July 12 – Nanchang (last full day here)
Funny – I thought that not much happened yesterday. And yet my blog post was rather lengthy. Sorry for those who prefer brevity – I hope I am not repeating myself as we go. It’s nice to be able to keep a journal like this as we travel and I think I now understand the widespread appeal of the blog.
We wake today, our last full day here in this city, with no real plan in mind. Breakfast is leisurely compared to the last few days. The rest of our travel group has requested a trip to the country side to see a local village. Karen, Emma and I are not feeling that adventurous, so we ask Michelle to write down the name “People’s Park” in Chinese for us so we can show a cab driver and head out in our own little foursome. Michelle tells us she will see us later this afternoon to verify some final paperwork.
In spite of the hectic traffic in China, traveling itself is rather organized. You only need to close your eyes and get into a zen-like trance so that you don’t have a complete heart attack as you watch your taxi, three busses, two mopeds, four bikes and five pedestrians attempt to occupy the same exact point in the space-time continuum. For some reason it always seems to work out and we have not seen or heard any problem with this system (although you do hear a constant din of car horns all day).
But back to the organization. Each hotel has kindly created business cards with their address, and the address of popular destinations written in both English and Chinese. So, always carry one of these, and if you get in trouble you can point to your destination to a cab driver and be on your way. Michelle has added “People’s Park” to our little card since it was not a pre-printed destination, and before we know it we are riding in air-conditioned comfort from the hotel to the park.
It feels like a long cab ride – definitely too long to walk. And yet, it’s 10 Yuan. That’s like $1.25 or something crazy. I try to give the cab driver 15 Yuan but he absolutely refuses a tip, all the while with a big smile. As hard as these people work and as poor as some of them are, they are gracious beyond all imagination.
People’s Park is a fantastic destination, and a good break for Emma. It reminds me of a cross between Boston Common and Seattle Center, with pathways through shaded groves, a covered stage, pagodas, ponds and bridges, and play areas scattered throughout. There’s also sort of a fairground midway type of area with a carousel, rides, and other games that are available for 10 Yuan each. Emma rides the carousel and one other ride before we set out to a new area of the park. We see old women doing tai chi, and other groups of women playing some sort of game and singing in harmony what I can only imagine is a traditional Chinese song. We also run across many areas of what we have found to be a common feature in Chinese culture – the public “work out” area. We saw these in Beijing as well – just think of a sort of exercise course, where you stop at a station and perform some sort of task (spinning a large wheel, doing a sort of log-roll, performing on the parallel bars, swinging from monkey bars, etc.). Unlike a similar type of American park feature (which we had down the street from my New Jersey home), these are actually being actively used by all sorts of people, generally older men and women.
It’s little wonder the population is relatively fit even though the food seems to be all cooked in heavy oil. They are either riding their bike (towing a large electrical transformer or wagon of watermelons) or working out at a park like this. We have heard from both of our guides that things are really changing now, however with lots of people buying cars when they never had them before. This explains the increase in air pollution and persistent haze we see (in spite of the beautiful sunset photo I took post-rainstorm from our hotel – not a typical shot I can assure you), and we collectively wonder what this change means for the future of China.
We would have loved to spend more time here but it’s getting really hot and nearly lunch time, so we find a cab and head back to the hotel for some food and to allow Zoe to nap.
Emma has been craving American food. We have heard rumor of McDonalds down the street, so I set off on a solo adventure while the girls stay behind. I found the McDonalds after a long walk, but unfortunately I could only find ice cream on their menu, so I return to the hotel empty-handed an hour later to a disappointed Emma and a napping Zoe.
Michelle stops by this afternoon with our official notary documents. We need to verify that all information presented is correct. Also included is the official story of her abandonment. Zoe was found at the Old Folk’s Home the day after she was born. She was transferred to the orphanage for the required 2-month period where an advertisement is posted in the local paper describing her to make sure nobody lost her accidentally. Then she want into foster care (this detail was provided by her orphanage director – it’s not in the notary documents) for 12 months or so before we came into her life.
After Michelle leaves we have a little fun time in the room. Turns out Zoe really likes to play ball, and seems rather talented at the game. Future hoops star? Maybe a bowler on the pro circuit? She continues to display excellent hand-eye coordination.
We returned to the restaurant we tried last night but with a larger group tonight. Zoe does well in the high chair after some initial protest, and is a bit puzzled by the sticky noodles that don’t seem to slide down her throat as easily as usual. Of course, sticky rice and egg soup are popular, and Emma gamely has yet another meal of Chinese food which is becoming a bit of a one-trick-pony to her.
Back to the hotel for some much needed baths. You would understand if you watched Zoe eat. Very willful – she displayed her prowess drinking from a sippy cup with no assistance, and continued to feed herself from a dish of rice and egg soup, using her spoon to scoop and eat. While she is adept at feeding herself, the food does not always hit the intended target and we feel like we are always leaving the restaurant in a scene of devastation – noodles everywhere, rice all over, and a stained tablecloth in our wake. Yet again, the waitress will not accept our tip no matter how hard we try.
One more set of baths in Nanchang. Emma has learned how to take a pill (her Malaria pill) using just a drink of juice. Earlier in the trip we were crushing it and adding it to applesauce, and she finally told me that she “dreaded night time in China.” When I asked her why, she told me it was the Malaria pill and the horrible bitter taste, so we implemented Plan B, and what excitement she had at this success in taking a pill the less painful route.
Zoe’s bath was the usual cacophony (chorus?) of protest. I have almost gotten her ears entirely scrubbed clean but 15 months of dirt do not give up easily. And she is still stressed out by the separation from Karen during the bath. I will say, however, that once I got her bundled in her towel and out of the bathroom near Karen, she did not immediately need Karen’s embrace to calm. Just Karen’s presence was enough for her to quiet down in my arms, which is a huge gain from the last few days. Don’t get me wrong – she does find me hilarious. Just hilarious from a 1-foot (or greater) distance.
Baby steps…
Emma takes a last look at the beautiful skyline from the hotel window (think lots of Christmas lights) and blows four kisses to the brightly-lit Tengwang Pavilion. One for each family member. She is sad to leave Nanchang, she tells me, but I remind her that heading to Guangzhou is one step closer to American food, and that provides a little comfort.
The family is all asleep, and it’s my turn too. More tomorrow. The 9 pm fireworks show has started across the river so I will fall asleep to the popping noise I hear outside.
Funny – I thought that not much happened yesterday. And yet my blog post was rather lengthy. Sorry for those who prefer brevity – I hope I am not repeating myself as we go. It’s nice to be able to keep a journal like this as we travel and I think I now understand the widespread appeal of the blog.
We wake today, our last full day here in this city, with no real plan in mind. Breakfast is leisurely compared to the last few days. The rest of our travel group has requested a trip to the country side to see a local village. Karen, Emma and I are not feeling that adventurous, so we ask Michelle to write down the name “People’s Park” in Chinese for us so we can show a cab driver and head out in our own little foursome. Michelle tells us she will see us later this afternoon to verify some final paperwork.
In spite of the hectic traffic in China, traveling itself is rather organized. You only need to close your eyes and get into a zen-like trance so that you don’t have a complete heart attack as you watch your taxi, three busses, two mopeds, four bikes and five pedestrians attempt to occupy the same exact point in the space-time continuum. For some reason it always seems to work out and we have not seen or heard any problem with this system (although you do hear a constant din of car horns all day).
But back to the organization. Each hotel has kindly created business cards with their address, and the address of popular destinations written in both English and Chinese. So, always carry one of these, and if you get in trouble you can point to your destination to a cab driver and be on your way. Michelle has added “People’s Park” to our little card since it was not a pre-printed destination, and before we know it we are riding in air-conditioned comfort from the hotel to the park.
It feels like a long cab ride – definitely too long to walk. And yet, it’s 10 Yuan. That’s like $1.25 or something crazy. I try to give the cab driver 15 Yuan but he absolutely refuses a tip, all the while with a big smile. As hard as these people work and as poor as some of them are, they are gracious beyond all imagination.
People’s Park is a fantastic destination, and a good break for Emma. It reminds me of a cross between Boston Common and Seattle Center, with pathways through shaded groves, a covered stage, pagodas, ponds and bridges, and play areas scattered throughout. There’s also sort of a fairground midway type of area with a carousel, rides, and other games that are available for 10 Yuan each. Emma rides the carousel and one other ride before we set out to a new area of the park. We see old women doing tai chi, and other groups of women playing some sort of game and singing in harmony what I can only imagine is a traditional Chinese song. We also run across many areas of what we have found to be a common feature in Chinese culture – the public “work out” area. We saw these in Beijing as well – just think of a sort of exercise course, where you stop at a station and perform some sort of task (spinning a large wheel, doing a sort of log-roll, performing on the parallel bars, swinging from monkey bars, etc.). Unlike a similar type of American park feature (which we had down the street from my New Jersey home), these are actually being actively used by all sorts of people, generally older men and women.
It’s little wonder the population is relatively fit even though the food seems to be all cooked in heavy oil. They are either riding their bike (towing a large electrical transformer or wagon of watermelons) or working out at a park like this. We have heard from both of our guides that things are really changing now, however with lots of people buying cars when they never had them before. This explains the increase in air pollution and persistent haze we see (in spite of the beautiful sunset photo I took post-rainstorm from our hotel – not a typical shot I can assure you), and we collectively wonder what this change means for the future of China.
We would have loved to spend more time here but it’s getting really hot and nearly lunch time, so we find a cab and head back to the hotel for some food and to allow Zoe to nap.
Emma has been craving American food. We have heard rumor of McDonalds down the street, so I set off on a solo adventure while the girls stay behind. I found the McDonalds after a long walk, but unfortunately I could only find ice cream on their menu, so I return to the hotel empty-handed an hour later to a disappointed Emma and a napping Zoe.
Michelle stops by this afternoon with our official notary documents. We need to verify that all information presented is correct. Also included is the official story of her abandonment. Zoe was found at the Old Folk’s Home the day after she was born. She was transferred to the orphanage for the required 2-month period where an advertisement is posted in the local paper describing her to make sure nobody lost her accidentally. Then she want into foster care (this detail was provided by her orphanage director – it’s not in the notary documents) for 12 months or so before we came into her life.
After Michelle leaves we have a little fun time in the room. Turns out Zoe really likes to play ball, and seems rather talented at the game. Future hoops star? Maybe a bowler on the pro circuit? She continues to display excellent hand-eye coordination.
We returned to the restaurant we tried last night but with a larger group tonight. Zoe does well in the high chair after some initial protest, and is a bit puzzled by the sticky noodles that don’t seem to slide down her throat as easily as usual. Of course, sticky rice and egg soup are popular, and Emma gamely has yet another meal of Chinese food which is becoming a bit of a one-trick-pony to her.
Back to the hotel for some much needed baths. You would understand if you watched Zoe eat. Very willful – she displayed her prowess drinking from a sippy cup with no assistance, and continued to feed herself from a dish of rice and egg soup, using her spoon to scoop and eat. While she is adept at feeding herself, the food does not always hit the intended target and we feel like we are always leaving the restaurant in a scene of devastation – noodles everywhere, rice all over, and a stained tablecloth in our wake. Yet again, the waitress will not accept our tip no matter how hard we try.
One more set of baths in Nanchang. Emma has learned how to take a pill (her Malaria pill) using just a drink of juice. Earlier in the trip we were crushing it and adding it to applesauce, and she finally told me that she “dreaded night time in China.” When I asked her why, she told me it was the Malaria pill and the horrible bitter taste, so we implemented Plan B, and what excitement she had at this success in taking a pill the less painful route.
Zoe’s bath was the usual cacophony (chorus?) of protest. I have almost gotten her ears entirely scrubbed clean but 15 months of dirt do not give up easily. And she is still stressed out by the separation from Karen during the bath. I will say, however, that once I got her bundled in her towel and out of the bathroom near Karen, she did not immediately need Karen’s embrace to calm. Just Karen’s presence was enough for her to quiet down in my arms, which is a huge gain from the last few days. Don’t get me wrong – she does find me hilarious. Just hilarious from a 1-foot (or greater) distance.
Baby steps…
Emma takes a last look at the beautiful skyline from the hotel window (think lots of Christmas lights) and blows four kisses to the brightly-lit Tengwang Pavilion. One for each family member. She is sad to leave Nanchang, she tells me, but I remind her that heading to Guangzhou is one step closer to American food, and that provides a little comfort.
The family is all asleep, and it’s my turn too. More tomorrow. The 9 pm fireworks show has started across the river so I will fall asleep to the popping noise I hear outside.
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