July 10, 2014

GUANGZHOU

Today was a day of exploration and play. We started out by visiting the Chen Family Temple and then by going to the Sun Yat-sen monument and park. The Chen Temple is the largest in Guangzhou and is now maintained by the government as a museum. Xixi really enjoyed the history….but it was a scorcher today and the heat was getting to Jing. I’m not sure she really enjoyed walking through the temple.

Our next stop was a monument to Sun Yat-sen. He is known as the father of China and was instrumental in the overthrow of the imperial court in the 1911. We were surprised (pleasantly) that it was more than just a solitary monument, but a huge park. We climbed hundreds of stairs up a beautiful, tree-filled hill to reach a memorial tower and observation area. We then walked down the back side of the hill along the original, 600 year old, city wall that guarded Guangzhou. Although really hot, the girls were able to run and play and enjoy being out and about.

Xixi enjoying a lunch that included Pigeon.

At lunch we went to a Cantonese restaurant that is very popular with the locals. We had another amazing meal…this time it included Pigeon! It was good and reminded us a lot of duck. Jing refused to eat it….but had her fill when the steamed bbq buns arrived. Xixi had the most content look on her face as she made her way through several Chinese dishes. She was thrilled with the local fish and iron skillet green beans.

After lunch we returned to the hotel and spent some time resting and then headed back out into the park that is very close to the hotel. Xixi was given a “birdie” by one of the shop owners. It resembles a large, colorful, badminton birdie. The locals use it like a hacky sack during their morning exercise routines. We did our best to keep the birdie in the air using only our feet, but it soon became clear that this takes years of practice! Jing and I also played catch again. It’s amazing how little time you need to warm up when it’s in the 90’s with 100% humidity. Dawn also spent some time resting by going to a traditional Chinese medicine shop nearby for a foot massage.

Jing getting fitted for a Jade ring...while eating a giant steamed bun.

Later in the afternoon we ventured into Guangzhou to look around and shop a little. We walked through a herbal medicine market and a pet market before entering a more modern commercial shopping area. The girls had fun and the herbal medicine and pet markets resembled old China (rows and rows of shops all lined up in narrow alley ways), while the commercial area was ultra modern. I purchased a new watch as the family is getting really tired of me asking what time it is.

The rest of the evening we spent getting our laundry from a local shop, exchanging dollars into RMB and repacking our luggage for a plan ride early tomorrow morning to Hubei.  We are very excited to be moving on Xixi’s home city, Enshi, and the visit with her orphanage. We underestimated the reception we would receive in Shanwei and are still overwhelmed by the hospitality and gracious welcome we experienced. We are looking forward to meeting Xixi’s people, discovering the local Enshi food specialties, and experiencing Xixi’s city with her as we did with Jing.