Day 11!!!!

Yeah! 11 days down and 4 to go! Today was a free day to explore the area! As a group we all went to Shamian Island to pick up our laundry and to shop for about an hour. Let me tell you one hour is NOT enough time to shop! But we were able to pick up a few things. The real reason we came back to the island was for 2 of our families in our group have their TB test results read. Both girls passed, one had to have the x-ray because her skin test came back positive. After Shamian we headed to the pearl and jade wholesale. We had heard that a nice pearl necklace that costs $1000 in the US was about $200. And a jade bangle (that is very popular) sells for $300....we didn't get any of either. It's hard to shop with a toddler, in a busy market where the sales people speak a foreign language the currency is foreign and the desire just isn't there, so we just went a long for the ride! After that we were able to come back and freshen up at the hotel. Our guide told us to confirm our tickets home, so I did that while Dave took Lillie up to the room for a nap! We met again as a group and walked one block to a museum. This museum was entirely for a tomb that was found in the 80s, and it was built right over the excavation site. Since I love history I really enjoyed the museum visit. It amazes me how people buried their kings. It also dawned on me, that a lot of other people were buried with the king. At this site many of his concubine and servants were also buried with him. Again I was amazed at all of the ornate tools, jewelry and daily living items that were made and used 2000 years ago. I couldn't help but to think about how plain and simple and borrowed the tomb for the KING OF KINGS was. It doesn't matter what material things we gain in life, we cannot take them with us. How wrong this king was and the people who worked so hard on the items that were buried with him were! I saw beautiful items that were once beautiful thousands of years ago and are now rusted and corroded with years of weathering and I am so thankful that my treasures are stored up in a place where moth and rust cannot reach! On a Lillie note, she continues to show herself more and more to us. She is so sweet and has gotten more comfortable with me. In fact, she even reached for me on the bus today, Dave said it was because I had her cup, but I know she wanted me! I held her close and was singing softly to her when I realized she was singing too! What a precious moment! Her little voice was so sweet. She is a verbal child, but she is not saying any words, in Mandarin or English. China continues to amaze me: the old mixed with the new...every where you go!