Freshly Hunted Eggs

It's Easter again! My, how time flies when you're having fun.

Speaking of fun... here's my crew for the weekend:

Wait, is this better?

Hmm, try again....

Eh, close enough!

You may have noticed there are a few extras besides my two girls. I've got my brothers and sisters staying with me while my parents are in China (at this very moment!) getting this cool dude:

We can't wait to meet Timothy in person. 

But meanwhile, back at the ranch....

There are eggs to be hunted!

They say hunting for your dinner is the only way to go.

Mmmm....fresh, plastic eggs!

Sometimes teamwork is the best way to get those eggs.

And sometimes it takes a village to find an egg.

Happy Empty Tomb Day!

A New Tate and Another Park

Today we had to go back to the clinic on Shamian Island to have Tate's TB test checked.  He was fine, of course.  But once we were on the island it was too tempting to leave quickly again.  We stayed for a while and enjoyed the atmosphere again.

Our little Tater-tot has really changed each day from the shy little stoic-faced doll we were given a week ago.  He is a character now.  He suddenly started talking yesterday.  Out of nowhere, he went from completely mute to a chatterbox of noises and baby talk.  He says "bye-bye", "mama", "ba" for pick me up, and does raspberries with his mouth.  He makes silly faces at us.

He experiences everything like a little baby instead of a two year old.  Everything seems new to him.  We found a playground on a fourth floor courtyard of the hotel.  He didn't know what to do.  He sat himself on the curb.  Mom led him over and gently showed him how to climb.  He had never climbed before.  He had never been down a slide before.

Once he learned though, there was no stopping him!

By the afternoon, it was nap time again for Mom and Tate, and I went out for my daily constitutional.  I found another park I'd seen on the map--this time by going through the subway tunnels.

The park was gorgeous.

 Some paths twisted like mazes through jungle growth.

Others spread out straight and neat in the warm sun.

There were people everywhere caring for the landscape.  This lady had a stick and was individually flicking the fallen tree leaves from the top of these bushes.

"What's your job?"

"Oh, I'm a leaf-flicker."

One funny thing I've noticed in all of the parks I've been in is that people like to take their shoes off here.  Young and old.

Middle-aged and older ladies are often found dancing--silently or with musical accompaniment.  There's also a lot of card-playing groups.

This lady was doing movements and stretches in front of this hill of sheep/goat statues.

Other things I found in the park:

An indoor/outdoor "plant museum".

Some crusty carnival rides.

Lots of goldfish.

Lots of trash.

The whole while, I could hear the rush and jostle of the city just beyond the wall.

I'll Have the Snake Dumpling Please

Last night we decided to venture out of the hotel for dinner on our own.  Our guide, Jocelyn, suggested the names of two places.  I googled them and drew myself a quick map.  We couldn't find one of the restaurants, our first choice.  The second choice was a Cantonese seafood restaurant called Meijing.  Seafood restaurants are always a little scary in China because the food is all out on display--alive.  It's a bit like going to a pet store.  There are big tanks of water filled with fish, crabs, eels, turtles, lobsters, and more.

As we were being seated, I noticed this:

I'm pretty sure that's a crocodile tail.

And then there were these guys.

My children even have pet snakes, but this gave me nightmares later.  Seriously.

We managed to order. Somehow.  No one in the entire restaurant spoke more English than "hello" and my Cantonese is non-existent.  We got a sweet saucy fish with the head and tail still on.  It tasted kind of like apple pie.  We also ordered some dumplings that looked like jellyfish washed up on the shore, and a seafood fried rice that came in a half of a pineapple.  Everything was really, really good.  I guess we were rewarded for our bravery.  I ate way too much. Maybe that's why my dreams were crazy.

Or it was the fact that there were caged snakes on the menu.... who knows.

Ahh....Guangzhou

We've been busy little bees since my last post.  We left Jinan, having finished all of the business that needed to be taken care of in Tate's hometown.  The plane ride was not too bad--a two hour flight, and they fed us, of course.  Tate enjoyed most of it.  He's really starting to enjoy himself these days.  He smiles a lot now, makes shy faces at us, brings us stuff, and points at things.  He still doesn't talk or make noise, though.

We arrived in Guangzhou on Friday night.  The China Hotel Marriott is our home away from home now, and boy is it dazzling.  I've never seen a fancier hotel.  Maybe it has something to do with the air quality in Guangzhou being better, and I can actually see the hotel.

Every corner is lavishly decorated.  It's packed with international faces right now, too, because there is an international trade fair going on this week in Guangzhou.  It's also packed with Americans and their Chinese children.

 

Even the doormen, er....women, are decorative.

None of this is nearly as exciting as the fact that the beds are soft.  And the a/c works.  It's the little things.

So after a good night's rest, we began our day today with a group bus trip over to Shamian Island for the good 'ole medical exam and visa photos.

Tate was so good for it all.  The place was packed like sardines as usual with families and crying babies.  We stood in lines, sat on benches, and waited on doctors.  They reviewed the medical information from his orphanage.

They gave him a physical examination.  He's thinking, "What are they doing to me??"

They did a TB test.

With a big needle.

Tate didn't cry.

They checked his hearing, weighed him, measured him, and poked at him.  After it was over, we decided to stay on the island a while and enjoy the pleasantness.  It really is lovely there.  You can hear birds chirping.  The breeze was blowing.  People were out enjoying their weekend away from the noise of the city.  As usual, the brides and grooms were there having their photo sessions done in fabulous costume.

We ate a snack, did a little shopping, and then flagged a taxi down to take us back to the hotel for Mom and Tate's nap time.  I had seen some parks on the map near our hotel and so decided to take the opportunity to go wander and find them.

It was harder than I originally thought.  The streets were barricaded in a way so that pedestrians couldn't cross them.  Soon, I found a system of underground tunnels that popped up in various locations.  I think my mental GPS works better above ground, because these passageways baffled me.  Maybe it was the trickle of sewage running along the floors that muddled my brainpower.  Whatever the case, I did find a park! 

It was a gorgeous maze of tree-laden paths winding around a lake.  Couples lolled about on benches, soaking up the dry air.  Old men sat in groups and debated...something.... Others fished in the lake with their children playing beside them.

This sight made me smile.  The building is obviously an old one--built in a serious and stoic European fashion--but the restaurant that has taken up residence inside has advertised with a giant, garish bill board on top.  This is so China.  I call it the "wine and cheese whiz" effect.  Classy with a touch of tacky.  Perfect.

My wanderings had to be cut short this afternoon when I realized my flip flops were starting to give me a blister.

Tomorrow I'll blaze a trail while stocked with band-aids.

Good night!

Wanderings

After the visit to Tate's orphanage, we've had some more down time.  There's been nothing to do, but wait for Tate's passport to process (which we now have in our hands).  During this down time, I had a chance to do some wandering.  Wandering is so fun, because there's always something to see in the city.  It almost seems like no one works, because there are always, always lots of people out walking around, sitting, talking, eating, waiting for a bus, taking pictures, etc.  People watching is the best.  It's funny, though, because in China, when you don't look Chinese, you stick out like a sore thumb and people watch you back.

For example, I was taking a picture of this monument thingy in the middle of the city square.

See those people on the right?  They're staring at me.

Yep. Still staring.

It's like this all of the time.  I suppose when you live in a country full of billions of people who all have the same hair color, eye color, and facial features, it's pretty shocking to see someone different.  It's especially shocking in a smaller city like Jinan where the international tourists are minimal.  My mom has it even worse with her blond hair.  At least I can pass for Chinese from a distance.

So yes, wandering is really interesting.

The city square has been a favorite spot of mine this week.  It's right across the street from our hotel.  At around 2:30 in the afternoon, the fountains come on with a show that is choreographed to music.  It's really beautiful.

While I was watching the fountain, I think I had my picture taken at least four times.  That I know of.  These two (see below) were funny.  He was trying to be sneaky and take my picture with a cell phone, and she was embarrassed and kept laughing and telling him to stop.  I took a picture back.

Scattered around the park square were many old guys flying kites.

Way high up.

Sometimes, people will encourage their children to say "hello" to me and wave.  This little cutie and her grandma came and sat with me for a while.  We had a typical conversation of a few words and a lot of hand motions.

When the little girl's mother came up, she joined in and then wanted to see the picture I took of her daughter.  Then, she insisted on giving me the loaf of sliced bread she had just bought at the bakery.  They were so nice!  Mom and I later made pb&j's with that bread.


 Just like it seems that the adults aren't at work, it also seems like the children aren't at school. They always seem to be everywhere.  They have a two hour break in the middle of the day and can be seen walking around the city in their various school uniforms.  After that, they go back to school until around 4:30.

Near the city square is a large shopping mall.  I think the building looks like a boat.  A big shiny metal boat.  This mirrored facade seems to be a popular choice in all the new construction.  And boy, is there some new construction.  While the rest of the world is in a slump, China is booming.  Consequently, buildings are being built on every corner.  Tower cranes fill the sky view. 

Construction site safety doesn't seem to be their strong point, however.  These guys are doing a balancing act.

With no safety tether!  Where is OSHA??

Another of my favorite spots in the city is the river walk.  It passes along side my hotel.  I could see it from my window like this:

It beckoned to me, saying, "Come down here and find me!"  So I did.  I love the willow trees.  They're planted everywhere.

I brought Tate down here for a stroll this evening while mom was resting (she wasn't feeling well).  We crossed the rocks, watched the water, the boats, the fish, and the people.  We met a woman and her four-year-old daughter who kindly insisted on sharing their fruit with us.  She practiced her English and asked me questions, telling me about how clean the river is now compared to how it used to be, and how Jinan is famous for the natural springs that create the river.

We saw several elderly people using tea kettles on ropes to scoop up water from the springs and pour into plastic jugs.  We also saw an old woman in a swim suit having a bath at the river's edge.

 Evening was coming quickly, so we had to head back to the hotel.

Tate has been so tired in the evenings, but his stubborn side is starting to show through.  Last night he insisted on sitting up in bed, even when mom laid him down twice.  He fell asleep sitting.

I'm about there myself.  Nighty night!