After the Olympic Torch Relay, we decided to celebrate International Children’s Day ??????? which is also June 1. Children in China has been enjoying a full day of festivities since 1956! (Hat tip Wikipedia.)
We headed off to the grocery store to find a special snack and some cold water.
We ran into this little sister on our way to the store. Isn’t she precious? This baby carrier may not be as comfortable as the Ergo, but it certainly gets point for creativity!
His love for the motherland continues to grow!
Once inside the grocery store, we ran into Mickey & Minnie who were giving away free snacks. The last time Schäfer saw these mice he cried. Today, however, he was delighted.
Schäfer proudly holds out the snack Mickey gave him. We splurged on some Goldfish which were on sale for 20?($2.90).
And then another June 1st reality hit us: the nation wide NO free BAGS policy is in effect. The sign in yellow explains that plastic bags must now be purchased for 2mao each (3 cents).
We were able to cram our items into my purse.
At the square we enjoyed some cold water and goldfish.
Schäfer made friends with big sister who was feeding the pigeons.
Suddenly, a large crowd formed.
Once we got him away from the first large crowd, a second large crowd formed.
Look at this sweetie with her Olympic spirit and hua jiao bang.
From the city center, we were able to watch the torch cross the Three Gorges Dam. Who needs cable?
It was a good day to sell patriotic flags and stickers.
These guys were from Guangdong Province. We had a great chat with them. After swapping photos, I encouraged them to call their Mamma! They’ve been gone from home for a long time.
And then it was time to find a way home…
…but the buses were pretty crowded…
…so we walked for about 5 minutes until a taxi pulled over.
We looked at the people next to us and asked where they were going. They turned out to be university students heading back to school. They had gotten up at 4am and walked one hour to the final spot of the torch relay. We were so happy to give them a lift home.
I never, never tire of reading what you post… you have no idea how much I enjoy living in China through you… I guess for me it is like a little ‘fantasy’ bubble… it is so much more interesting then my life… where it is mostly work… I am sure Schafer is going to grow to either hate crowds or use to alot of people around him… take care
It really is SO cool that you guys get to be there and experience all the Olympic fun. Really awesome! I’m glad that you guys got to see the torch…and you didn’t have to get up at 4am.
I am exactly like Felicity….I can’t believe how much I feel like I am on the streets of China with you. It is so awesome to see such clear beautiful pictures of all the places you go and sights you encounter. And the people…..love seeing the people of China!
You look great Sandra! Do you love your ergo? It seems like it is one useful tool! How amazing to see all the Olympic festivities, I love getting an up close and personal view!