Sunday in the Park

Sunday morning Zoe was a bit under the weather, probably due to her vaccinations the previous day. Our usually cheeky monkey practically fell asleep at breakfast. She had a slight fever too, so we decided to take it easy all morning. In the afternoon we ventured out to explore Liuhua Lake Park. Liuhua means "Flowing Flowers", a name said to date back to the Han period when palace maids tossed petals into a nearby stream while dressing their hair. The park is very beautiful, and despite the rain, we managed to get a few good photos.

To get there we had to go through a tunnel beneath the street.

Just outside the park gate we saw this cat. I wondered if they mark feral cats with purple ink for some reason, or if this kitty had a fight with a squid.

We saw many beautiful old banyan trees...

lush landscaped walkways...

scenic bridges...

a funny sign near the lake:


an area where people did funny exercises on machines and played ping pong and badminton:

and then we came upon a quaint little amusement park, where we heard "Auld Lang Syne" and "Oh Christmas Tree" playing on loudspeakers:

Zoe liked the balloons:

Many Chinese couples go to the park to get wedding photos done in Western-style attire.

In modern Chinese weddings, Sherry told us, the bride changes clothes at least three times. She might start out wearing a western style white dress for a church or civil ceremony. We saw a store on Shamian Island that sold very expensive-looking wedding gowns.

The bride would then change to a traditional red cheongsam for the tea ceremony and reception. Red is considered good luck and can help drive away evil spirits. Before the end of the reception, she would change into a cocktail dress to greet the guests and then see them off at the door. The brides we met were very happy to have their picture taken!


One bride insisted on taking a picture of her groom with Kevin and Zoe too!


One thing we find amusing is the reaction we get from Chinese people. Often we catch people staring at the three of us. We wonder what they are thinking. Usually, when they see Zoe in her little carrier they smile, laugh, and sometimes even touch her cheeks. I asked Lucia what people are saying when they see Zoe, and she said they are commenting that she is "funny" and "nice." And evidently, her hair is pretty wild even by Chinese baby standards. I am OK with a funny, nice baby!



After a while, we were drenched in sweat and Zoe started getting a little tired and hungry so we headed back to the hotel.

The China Hotel Marriott

Crystal chandelier in lobby

When we got back, we chilled out in front of the TV for awhile. We have discovered that Zoe loves to watch T.V....soon Sam will have someone to watch it with!


Mostly, we play with Zoe on the bed. That is her favorite pastime!

She loves to be propped up with all of her toys in front of her. She also likes to roll around on the bed, babbling and giggling. Sometimes we sing "My Zoe Lies Over the Ocean" while rocking her back and forth on our legs...that makes her smile too.

We stayed in for dinner (I had noodles and Kevin had PBJ), watched a little more TV, blogged, and then went to bed. Life is pretty easy here! No work, no chores, no laundry, no cooking. I still CAN'T WAIT to get home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think I finally wore out Mom and Dad!