Yesterday we went on the world’s largest OPERATING Ferris wheel. It seems Nanchang built the largest one, and Shanghai, not to be outdone, built an even bigger one. However, Shanghai’s doesn’t work. We sat in an enclosed cable car and got a great bird’s-eye view of Nanchang during the 1/2-hour journey around the wheel. It’s a city of 5 million with dozens of cranes building new high rises. We traveled with our new friends from Littleton – Peter, Chris, their daughter Seneca and their new 16-month-old adopted baby Zoe, who is as cute as a button.
Then it was off to Wal Mart China-style. A two-story store, the top level has clothes, toys, toiletries, etc. The bottom level is all food. There are huge bins of rice and mung beans. There is very fresh fish – they are still swimming around in a big tank. You can also buy beer, wine, dried nuts, fruit, Honey Nut Cheerios and much more. While I didn’t see any t-shirts made in the USA, most had slogans in English. Couldn’t find even one with Chinese writing.
Across the street from Wal Mart is the city’s first Starbucks and a KFC that on its first day of operation had the highest grossing sales of any KFC worldwide.
In the afternoon during nap time, Robin worked out and then Heidi and I swam in the Olympic-sized hotel swimming pool, It’s surrounded by glass on three sides with a glass cathedral ceiling. When you arrive, you receive an electronic bracelet with a code that opens a numbered locker, stocked with hand and bath towels and a pair of plastic slippers. They are very fussy about towel return and wearing a bathing cap!
For dinner, we ate at the restaurant buffet with an in incredible variety of choices – from pizza to sushi to Ramen noodles to a wok filled with “fried meat when height.” It looked like undercooked bacon with veggies, but I still can’t figure out the label. For dessert there was green tea Haagen Daz among other more traditional flavors. Also green tea cheesecake!
On the kid front: Dian has full set of teeth and is 2 1/2, but the mainstay of his foster home diet was formula, so Heidi and Robin are introducing him to a whole variety of foods that he is taking to immediately. His favorite seems to be meat with green onion sticks and grape juice.
Last night he finally smiled at his sister’s antics. I bought some small toy fire trucks, and he likes to make the wheels go around and carry them around in a plastic bag. He’s learning to protect his possessions from Selam by pulling away and turning his head.
It’s 6:30 a.m. and the kids are up. Selam wants my attention, which is why I originally wrote this after bedtime. More later…
Kommentare