Shamian Island and Guangzhou Zoo

Yesterday we traveled with our group to Shamian Island. This used to be the place adoptive families came for their Consulate appointment, but a few years ago the Consulate moved to Guangzhou. There are still lots of souvenir shops and restaurants, so it's a fun place to spend a few hours.

The shop owners are a bit much, though. They are well versed in hassling Americans to buy their stuff.
Ugh, it got so annoying...
Come in, come in! What you looking for?
Ah, you need get daughter this! Very important!
I give you good price. Ya, good quality.
Handmade, very nice.
Ah, you so pretty!

Look what we found amongst the, uh...junk *stuff*.


For lunch we ate at Lucy's. It has American food (don't judge).
Mina ate a hamburger and fries.
We also had packed a kiwi, so it wasn't all bad! :)

Shamian Island reminds me of Savannah or Charleston.
It felt very Southern...of course, this didn't hurt the elegance and charm...

This morning we went to the Guangzhou Zoo.

The picture below is my all time favorite.

See the cute little one in the mirror peeking over the seat to see the peacock?!

I'm pretty sure this was her first zoo experience -- it was precious watching her see all the animals.

I would say the pandas were her favorite.

Oh, and today was the first day Mina rode in a stroller!
My back sang the Hallelujah chorus the entire morning! :)

We went to a lunch with the group after the zoo, and I'd say Miss Mina ate more than anyone!
At one point she had a huge chunk of bean sprouts hanging out of her mouth with a big cheesy smile.
It was hilarious!
I hope she's this good of an eater when we get home!
(Which is in THREE days! Not that I'm counting or anything. Okay I am.)