Day 9 - A Park, A Temple, A Celebration

Today was a "group day" of activities. We started our day visiting Qian Ling Park, located within the city. It was unlike any city park I've ever been to. Even though it was very crowded, it was a very peaceful place. It spread over several acres and was surrounded by mountains. At the top of one the mountains sat a "huge" temple full of historical treasures. One of the main attractions (beyond the beauty itself) at the park were the native monkeys. I was told that over 700 of them live within the mountains of the park.

I provided several people laughter as I was walking down from the top of the mountain and had one of the monkeys within inches from my side. I didn't notice it right away and when I did, I jumped from being startled and thus the people around me found it humorous. Beyond that, there were several women exercising, people singing, families just being together enjoying the day. Here are some pictures from the park:

After the park we were off to downtown for a group lunch. Before the lunch we stopped at a temple near downtown. On the walkway to the temple, the backdrop of the "old" city contrasted by the "new". Here's a few pictures from that part of the day:

How about that beautiful little girl? Lize is truly amazing. She's like a little sponge and full of life. We sure do miss Zach, Will and Sofia and can't wait for them to meet Lize.

Our day ended by having a "birthday party" for the four girls. As all of them have celebrated their birthday's without us, it was decided to have a celebration for them. It was cake and fun for all (thank you David for the cake).

Tomorrow will be a travel day to Guangzhou.