some significance for the New Year celebration.
The supermarket is all underground. 5 floors.
Going down into the belly of the beast.
Had to take a pic of my little Nate in his Tar Heels shirt and hat
Go Tar Heels!
Bath time!
Views from our room
Chinese Mt. Dew
It doesn't quite taste the same. I like the U.S. Dew better.
Restaurant for supper with our group. Our guide goes with us and orders the food, which is so helpful.
Inside the restaurant
Nathanael is awake for this meal and he makes his presence known! He grabs everything within reach. At least we have some baby food to feed him now that we've been to the supermarket.
Some of our food. The price is very good. Lunch was less than 7 dollars per adult. Supper is about $7.50 per adult. That is all inclusive. No tipping.
Outside the restaurant they were selling all kinds of weird stuff. These are not pets. People eat it.
Snakes are popular Cantonese meal. Hope we didn't just eat any. (kidding)
