Winter Coat Weather?

Tuesday January 21, 2014

Today was not very exciting.  None of us had really researched places to see in Guangzhou so we relied on our agency representative to plan outings.  Today she suggested the zoo, primarily because she thought the kids would like it.  The zoo did have quite a few animals, but the layout was poor and we felt sorry for their small living quarters.  It was also “cold” today.  By this I mean 18 degrees Celsius.  That is a mere 64 degrees Fahrenheit so the kids all wore their winter coats. 

The biggest challenge of the day was with the kids.  The other little girl wasn’t listening well and her mom was feeling frustrated at the input of the guide.  I think she was also upset that Teagen was encouraging her to run, climb or want to be held.  The mom’s stress kind of impacted all of us.  At the end, she decided that her daughter had to be in the stroller and couldn’t hold Teagen’s hand, which had them both screaming and crying.  We are going to try an outing with them again tomorrow, as neither one of us wants to be stuck in a hotel room all day.  We will share a van to a temple and museum but perhaps will split up there if necessary.

During the afternoon Teagen and I walked off the island to a mall where the fountain is choreographed to music.  This was pretty neat—but everything else was just a mall, with many of the same stores you would find back home.  We also took our regular walk on the island to the playground. 

We tried dinner out at a café near the Pearl River.  We had an outdoor table and listened to 1980’s American soft rock.  As usual, Teagen was more interested in playing than eating.  While I did enjoy my noodles, Teagen was happier with the ice cream I bought her at the 7-11 across the street from our hotel.   I also got a 600ml bottle of Pearl River Beer there for 6RNB---which was $1 well spent.