What day is it today??? We're all having a difficult time remembering what day of the week this is! Of course, most of the time we are a day ahead of you, but all our days seem blurred together now. Glad we will have this webpage to view when we get home so that we can remember what we did on which day.
Today the boys and the girls parted ways in the morning. Jaelyn and I went on the group tour to the tea shop. We mainly went to buy a replacement teacup and one for Jaelyn to match the set we bought last time, but we got there only to find they had no more. The group then went to Yuntai Garden, which is the most beautiful garden I've seen. Jaelyn enjoyed her stroll through the park and especially liked the large koi in the water. A gal next to us was feeding them and they were literally jumping out of the water. The rain managed to hold off on the trip.
The boys caught the metro and wandered off to some places recommended by friends who use to live here. They went to Hai Zhu Square and did a little shopping. More than anything they liked their experience on the metro. The area is very hi tech and clean, but they especially liked the speed of the train!
Liz and I caught a taxi in the afternoon to do some more serious shopping on Shamian Island. After awhile though all the shops seem the same and you can't remember which ones you've already been in! Also, if you've already bought something don't ask "how much" in the next store down because you'll kick yourself if they start out at a lower price than you bargained for. It bursts your bubble a bit!
We went out for Chinese again. To everyone back home, you'll be surprised to learn that Kellen is getting quite adept at using chopsticks! Amazing what a teenager can do when they're hungry:)
Tonight we convinced some of the other families to go on an adventure with us to another area recommended. I think since Mike and the boys were the guinea pigs on the metro and actually made it back, everyone felt comfortable with Mike in the lead. He actually got us to the right place, but we could never quite find the Qing Ping Shi Chang. It is supposed to be a night market, and when we would ask people they would point in the direction we were going, but we could never pinpoint it. With Shamian Island across the way, we gave up and did some night shopping on the island. It was raining the whole way, but quite muggy out. As you can see from the pictures, we took the photo shoot on the red couch. Jaelyn was absolutely adorable when she pulled her feet underneath her in sort of a pose. No one asked her to do it; it was as if she had done so before.
It was late on the way back, so we caught taxis instead of the metro. We're quite sure our friends got counterfeit money for change from the cab driver. He was long gone before they realized it. A note to those of you coming to China, have small bills for the cab, and if he won't accept them, insist that he does.
Kaia, just 4 more wakeups until your smothered in kisses!
