Guilin, day two

Sorry I didn’t post this on the actual day…things are a bit busier with two and we had to pack up again last night, so blogging was cut from the to-do list!

Today we went to Elephant Trunk Hill and the Reed Flute Caves. Guilin is an amazingly beautiful place, everywhere you look it is breathtaking. It is actually a “resort town” destination for many Chinese people. There were little shops and street markets outside of our hotel and it was fun to walk and see the wares for sale. The sales people were very aggressive however, so it began to drive us a little batty. We never mind when people want to talk with us about our kids, but often it is very patronizing, just because people want a sale. I bought a print on rice paper of three Chinese women playing traditional instruments and a few other trinkets.

Eli and Em both had a great day. Em is slowly warming up to him and learning to tell us right away if he is pinching, “nibbling” or being too exuberant with his displays of affection. She still quite often just stands there whimpering and we keep reminding her to say what she needs quickly and loudly so that he knows where she stands and so that we can hear her!

She is helping a lot with different things, but quite often regresses a bit and wants to be held if he’s being held. Plus, we know that she is processing everything about China and being adopted. She has expressed to us several times, “I don’t like it when everyone is looking at me.” We can totally understand her point of view since the people in Guilin have been very up front and in our faces asking questions and lifting up the stroller canopy to peer in at her.

Ironically, she has taken to what she calls her “fanner”, the “Do not disturb” sign from the hotel and she has been wearing it as a bracelet while being wheeled in her stroller. She uses it to cover up her eyes…even though she doesn’t realize that it says in English and Chinese “Do not disturb!” How appropriate, no? I think you can see her fanner in the photo of her sitting on the cement pigs.