We decided to go to Baiyun Mountain. Dad decided not to due to allergies. As we were walking to the city bus stop (outside our campus), we were told by another teacher that the shuttle would be available, since it was a school day (this Thursday and Friday are off, but not officially national holidays. Schools give an extra couple days off to make it a full week of holiday - including the weekend. HOWEVER, they make us make up for those two days off by asking us to teach on another weekend. So, apparently, we had to teach the Thursday schedule today and Friday's schedule some Sunday. We didn't know about it, since the notice announcing it was in Chinese). I say, forget the couple extra days off and give us back our weekend...
By the time we got to the Baiyun Mountain, it was around lunch time and everyone was pretty hungry, so we decided to grab a bite before exploring the delights of the mountain. We ate lunch at a fairly expensive restaurant - a big rip off!!! - and we didn't even get much of a view. Following lunch we went to a nearby garden, where we were charged to get in, despite the fee we had to pay at the entrance of the mountain. (Man, they really milk you for everything little thing here). The youngest two were free and H. had to pay half price. They don't measure "children" by age here, but by height. So, if you have a tall parent and are unusually tall for your age, you're out of luck. However, if you're a "little person" this country is the cheapest vacation you'll get anywhere. There were wading pools with tadpoles, ponds with coy and gold fish, fun paths around the garden, flowers, trees, and ponds. The girls played in a giant jungle gym, while I explored other parts of the garden to see what else they could enjoy. Then everyone (except mom) took our shoes off and waded in the pools provided. The water was glorious and was very refreshing in that humidity. We fed the fish, had ice cream, and walked around. We pretty much enjoyed the garden to ourselves, right until the last half hour or so when a group of roudy, unsupervised, middle schoolers found their way in.
We ate dinner and spent the evening playing games on the computer and watching TV. The kids really like watching Chinese opera. S. thinks that it IS a bit entertaining, especially the dance/fight scenes, but I don't like it at all.
