Yesterday was my first experience going solo with two kids in a foreign country. Lee was sick with a cold and could not go with us to the animal sanctuary. My biggest concern was how I would manage the bathroom situation with the two kids, the stroller, and toilets that are basically holes in the ground. The families in our tour group were a huge help, so there were no issues in that department.
The animal preserve was a lot like a zoo, except they had one part that was only accessible by car. The only other place I have been to like this was at Animal Kingdom at Disney Word. We had ostriches, giraffes, and zebras within a few feet of us. I felt like I was on a safari in Africa. They also had a nursery with baby animals including a white tiger. There were also several pandas.
Later that night, Lee rallied enough for us to have dinner in a middle eastern restaurant. It was called a 1001 Nights, and the inside decor totally fit the theme. It was so strange to be in China eating humus with pine nuts and falafel in Guangzhou.
This morning Lee was still not feeling well, so I ventured out again with two kids alone and headed to a nearby park. You have to cross busy intersections by going underneath the streets. This seems like no big deal, but it is about three flights of steps with a backpack, stroller, baby in arms, and barely five year old. When we got to the bottom, we realized there were three separate choices on where to go....all in Chinese. After climbing up only to find out I had picked the wrong choice, I went back down the three stories and decoded the right direction. Once inside the park, I met a very nice woman and her 3 kids, 2 adopted from China, who was from Arizona. It is interesting how quickly you befriend and totally trust anyone who speaks English. After 1 1/2 hours in the park, we finally realize that we are lost. It is not 1 lake we are navigating but 5! Thanks to the iPhone, we made it back to the hotel. This time I had help going up and down the underground.
Lee was able to go with us to tour some beautiful gardens this afternoon. I learned that Frankfurt, Germany is the sister city to Guangzhou. I have seen several items donated by Frankfurt. The city is really interesting with all the pretty flowers even lining the bridges. There are so many highways, that you have one on top of another, on top of another. It is not unusual to be driving and be 5 stories off the ground.
Tomorrow we go to the US Consulate for some additional paperwork. Gray has befriended a 6 year old adopted girl. It is so cute to see them holding hands. Greer continues to eat anything we give her including star fruit!
More to report tomorrow,
The Groenevelds
No comments:
Post a Comment