Day 8 with Audrey

We woke up feeling a bit better thanks to the cold air conditioning and soft beds of the Marriott. Ahhh...almost like home ;-). And i have to say, if yesterday was the worst day with Audrey thus far, God gave us the best day with Audrey thus far today!

We hit the hotel's fabulous breakfast buffet & were reminiscing about our last trip here and the wonderful group we were in. It's a bit different when you're by yourself!

First stop for the day was Audrey's medical appointment. This is supposed to be an independent exam by a doctor to confirm what the medical file states or bring up other issues not mentioned in the paperwork.

There were no surprises with Audrey and she tolerated the exams by several doctors very well. She also received her TB shot and barely whimpered. We were so proud of her! From there we went to a grocery store and stocked up on some supplies and snacks then returned to the hotel for a free afternoon and evening.

After naps and some eating, we decided to venture out to a nearby park. As many of you know or have heard, the driving in China is just crazy. Traffic signals and painted lanes are just suggestions and it can be a near death experience trying to cross the road in many of the big cities. So China has in many of these areas these underground passes that allow pedestrians to cross safely underneath the streets.

They are HUGE and very wide. But you need to pay attention when using them because while there is signage down there, it's in Mandarin (Guangzhou also has them in English but Urumqi did not), and it is very easy to get lost down in these catacombs as there are usually more than 4 corridors to take...

These women were groundskeepers at the park.

This park wasn't quite as busy as the Urumqi park but just as beautiful with its shady walkways...

 

Wedding photos in the park.

 

There were these cute elephant statues there - I was surprised Audrey sat up there by herself for the picture.

She's learning to turn and smile whenever the lens is pointed in her face.

This is my 'keeping it real photo' of the day. Yes, our Chinese princess is quite good at the nose clearing habit so many Chinese people practice. It's hard to tell here, but she had squatted, leaned over into the bushes, closed off one side of her nose & started blowing! Oh my. I was horrified. It would have been better (in my opinion) if she had pulled her pants down & gone to the bathroom (which has almost happened before ;-). Had to take the photo so one day we can laugh & remember "the good old days".

There were several cats running around the park. We didn't get too close though because ummm...well, he doesn't look too well...

Another beautiful walkway in the park.

The wonderful China Marriott hotel we are staying at.

 

After the park, we headed back to the room, had a quick dinner, skyped with the girls and went to bed. First full day in Guangzhou down. We're more than halfway through our stay and we're counting down the days until we are HOME!!