The Dragon Slayer and Peoples Park

Yesterday on the phone Skylar asked me if we have seen a dragon yet. She told me that when I saw a dragon that I needed to take a picture of it and bring it home. Then, just to be certain that she was perfectly clear she said, “Bring home the PICTURE of the dragon, not the dragon.” So now it seems wherever we go we are looking for dragons. Today we found one in Peoples Park.

Peoples Park is this oasis in the middle of Nanning. We are walking on the busy, dirty streets of Nanning, passing by tiny shops. Then, when you turn into this huge park tucked behind the shops and buildings it as if the city just disappears.

There is gigantic koi pond in the center of the park. On this Sunday morning, families can be seen riding small boats on the pond or sitting on the edge feeding the koi. Also along the perimeter of the pond you will find musicians and singers, most of which were performing together in small bands. Some were playing violins; some were playing traditional Chinese instruments. Other people were practicing their tai chi under the cool shade of the large banyan trees. There were carnival-style games and in one section of the park called “Happy Time” there were even carnival rides including a large Ferris wheel. Throughout the park people can be seen strolling along while their children ate ice cream bars or chased after silly mylar balloons shaped like a dog which was even weighted so it even looked as if you were taking your (mylar) dog for a walk. Elderly gentleman sat at tables and played mahjong while smoking a cigarette.

Our other adventure for the day was “crossing the street” that you saw in our post yesterday. Are you laughing? I’m not kidding. When crossing the street in China everyone basically has to fend for themselves. Yes, there are stop lights and cross walks but I’m not really sure why. People walk in between cars and scooters and will stand in the middle of the street until they have a big enough opening to walk between the next set of MOVING vehicle. It is not for the faint of heart.

We basically had a great day today… until we found out that the orphanage fee went up $500 and our agency didn’t tell us until today. Oh ya… and now we have to pay the money in Chinese yuan. Sounds simple until you realize that you are only allowed to convert $100 USD at the hotel per day, and we need to have the money by Tuesday. I guess instead of focusing on the small stuff I should just remember that after waiting 34 months we are going to have our daughter in less then 24 hours!