Pretty much on the dot, Schäfer wakes up at 2:30pm and wants to go outside to play. On 8/03, it was a hot, August afternoon. I took Schäfer to an enclosed playground in the Children’s Park. It cost 5 kuai (72 cents) for 1.5 hours of fun. Sure, it was nothing like Beijing, but it was better than our living room.
Schäfer had a good time, but he was hot and not really focusing on his play.
Then, the very next day, my neighbor, Ting, told me that she found an indoor play area and asked if we would like to come check it out.
Oh, my! Now this is a great place to play…with air-conditioning. We bought a one month membership for 100 kuai. ($14.49)
It had two levels of netted corridors and mazes to get lost in.
Schäfer loved the zip line.
Many an August afternoon, it was quite busy with LOTS of Moms and kiddos. Such a great place to meet people!
The spillage on the trampoline is a split pants mishap. Being in this public space every afternoon gave me many opportunities to learn about potty training in China.
You can also see that the ages of the kids are quite varied. There were creepers, crawlers, toddlers and even 5 year olds playing together.
Chen Yu and her Mommy, Zhi Qiong, joined too. Unfortunately, it took 2 buses to get there, but with buddies on the bus, the ride went by quickly.
We went almost daily while we were in Yichang. Schäfer loved it!
Here’s a video mostly taken on a rainy morning when we were the first customers of the day. Trust us, this play area could get pretty crowded.
The Playground from shorel & sandra on Vimeo.
