Scenes from the real Guangzhou

I'm attaching some photos from our excursions into the City of Guangzhou - we were really just across the bridge from Shamian Island where we are staying but it is an entirely different world. It is very quiet and lovely here on the Island but it is not a true reflection of much of the culture of China. Terrell coaxed Grandma Barbara and I off of the island as he has quite the adventurous streak as many of you know. We were a bit skeptical at first but so glad we joined him. The sights and sounds and smells were amazing and so, so different! There is a huge open air wholesale market of medicinal items just across the bridge from our little paradise here. You just wouldn't believe the things they were selling in huge clear plastic bags. I'm not sure if it is all for medicinal purposes or perhaps just a food market too. But they were selling things unrecognizable to me except for the snake skins and starfish and horsefish (is that the right word?). The men brought huge, and I mean HUGE, loads of this stuff to market on the backs of their bikes, or carts pulled by bikes or loaded on their backs. The number of people around also was amazing. Masses of people walked down the side walk and we had to scoot to the side to avoid being walked into sometimes! Jia was riding in her carrier on her daddy and was so content to be out and about. She was absorbing everything and seemed so happy. If you think about it she has probably rarely, if ever, been much outside the walls of the orphanage, and all of the adventures she has taken in these past 3 days in awesome if you thing about it. She continues to do very well. She is a bit fussy as she has 2 more teeth breaking through on the bottom to join the two beauties she has up top. We're trying to keep her as comfortable as possible. She awoke once last night about 12:30 am but quickly went back to sleep after a bit of Ori-Gel to stem the pain. Poor sweetie. Love to all - will post again soon - I hear her waking for the morning!