Guangzhou Zoo: June 19th

Today we opted to head to the zoo with several other Holt families. We knew it was going to be hot and humid (heat index reached 106) but we also have a lot of free days in Guangzhou and don't want to fill them all around the hotel. The zoo itself is amazing! We started with a Safari tram ride which is my favorite part. There are so many parts of this zoo and things that the keepers do that would never be allowed in the states but it makes for a really cool experience. On the tram ride there are keepers who throw food to the animals as we ride by in order to bring them out to put on a good show. While on the tram we saw tons of animals but to name a few: lions, white tigers, wolves, bears, zebras, giraffes, elephants. Ava and Ella loved the tram ride. We knew Ava would love it but it was fun to see Ella experience it for the first time.

After the tram ride we separated and all planned to meet up again at the end of the day. Now we were on to the walking part of the zoo and this is when it hit us just how hot it was!! Our first stop was at the icee machine for a cold drink! LOL! The Guangzhou zoo is beautiful with lots of gorgeous foliage and vines everywhere. We made it to the elephant show where the elephants played basketball and soccer. We also saw the koala bears. But a favorite part had to be the panda bears. The poor panda bears were so hot even that they were laying on blocks of ice! And they still looked hot!! They are so cute! I'd really just like to give them a hug. We saw monkeys hanging from nets above our heads. Ava was hollering at the keeper to “be careful!” We also got to feed the giraffes. Both the girls got into this. Ella was a little braver than Ava and was okay being a little closer to the giraffes but both girls loved feeding the giraffes.

Ella was off and on a happy camper while we were at the zoo. I honestly think that when she was unhappy was more because of the heat than it was the confusion and scared that we've seen. She was so happy and content when we were on the tram, watching the elephant show, and numerous times when we were inside the buildings looking at animals. But if we were outside for too long she was not a happy camper.

Once we got back on the bus to go home Ava quickly dozed off while Ella was ready to play. Ella was in a great mood eating corn by the cup (yes, you read that right), hitting knuckles, blowing kisses, stealing Baba's cap, and whatever else she could find to play with on the bus.

The rest of the evening consisted of bath, picking up dinner at McDonalds, playing in the room and bedtime. Lots and lots of smiles and laughs today! Loving watching her adjust and make progress.