Guangzhou Foreign Language School

In March, the kids and I went to Guangzhou, and Gary came a few days later.  We were there for the opening day of the school year.  

Here is R-Man with his classmate.  The kids each stayed with a student from the school, but since they were on vacation, R-Man and his friend stayed with a teacher and his wife.

Here is Pooks and her new friend, Janice. 

First day, we went to a traditional Chinese village.  

This is PeiWen, who stayed with us... see the previous post... showing us a melted sugar treat.

And this is a man making a sweet treat out of smashed peanuts and sugar. 

The whole group of us.  

This is day two, an amusement park. 

Doesn't the name say it all? I remember when I used to go on all the rides and think how boring it must be for my parents, who just sat and watched us.  Well, I was right.  It looks great, but I don't go on anymore, and other than watching the kids woosh by for about 4 seconds, the main highlights are lunch and a bench in the shade.  

One of the great 4 seconds! 

The next day was a family day for the kids where they each had their own adventure, so we headed to MY favorite place, IKEA.  Now, we didn't really plan to buy anything, because who can really carry a Henmes bed and bureau in the airport, but it is fun just to visit Ikea to see what the local take is on home decor.  

So kitchens here have teapots, chopsticks, and rice cookers.

Also, most apartments have a small porch for drying laundry and plants, so that is a prominent feature here. 

There is also an escalator for the carts.

Here is Gary, with our cart. 

Can you find me?  I am waiting to check out. 

Next day, after the school opening ceremony, we went down town.

Can you guess what this is?

While walking around, we came across a temple.  And because it was Lunar New Year, there was a lot of worshiping going on. 

I like this juxtaposition of the old temple, and the new mall.  

Here the kids are at a museum, with the Guangzhou Canton Tower in the background. 

The museum. 

Now we are heading to the top of the tower.  See that bump around the edge?  That is where we will be. 

This is the view of the ground from the top of the tower. 

The kids are standing on a glass floor. 

This is their sneakers (plus my boot) and the view through the floor. 

There is also a slingshot ride on the top of the tower. 

And bubble cars that take you around the edge. 

The tower lights up as it gets dark, so here we are at the end of the day. 

Here are some of the color variations of the tower. 

Which one is your favorite?