HELLO FROM CHINA!!!

(Hello everyone! I wanted to get this on this morning, but time did not allow...so without any further ado... here's Amy!!!! ~~Cynthia)

Today we had all day to ourselves.....in other words...it was a "prepare thy self before you have a toddler handed to you tomorrow" kind of day!

We discovered the most amazing shopping mall I have ever seen! If we went every day this week we still wouldn't see all the shops that branch off this huge building. It is called Aqua City....there are the most wonderful shops I have ever seen. Most are based out of Japan, France, Germany, and China. The prices are so amazingly cheap that it is tempting to buy an extra suitcase and load up!! But the only purchases we made were lattes from Starbucks and journals from the bookstore.

The best area of the mall is the "Kid Park" on the top floor. Wow. I have never seen such a creative area combining children's retail and an indoor playground. It is geared for babies, toddlers, and pre-school age children. Hopefully my photos will come through to show the play area and shopping area. Oh, how many beautiful Chinese children I saw today! The little girls with their adorable boots and jackets, the babies with their split pants, and the boys....the sweet precious boys with bright eyes and high spirits! Haha.....

Walking the side streets beside the hotel, we discovered the usual small Chinese shops, crazy drivers, and locals living their lives. Two young boys were excitedly exchanging some kind of game cards...Maybe Pokeman or another popular cartoon? As we passed, they said, "Good morning" to us! I was impressed at their manners and English!

The elderly in China always catch my eye. My camera wants to capture their wrinkles and eyes since they both tell the stories of their lives. Enough about Rick..LOL

It was a wonderful day in Nanjing aside from the horrible food in our "Western" restaurant here in the hotel. The KFC and McDonalds around the corner are looking good...We are hoping to find the dim sum in the city!

Tomorrow we are to meet up with our guide to go to the Civil Affairs office and meet Aiden. I am very excited, but I also feel the nerves creeping in....I remember being so nervous when going to meet Kate and Grace...then the nervousness disappears and the mother kicks in.

Good night from China. My next post will be about Aiden....Zhang Yin Qiang.
Amy