Super Angie...CHINA day 6...Turning 8...

HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY DALLIN!

Our start time was later then other days--10am, so we slept in and took it easy. Infact, at breakfast, we were the only ones down there we knew. The front desk people let Dallin feed the fish...he was having a great start to his birthday already!

We took off on the bus and headed for the Beijing Zoo. There are only 4 zoos in China that have Giant Pandas, and this is one of them. What a magnificant treat to see the pandas. These pandas were so frisky and Pat and I just laughed and laughed as we watched them push each other around and play. Some were sleeping until these two playful ones (we called them the twins) rolled over to them and woke them up. Soon the workers brought some food out and we enjoyed watching them eat breakfast. My eyes did swell with tears at the beauty of these creators. They were wonderful to see in person. And it was so cute to see the national pride that David had for the pandas as well. What a treat. I feel soooo blessed! Dallin got a small panda toy as a birthday gift.

Next we went to the National Gardens. They turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip. It was a lot like the Polynisan Culture Center in Hawaii, but because it was winter, there weren't any shows or dancers, although a few people in costumes. We enjoyed seeing the different huts, houses and buildings from through out China and we LOVED the Tibet section of the park, complete with a real Lama who showed us a temple. It was very neat and so colorful. Really, it was a treat to go there. Again, we contributed to the Chinese economy by buying fun items for sale. I finally got my Chinese umbrellas that I plan on putting in my entry hallway. :) I love buying things for a buck each! lol

Next we went to a street market where our tastebuds were tested.

Scorpian Anyone? Why not!?! Its actually quite good. Yes, thats right, Angie who is so scared of bugs and snakes and creepy things actually ate a fried scorpian. It was a alive until the cook through it in the hot oil...gross! He sprinkled chili peper on it and that actually made it taste pretty good. Don't worry, I got it on film, which I'll post later! LOL

I also finally tried these scary looking things on a stick. Turns out they are strawberries on a stick that has been dipped in like a karol syrup or something so they were like candy. YUMMM. Wish I had known earlier what they were...I wouldn't have been so scared.

I had seen a lot of people walking around eating corn on stick, but it wasn't very yummy. I ended up throwing half of it away (as did other tour members). But the deep fried banans with sugar on them was SOOOO good! I could eat those daily, although then I wouldn't be able to fit into my new jeans. lol

Next we went to a market next to the Pearl Market. We didn't like them very much, so Jordan, Dallin and I made our way next door to the Pearl Market where we had fun teasing the sales ladies. I offered to sell Dallin for 5 Yuan. The ladies though that was pretty funny. I ended up getting a great deal on a purse--$10 for a polo bag!! At the last market, Jordan bought a zippo lighter with Bin Laden's picture on it. HILLARIOUS! He and Dallin also started buying these little plastic toy monkeys that suck tumbs (he also had a deck of cards with Hussain's picture on it...totally funny). Anyway, Jordan walked around the market saying, "Osama Bin Laden Monkey Monkey!" as he held up the lighter and the monkey--it was too funny. I don't think I have laughed this hard. He is a funny kid! He turns 16 at the end of December...hope he isn't a wild driver! lol Anyway, hanging with Dallin and Jordan at the markets was a lot of fun--they both would randomly tell the vendors things like "5 monkeys, $1" or "Gucci gucci monkey". Its all about the monkey and being very very silly.

We ended our shopping day by going to New World Shopping Center. This is an actual mall and it was so festive--Christmas music blaring, lights, trees, cute clothes. We only had 30 minutes here, which we all pretty much spent at Starbucks and haggen das. :) Yumm..the ice cream was so good. "Winter's Night" was playing while we sat in Starbucks eating ice cream and drinking hot chocolates. Such a nice atmosphere. We met in the lobby of the Marriot Courtyard hotel which was very pretty. I loved their gingerbread houses and their large Christmas tree. It was so pretty that I think I may go back there Tuesday night just look around and relax. The atomsphere was very cool. I love big citites. This area really reminded me of a cross between New York City, Tokyo and Munich. It was like Munich because I felt so at home there--cozy and warm feeling, but like New York and Tokyo because of the hussel and bussel. I love Beijing!

We ended our night at the Acrobat show. It was fun seeing another show. This one was different from last year. I love seeing these people bend their bodies and do in-human things! Wendi, you would have loved the guy who tapped and juggled. He got up to 10 balls while tap dancing. It was amazing and I actually recognized some of the tap moves from our old class! :)

When we got back to the hotel, we found a birthday cake waiting for us in our room. So, we invited some of our favorite tour friends over for cake. Susan brought some drinks and we just had a wonderful time. Jordan gave him a deck of Zoo cards and Stacy gave him a sea shell. I was so touched by the friendlyness and love everyone showed to my son. He had the best birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DALLIN!!!!