Getting to know Guangzhou

Sunday, September 12

 

Summary: Morning trip to a folk art museum, then shopping for supplies, then back to hotel.  Afternoon walk in the park, then nap time for Alexis.  Dinner at one of the many hotel restaurant options, then another walk, then Alexis' nighttime routine of bath, feeding, wind down and bed.

 

Details: Guangzhou is quite a city.  Our guide tells us that it is one of the more modern cities in China.  We were able to see some of it today.  There are some beautiful parks near the hotel and we explored a little of one of them.  It had streams and ponds and lots of beautiful trees and foliage.  Whenever one of us puts on the Baby Bjorn carrier, Alexis gets all excited.  She no longer fusses when we put her in it.  We think she knows it means it's time for some adventure, and Alexis loves adventure.  We get lots of stares walking around Guangzhou, and most of the time it's hard to know what they mean.  Today three young ladies wanted their picture taken with Alexis, which was fun.

 

This morning we went to a local folk art museum which is housed in a fancy building built around 60 years ago by a wealthy family.  It was quite an amazing place, and the artwork was very impressive.  Some of the more interesting artwork on display included carved bone, carved ivory, ceramics, paper cut designs, and embroidery.  The grounds of the museum were quite beautiful.  After one hour there we bused to a nearby mall that had a grocery store on one level.  The mall was extremely fancy.  Not needing much, we bought a supply of bottled water for the week and then found a place to change Alexis' diaper and feed her.  Then at 1:00 we headed back to the hotel.

 

We had a snack lunch in our hotel room while Alexis amused herself with toys on the bed.  We got some playtime in with Alexis and took our first walk to the park.  Most of the time was spent finding our way to the park and finding the entrance - we were helped by a Chinese teenager who studies English in school.  After returning from the walk, Alexis was ready for her nap and she slept for about two hours, which gave us some time to read and rest.  Around 6:00 pm we joined a family in our travel group for dinner at a nice, reasonably priced restaurant associated with the hotel complex.  Malcolm very much enjoyed his meal,  but Marilyn wasn't so happy with hers (it was a little bland).

 

Marilyn had laryngitis today from her cold, which was a bummer and made conversation and interaction with Alexis difficult.  Fortunately, Marilyn's energy is returning and the worst may be behind her.  Please pray that her voice will return quickly.

 

Alexis has a lot of Marilyn's traits including curiosity and what appears to be a strong will.  She's becoming better at picking up objects, and is rolling over more and more.   She had a much better day today because she slept while we carried her around during the shopping trip this morning, and had a very good nap this afternoon.  After Malcolm fed her tonight she demanded Mommy for the winding down period before going to sleep.

 

Monday is the U.S. consulate appointment at 10:00 am.  Our guides will take our paperwork on our behalf.  Please pray that there are no issues with our paperwork!