Wade and Mom in Guangzhou

Wade and I traveled to Guangzhou yesterday to obtain his American Visa in his Chinese passport. He was so excited about taking another plane trip that he counted down the days until our trip and talked about it all the time. Unfortunately, we had to sit on the plane at the gate for 2 hours before we were released by air traffic control. I still don't know what the problem was....Anyway, we arrived at the hotel with only a half hour to spare before we were to go with our guide to the medical exam. We had just enough time to grab a Subway sandwich. Luckily, it was right next store to the hotel. The visa process lasts four days beginning with a medical checkup at the same clinic we took Elise to for her checkup 11 years ago. I couldn't believe it, but it had not changed one bit since that time! Wade was really nervous about the exam, especially at the prospect of getting shots. I didn't think he needed any since his pediatrician in Shanghai said he was up to date. The American gov't has specific guidelines about immunizations for immigrants and so we found out that he needed a tetanus and flu shot. As you can see, he was very brave. He isn't even sore today. The last time I had a tetanus shot, my arm was sore for days.

Wade checked out healthy all around and he is on his way to getting his visa!

This morning we went out to Starbucks for breakfast. Wade didn't think much of the breakfast choices there but it was the nicest Starbucks that I have ever been in! After we had a bite, we went for a walk around this quaint little island called Shamian that we are staying on. We had found a nice park by the Pearl River yesterday and saw that it was very busy this morning. There was so much going on. These ladies were doing a dance with these paddles and ball.

Most of the people in the park are retired and were out getting their morning exercise. We saw groups of people playing a hacky sack type of game, doing Tai Chi, rehearsing songs, dancing in groups and visiting with friends. It was quite a festive atmosphere. I have seen this in other Chinese cities as well and find that it is quite inspiring. They are getting exercise, socializing and enjoying community. It would be nice to see Americans doing the same thing. Seniors might be healthier and happier if they copied theses practices.

I was not impressed with two swimmers I saw in the Pearl River getting their morning exercise. The water is filthy. Wade even made a comment about it. We both saw a boat coming and looked at each other wondering if the boat saw the swimmers or if they were going to get run over.

More diligent seniors getting their morning exercise. It is quite a sight to see as they use these machines set up in the neighborhood. It certainly is not Lifetime Fitness but they make good use of these contraptions.

Something else that we happened upon were training exercises for these military personnel. They were practicing fighting techniques. It looked as if some of what they were practicing was crowd control or mob control techniques. Guangzhou will host the Asian Games this summer and they were probably getting prepared. The Asian Games must be quite an event because this entire island is under renovation. Every street, sidewalk, fountain and building facade is being redone. This island has a lovely French Colonial history to it and when it is done, it will be beautiful. For now, it is a disaster zone. I don't know where they come up with the money to do these kinds of things, but like in Beijing for the Olympics or Shanghai for the World Expo, they go all out to make a good impression at whatever cost.

After our walk we went back to the hotel to get ready to leave for the Safari. I had planned to try out the subway since it was going to be over an hour by taxi to the park. I guess I was feeling brave using the subway in a new city and not being used to taking it. I did manage to mess up my first purchase of subway tokens and had to get some help. After that, we were on our way. We even had to transfer trains (scary for me) but managed to arrive at the safari with no further problems. There was even a free shuttle bus for the park at the end of the subway to take us in.

I must say that this place was impressive. It definitely rivaled any zoo that I have ever been to. It was huge and the number of different kinds of animals was amazing. They had a huge walking safari and then the driving safari where you got on a train car and drove through the safari. They must have a good breeding program going with the numbers of animals that they had there. These white tigers were majestic!

Wade was definitely not in the mood for pictures today. He kept saying it was too hot. After leaving the wintry Shanghai weather, I thought it was wonderful. It was a humid 78 degrees but to him it might as well have been 105. After listening to him complain over and over, I finally threatened to take him back to the hotel. He shut up after that.

The panda exhibit was wonderful and we just happened to get there at dinner time. They had several well done exhibits but curiously enough, after each exhibit, you had to walk through this beautiful and enticing store with all kinds of stuffed animals and such to exit the exhibit. What marketing they have here! The day turned out nicely and I definitely outlasted Wade. We made our way back by subway (much easier on the return) and crashed in the hotel for a while before heading to Lucy's (American style food) for dinner. Wade still managed to order a spicy Chinese dish. We sat next to a family from Shanghai who were there finishing up the adoption of their daughter. We had mutual friends and they even recognized me. They attended our church for a while before switching to a different fellowship. It is a small world indeed. It was yet another blessed day.