Wo ai ni - I love you

What a difference a day makes! Today was a fantastic day of behavior by both Magnus and Apollo.  Apollo is really becoming so much more comfortable with us and Magnus.  Dozens of times today unprovoked he would say "Wo ai ni <baba/mama/didi>". After breakfast, we made a trip to the playroom while our room was cleaned.

 

 

 Then it was back to the room for some hide and seek.

 

Next we decided to walk over to wal-mart and get a few more snacks and a few cheap toys for the boys to play with in the room and on the plane (very exciting that we are talking about the flight home soon!).

 

 

 

 

 

Dana had lined up a local personal shopping companion that she had learned about on Facebook. She took her out shopping for a couple hours and got wholesale prices at the toy market, pearl market, and more. She recommended not going to the jade market because it was overpriced. She said that a guy was coming to the hotel later Monday night with a suitcase of jade that he would come to the room and sell. Sounded a bit shady, but it does make sense that he could sell much cheaper without needing a storefront. As I type this, Dana is in the other room looking through the pieces. Only in China, right!  

Our guide had told us about a park that was a few blocks away, so this evening we decided to take a walk over. The boys both wanted Dana to carry them, so we strapped them both into the carriers, and off we walked. 

 

 

Turns out it was about a 15 minute walk. Poor Dana was drenched in a combination of her own and the boy's sweat by the time we arrived.  The boys and Dana were happy to be "unchained".  The parks in China are quite different than in he US. They all seem to be areas meant for a combination of exercise for adults and peaceful meditation. They even had a decibel meter on the walking path to make sure you weren't being too loud. The boys tested out the upper limits of the acceptable range!  We walked around for about 20 minutes to find a place the boys could play, but no luck.

 

 

 

 

 

I put on the carriers and we headed back. I was already sweating even before putting the boys on me, but by the time we arrived at the restaurant back near the hotel, I wasn't sure if I was soaked because of the rain that had started or if it was truly all sweat.  Sorry if that is too graphic!

Tomorrow we have an early departure for Safari Park. We are hopeful for good weather and good behavior!  Consulate appointment the following day and then we are in the home stretch!