Blessing at Buddhist Temple

Hello All!

We had another busy day today.  We had an early start with the group.  We all went to a local Buddhist Temple to have our babies blessed by a monk.  It was pretty cool.  I have no idea what the monk was saying, but it was cool anyways.  A once in a lifetime experience.  After the temple, we went to a museum to see some artwork done locally.  Great architecture and sculpture.  Next we went to a state run store to shop.  Good prices, but no haggling.  We bought a hand painted tea set to pass on to Maya when she's older.  We arrived back at our hotel around 12:30 p.m.

This afternoon, I had to meet with our local rep., along with one parent for each child in our group, to fill out paperwork.  It took about 2 hours.  While I was gone, Sheila took Maya out in the stroller to check out some local shops.  She haggled very well with the shop owners, bringing back some great buys.  Sheila is really enjoying the game of bargaining with the shopkeepers.  She was so good, she even went back to one store that she purchased a bag from to exchange it for a nicer one.  Sheila worked them down considerably on a new price since the bag was of much better quality than the first.  Quite entertaining to see her in action.  I think we need to buy another suitcase for our new purchases.  We should be able to find a decent one for under $20.  

Maya had a great day today.  She was quite energetic, and all the families in our group, some we hadn't met, all said she was adorable.  She is!  She had so much fun playing on the bed, and the stroller was fantastic for getting around town.  We are making progress as new parents.  She even let me hold her for a moment or two for a picture.  It was cool to meet all the new people, and the one's from our earlier stay in Beijing, with their new kids.  Most are doing pretty well.  One family accidentally left all their cash and credit cards in the terminal at the airport.  Luckily, they still had their passports.  Our rep helped them get about $2000 more in cash.  Some of the families are having success bonding with both parents, but one is having trouble getting their little boy to attach to Mom.  At least we're not alone.  Patience, patience, patience.  That's what I keep reminding myself.  

Tomorrow, we all have to meet as a group to have our medical exam for the children.  It shouldn't be a big deal, just a lot of tears.  After that, we are all walking through town to shop as a group.  Molly, our Guangzhou guide, is taking us to more shops where the prices will be even better than here on the island.  We plan to find Maya a traditional Chinese outfit.  (I'm sure it won't be limited to just that.)  For lunch, Molly will be taking us all to a Cantonese restaurant to eat.  The afternoon is ours to do whatever we wish.  Probably more shopping.

We are looking forward to coming home, but the stay in Guangzhou has been so much nicer than in Nanning, we feel like we're on vacation.  

Love ya, Maya, Sheila, & Tim.