Blood, Sweat & Tears. OK, no blood, yet.

We have two crazy days to catch up on.  Here is the most important thing you need to know.  Guangzhou is hot and humid - the heat index exceeds 100 Fahrenheit every day.  Here's the second most important thing you need to know.  Nina sweats heavily.  Here is the third most important thing you need to know.  The hotel was out of strollers to borrow.

Why are these things important?  Because we spent five hours Sunday at the Guangzhou Safari Park with Lillian strapped to Nina in the baby carrier - the padded baby carrier.  We had hoped the park would have strollers to rent.  No such luck. 

The first part of the trip was spent on a tram driving through  a smaller, more crowded version of the San Diego Wild Animal Park.  It still featured a good collection of species from Africa and Asia - with a few misplaced North American species mixed in.  Fortunately, the descriptions being played in the tram were in Chinese, so Nina couldn't be driven to distraction by the errors.  Max, a great animal aficianado in his own right enjoyed the ride and Lillian was alert and interested as well - Nina's kids.

However, that ride was only about an hour and then it was time to trek through a pretty massive zoo.   Nina strapped Lillian on and the heat was on.  Soon thereafter, the other Moms took to viewing Nina with a combination of sympathy, wonder and concern as her shirt and the baby carrier were both soon soaked totally through.

We did see some good exhibits.  They had a whole section of animatronic dinosaurs - a knockoff Jurassic Park - that was entertaining.  The tigers were impressive and Max got to pet a tiger cub. 

He also fed a giraffe.

They had a number of koalas that were fun.  But the highlight, of course, were the pandas.

This is an interesting relative of the Panda.  The name escapes me and Nina is asleep.  Sorry.

When we returned to the hotel, we were anxious to get into the swimming pool.  Of course, Lillian hadn't quite warmed to that idea yet, but we discovered a wading pool for kids and she was quick to get in up to her waist.  Then she and Nina headed to the big pool to find me and Max.  She again sat on the edge and dipped her legs in the water.  This time, though, she was happy, rather than scared.  She even ventured on to the first step into the big pool and we all splashed together for a few minutes.

Then, we were ready for dinner.  Well, we thought we were.  Perhaps a daylong trip to the Safari Park, strapped to her Mom and a first time dip in the pool may have overstimulated Lillian a bit and she let us know of her displeasure in no uncertain terms.  Our dinner became a party of two as Max and I headed out to a nearby noodle shop and brought some food home for Nina.  Bedtime is not easy.   

Monday, our schedule was a bit more lax.  We had a late morning visit to the Temple of the Six Banyans, which is a small but pretty Buddhist Temple in Guangzhou.  

Lillian and our new friend, Faith

Much of it was being renovated, which led to some funny scenes.  

At a certain point, Lillian found that she wasn't so amused by the goings on in the Temple.  In fact, she downright lost it.  

Fortunately, the fit did not derail us for long.  Then we took a short drive to a local store specializing in stuff that American families adopting Chinese Children who have a week to kill in Guangzhou like to buy.  The front had some beautiful porcelain vases and other artwork, with a number of tea sets.  Then, in the back, were the traditional silk pajamas that the kids wear on Chinese New Year and T-shirts and caps emblazoned with the Chinese and Pinyin versions of family names (Ba Ba for Daddy, Ge Ge for brother, Ye Ye for grandfather, etc), as well as other traditional Chinese goods that appeal to tourists.

Fortunately, we happen to be an American family adopting a Chinese child with a week to kill in Guangzhou and we were game.  A tea set, two pairs of silk pajamas, a couple of T shirts and other souvenirs later, we sat down in the front of the store to enjoy some tea.  Then we bought some Jasmine Tea that Max particularly enjoyed.

We planned to spend a lazy afternoon, and managed to do so, though with some mischief thrown in.  Nina wanted to take a bath.  Lillian stood next to the filling tub in a state of agitation - it seemed like she wanted to get in, but was afraid.  Nina stripped her and put her in and an epic bath began.  Max got in the mix by alternating the water between the faucet and the hand-held shower head, which made her giggle every time.  In the room, the bath is separated from the bedroom by a clear glass wall.  I sat on the other side of the wall and everyone would try to splash me and I would pretend like I was getting wet.  We had a lot of laughs.

Apres bath

Then, after a short nap, we were off to a dinner cruise on the Pearl River.  Paris may be the City of Lights, but Guangzhou is the City of Technicolor Lights.  There are numerous buildings along the River that aren't just lit up for hundreds of feet up into the sky, but the lights change colors constantly.  It is as though you never get the same exact view twice.  It was fun to see.  Even the bridges are a wheel of color.  

Before bedtime, we worked on teeth brushing.  That led to more hilarity.

So that's the latest.  We're still having a great time, but are getting antsy to come home and begin our real life together.