Free time!

As a run-down of our day today, we went back to the Liu Hua park during the morning - letting Amanda do lots more stair-climbing and dog-watching. We probably walked about four or so miles, got some noodles to go on the way back ($4 to feed us both from our favorite noodle shop!), and then put Amanda down for her nap. This afternoon we did more walking and sight-seeing with Jack, soaking up some Guangzhou history. It's called the Goat City based on an old legend about fairies bringing rice to the city long ago while riding on goats. The fairies left, but the goats stayed. ;) This statue of the Five Goats was made about 50 years ago and is very famous - you see it on billboards and signs all over the city.

We saw the Chen Family Memorial, with all its beautiful carvings, and even had some amazing traditional Chinese tea. Jack asked that we could try some very special tea. The woman served us the most amazing tea I've ever had. Jack called it Monkey Oolong tea, named for the fact that the tea leaves grow high up on the side of a mountain and can only be accessed by monkeys. Not only that, it's so rare that no shops really even sell it (including hers). It had such incredible flavor! Amanda even got to have some of her own tea (which she loved!) - a pot of cooled-off jasmine tea.

Our final sightseeing stop for the day was Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's Memorial Hall. He's from Guangzhou and very revered for being the "Father of the Nation" and was a unifying figure for China. Dinner followed with a delicious meal of noodles, dumplings, spicy beef, garlic green beans, and Chinese pancakes. A great end to another busy day!

We've really settled into quite a routine here. Jason starts his day with a run (while Amanda and I sleep!), everyone gets dressed, Skype with family, head down to the breakfast buffet and then out to appointments or sightseeing in the morning. Grab some lunch, back to the room to let Amanda nap (and sometimes we nap too!), and then an afternoon full of more walking around and sightseeing. It's beginning to feel less like we're parents trying to bond with our adopted child, and far more like we're just a family having a vacation. Amanda's adjusting so well to us that I'm already starting to forget that there was ever a time we were without her. God has been so good to us.