11-30-09 Banyan Tree Temple and River Cruise

Today we started off with shots for Meilin (3). We didn't hear our alarm (the girls were using the clock as a ball the night before) and almost slept through our appt. We got the shots done and then our guide ran our paperwork over to the US Consulate for submittal. Then we tried breakfast at the other part of the Victory Hotel (we are in the add on section about a block away) and we really like it, it had a few more choices and also Belgium waffles.

In the afternoon we headed to the Banyan Tree Temple, a Buddhist temple with working Monks. The couple we are with wanted to get their daughter blessed by the monks there. It was an interesting event. There was some chanting and banging of instruments and wood blocks, a little purified water sprinkled over the toddler and parents, and then a donation to the temple. It was kinda neat to see. We opted not to have Meilin blessed. We do love the Banyan trees though, they grow so large and spread out, they would make a great tree house tree.

Banyan Tree

After the temple we went to the Jewelry wholesale market. It is huge as you can see from a pic below, there are hundreds of stores, many of them selling mainly the same things. It was actually very hard to select anything as there were so many choices. We had a pearl bracelet and necklace made for Meilin, bought a few silver beads and then we took off to get ready for our Dinner Cruise.

On the way home we stopped for french fries and ice cream. What a perfect combination!

White Swan Hotel Christmas Tree and Waterfall in the Lobby

In the evening we took a Dinner Cruise on the Pearl River. The river flows right down the middle of Guangzhou and if you followed it to the ocean it comes out right at Hong Kong. The food was ok to me, but the girls loved it, especially the noodles. Meilin couldn't get enough. They light up alot of the buildings and bridges along the river and it is very pretty! There was also an entertainer on the boat that did different acts of juggling, balance and comedy. Meilin and Meigan had a great time watching her and were giggling and clapping.