Here are some pictures that I took yesterday when we visited that cool part of Nanjing. I wish Dave had been able to see this area. It was a really interesting mix of old and new in terms of architecture, entertainment, shopping, and people, too! Marley & I soaked up many, many smiles and well-wishes from strangers during our two hours of strolling and shopping there. And I also don't want to forget to mention that our fellow travelers waiting for flights in the Nanjing Airport were about as friendly and sweet as I could have hoped for. Several people came over and practiced their English a bit with me, others gave Marley little pats on the head and blew her kisses. I guess I may never know why the reaction we got was so different in and around our hotel. Maybe people are used to seeing families travel in small groups and were curious to know why I was alone? Maybe, as someone mentioned in an email, they were not used to seeing blonde hair? Well, let me comment that I am also not used to seeing this blonde hair I suddenly have. I think there was a little communication break-down at the hair salon when I went to get my roots done right before our trip. When I said, "I don't want it so blonde this time", I believe my hairdresser heard it as "I want it sooooooooo blonde that I won't recognize myself in the mirror for weeks." A couple of other people emailed and said that maybe people were staring because I am 'tiny' for an American. I think that may stem from my comments about the 97 pound scale in Nanjing. Let me clear that up by saying that 97 pounds is about the square root of the product of my actual weight times 375 divided by 6.2 over the least common demoninator of 42 and 1376. . . .And I am 5'8", so not tiny at all!
Marley has her physical exam in this morning, which is really just a formality in the process to apply for her visa to enter the US. Not sure what is on the agenda after that, but two of the families I am traveling with now have been here before, so they have lots of good suggestions for the group.
Love to you all!
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