Tuesday on Shamian Island

I'm getting pretty used to the good life here at the Garden.  Today marks one week since we arrived….14 pieces of bacon and 7 perfectly cooked fried eggs behind us....7 days of returning from breakfast to a clean room and made-up bed…21 trips through the beautiful gardens surrounding the koi ponds...Friends all under one roof.  If all my children were here with me, I'm not sure I'd want to leave!!

This morning after breakfast we headed with our travel group out to do a little more shopping, this time on Shamian Island.  We were originally planning to go in the afternoon, but since the consulate is closed today the families in our group with Tuesday appointments are not able to go for their interviews.  I was a little hesitant to spend any money since we don't know how long the consulate will be closed.  There was plenty to do outside of spending money!  As beautiful as it is, there are quite a few strange things about Shamian Island.  There are photographers and models everywhere.  Tate spent most of his time photo-bombing their shots.  Whatever makes him happy!!

One of the models was posing with a stroller and matching diaper bag while wearing 5" heels.  I'm not sure I've ever seen a real mother that looks like this.

Before we hit the shops, we strolled….which really means bolted after Wyatt who loves to run from us….through the park in the center of town.  I've seen this photo op spot in others' pictures so we stopped to take pictures of our babies here. My children, of course, did not seem to understand what it is I was trying to capture here.  I probably took a hundred pictures and finally got a perfect one of Wyatt.  I couldn't convince Riley to get in line, and Jubilee can't stand up yet, so we'll have to settle for Wyatt in the lineup.

The shopkeepers or some of their employees were on the street in front of each shop, asking us to come inside and take a look.  We walked by many and stopped at a few.  I do not enjoy haggling over prices, and there is some competition among neighboring stores.  Many of the shops sell the same items.  If you don't see something that you're looking for, and you ask for it, a shopkeeper might go somewhere else and get it for you. This happened to us more than once.  I have a tendency to feel pressured to buy if someone goes to such effort.  Dean and I are well-paired because he doesn't feel that same pressure.  The shops I liked the most were Michael's and Jenny's.  Both Michael and Jenny speak English and are very helpful.

Michael is pretty funny and is great at carving chops.  Chops are stamps on which you can have your child's name carved.  We got one for Wyatt and one for Jubilee with their Chinese and American names.  Michael's shop seemed to have the best selection on silks, though he didn't have many silks that were actually embroidered.  Most of them had painted designs on them.  Embroidered designs cost more, anyway.  We went with the painted.  My kiddos will outgrow those things before they could appreciate the embroidery anyway.

Jenny is the sweetest lady.  She has a photo album of families that have shopped with her, so if you visit bring your camera along.  It was fun to flip through and see the faces of those I recognize from back in the State. Jenny's shop sells a nice Chinese-English Bible for around $20 USD. She also has plaques with scripture in Chinese and English.  We bought shoes here for a good price and she gave each of us a red tassel as a thankful gesture for shopping with her.  She even sent one for a friend back home that referred us to her shop.  Nice people!!  

Lunch at Lucy's with friends was great fun!  The staff speaks English, they have hamburgers and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches on the menu, and they serve iced tea - all in a islandish atmosphere.  Loved it!

Now, about the sweet tea - Dean gave me a sip and I thought, "Not so sweet tea."  Seconds later they brought out a little silver pitcher.  That's the ticket, folks.  Simple syrup!  Pour it in now...all of it...and stir it up with your straw.  I'm sorry for being so dramatic but we've been in China for almost 2 weeks without sweet tea.  This was an important moment!!

After lunch we gathered together with our group and headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.  We took the Pearl River Dinner Cruise with our travel group.  The kids were super excited to board the boat.  I was thankful for the super high rails on the upper deck.

The dinner part of the cruise was not my favorite part of the evening.  After dinner we headed up to the upper deck to see Guangzhou in lights.  You know how some people look glamorous with their hair blowing in the wind and the night lights blinking behind them?  Well, I did not look glamorous like some do.

As the cruise came to a close there was an after dinner show in the dining cabin - a juggler that kept the kids' attention for the longest time.  

Today was a full day!  We are one tired crew!  We still do not know what is happening with the consulate or when they will reopen.  We are headed to bed thankful and open to God's timing on everything!!