Another Day in China

Today started off great with a skype call to the kids.  I am really missing them now, but it won't be too much longer.  Luke and Seth are so excited about their baby sister.  I'm not sure what Ian thinks.  His little blond head just bobs in and out of the screen every now and then.  I really need to squeeze that kid.  Today it got into the 80s and was so muggy.  I'm talking serious humidity.  Leah is a sweaty little baby anyway and today she had the major head sweats.  Carrying her around in that pack is like having an extra little heater.  Lets just say between the heat, some spit up and other unmentionables I have a not so fresh feeling right now!  I need a shower.  Our shower here is so clean and nice I almost forget the water could probably kill you.  Almost.  

This morning we toured a few sights in Guangzhou with our group.  This is the third biggest city in China with a population of 15 million people.  It is so green and lush here with beautiful flowers and gardens.  We visited a buddhist temple that is about 1500 years old.  There were lots of beggars and some human fecal matter on the sidewalk, but it was beautiful inside.  We also went to the Chan House which now has exhibits of all the local crafts:  jade carving, ivory carving, embroidery, and egg shell porcelain.  We also went to the Provincial Arts and Crafts place where we could shop.  There are so many beautiful things to buy here in China, and we have got a few.  We are limited though by our suitcase space to take it home, and you can only have so many fragile carry ons.  I already feel like a bag lady everywhere we go toting Leah, the camera bag, the diaper bag...it takes Jer and I just to haul this stuff around.  The airport could be scary. 

After a very quick lunch we headed off in cabs with Richard and Katie's family to Shamian Island.  It was beautiful there, but so freakin hot!  We were all a sweaty mess, and I saw Chinese people still wearing long sleeve shirts and even sweaters!  We did some shopping and had fun wheeling and dealing at all the shops.  We had to rush back to meet and get all of our visa paperwork in order, so we're hoping to squeeze one more trip in.  This evening we ordered Papa Johns pizza (which was really good) and ate with friends at this neat outdoor tea table they have at our hotel.  There are actually a whole series of them on covered patios, a nice playground for kids, and a beautiful pool.  We had lots of fun chatting with Matt and Carrie from West Virginia.  Paul and Ann were there too.  They are a very nice couple from Georgia and have an interesting situation.  They have a very cute 2-year-old daughter Emma here with them, and they just adopted a two-year-old girl they named Noel.  They are going through some major adjustment issues right now!  Poor Ann left early because she was not feeling well and Richard and Katie's family couldn't even come because they are all puking.  I feel awful for them, and I'm so hoping we can continue to dodge that bullet!  I feel brain dead right now and am basically giving a list of what we did today, so I'm going to shut this down.  I'm a bit sick myself with a hacking cough.  Now that I've had it for days I'm trying some Chinese Zithromax which you can buy over the counter here, so hopefully that doesn't kill me!  Maybe I can manage to be more interesting tomorrow.  I'll tack on a few cute pictures of Leah just to make this worth viewing.