Feeling Like a Freak on a Leash

It's kind of hard to write a post about nothing, but here goes. Our day yesterday was pretty quiet. We got up exhausted and went down to check out breakfast. Not too bad with some western and Chinese selections. Just as an aside, this place is sooo much like Nanning where Hannah is from. The hotel is so much like the Majestic in Nanning--faded elegance. The city is a lot like Nanning, too. Same smells, same stares...But we're enjoying it so far.

So, we spent the day exploring the area we are in. Next to the hotel is a really nice mall. Very upscale and nice (read expensive). Of course we can't afford anything there. Apparently neither can the locals because while the mall is very busy, the stores are empty. This leave us a little worried that on the "night of a thousand bribes" with Leah that we won't be able to afford to buy her anything. Outside of the mall on the streets are a lot of other less upscale shops. We managed to find a grocery store to buy water and McDonalds, KFC, and Pizza Hut. Don't worry, we will make an effort to avoid going there all the time.

After that we napped, walked around some more, Skyped the girls and went to bed. We are quite the adventurers!

A special thanks to Korn for summing up how we feel here. As an example, when we were walking in the mall yesterday, we ended up on the top floor which was all restaurants. They all had walls of windows into the main mall area lined with booths. As we passed one of the windows, a young boy gaped at us and pointed, telling his mom and dad. What to do at that point? Either stare back, ignore it or do what we did, smile and wave. A couple of freaks on leashes.

Today we have a tour in the morning so we'll get to see a little more of the area.

Here are a few pics from our day.