More from Nanning first week lessons

     The rest of our week in Nanning was essentially spent touring around the city with a lot of time to take naps and walks in the local parks while we waited for Ella's Chinese passport to come back.
Day 6  we visited the heritage museum. Was typical museum showing different tribes and customs of the region. The bronze drums  and all the artisan crafts were interesting. Good slow day.
Day 7 was a day on our own. Headed over to this huge park to play and picnic.

    I have this perception in my head of what life was like for Ella at the orphanage. I imagine she didn't get out much nor get to run and play in large spaces. Of course I have no clue the reality of it as the information we have on how she lived these past few years was reduced to a paper saying she like con-gee and rice, naps twice a day and likes to play by herself. From what I can tell the sheet of paper is standard issue as no matter how we serve it up she has yet to eat any con-gee. I tasted it and can totally understand why too. So the time we have in the park really was magical as we see her light up what we take as her first time down a slide and have the freedom to just be a kid and run, roll in the grass and stomp in puddles. We may not have been around for her first steps but can lay some big, proud claims on her enjoying her first slide down a slide, plane ride and I'm sure a ton of other firsts as time goes on.

We  head to Guangzhou this weekend.

     In the past whenever we traveled we would pack the day full from morning to night and having the agency plan our itinerary was a blessing in disguise as it was just the opposite. Half day of doing stuff and a ton of down time which really made things easier on us all as we learn Ella's needs etc. Our time in Nanning started out hectic and overwhelming but quickly ended relaxed and routine and we found this city was fun and culturally stimulating.  The city planners in China really surprised me with the vast amount of space dedicated to parks which afford you the ability to go somewhere quiet and relax in a city of a few million. If you do find yourself headed to Nanning be prepared for weather similar to Florida. There are tons of scooters everywhere and they go wherever they want and don't seem to follow any rules of the road. Crossing the streets is like playing frogger. Overall its not much of a departure from any major city in the U.S. and you can find just about everything you could want.
      If you stay at the Marriott be sure to walk around the corner to Umoli's bakery cafe, it looks like a coffee shop but was our favorite place to have dinner. The owner and her husband are wonderful hosts and committed to "clean" food. Dinners were inexpensive and amazing and from what we heard is also a great place for breakfast or a real cup of coffee. A must for any adoptive parents in Nanning.