Bayi Park

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When I think of parks, I automatically picture the little parks in Michigan with slides, swings, picnic tables and different things for kids to climb. But I should have known that when Licho mentioned going to “a” park that she actually meant going to “the” park. I say “the” because Nanchang has one major park in the middle of the city and it’s where everyone goes to play and hang out. The park is called Bayi Park and I found few web sites that really do it justice. It seems like every time I go to this large park I see something new. Apparently, it takes an hour to walk around the edge of the park (something I read online), so it’s quite large.

I took some video during a previous trip to Bayi Park of an elderly exercise group. . If you would like to see a video, I have included a link. I should mention that my normal video site is acting funky, so I have uploaded these to Prompfile. You will need to click “continue to file” and then “continue” again in order to see the videos. There will also be an ad pop-up. I hope that doesn’t dissuade you from watching:

http://www.promptfile.com/l/C03A31860A-9EFC26F2D3



http://www.promptfile.com/l/34D428FAA7-66760B5A3E

During the summer, Zac, Lauryn, Ava and I rented paddleboats and enjoyed a little tour of the lake in Bayi Park. Later, Ava and I went back and rented a motorized boat. I was really excited to let Ava drive it because the boats go at such a slow pace, but I made the mistake of buying her bubbles before we got in the boat. She drove the boat for about 2 minutes and then told me to take over to that she could send bubbles parading across the water. She had fun though and that’s all that matters when bubbles and boats are concerned.

On the particular day with Licho, Tom (Licho’s husband), and their daughter Lisa, Ava and I visited the children’s section of the park. Outside the entrance to the park there were many toys for sale and cotton candy, hot dogs, and other foods that appeal to kids. Inside the park, there were plenty of rides that unfortunately a bit pricey. It always irks me when people take advantage of parents by overcharging for something that they know kids will cry and beg for until parents relent. One of the rides the girls chose was a boat ride. They were given a little net to catch plastic balls that were in the water. They put the plastic balls on the fronts of the boats. I think the girls really liked this ride. Here is the link for the boat video:



http://www.promptfile.com/l/CD58B3D5B1-E87EAE52BD

There was also a play area that was reasonably cheap. One of the main attractions for the kids was a zip line. Ava was terrified of the idea when she saw that a small height was involved. Lisa had previously mastered the zip line though. Here is a video of Lisa using the zip line:

http://www.promptfile.com/l/0C54401D23-511B5F1745

After Lisa used the zip line, the girls started playing in another area. Licho and I were chatting and a few minutes had passed. Ava ran up to me and told me that she had used the zip line without me watching! I was a little nervous about it because she had just taken the cast off her hand a few days earlier. She was really excited that she had done it and asked me to watch her go down the zip line again. Of course, I was excited for her and took video of her using the zip line twice. Here are the videos:

http://www.promptfile.com/l/2785EF135E-49D18E5689

http://www.promptfile.com/l/3797EBE3B5-1E8E62990D

After this, the girls wanted to catch some fish. This also involved a little net and three little fishing holes. I think Ava could have done this all day. She was really mesmerized by the fish. There are few things that hold her interest for longer than 3 minutes, so I loved watching her catch them. Here is the video of Ava and Lisa catching fish:



http://www.promptfile.com/l/49E9CCD00B-6FDEC027F1

After we had finished with the park, we walked down a pretty street that was lined with trees and little shops filled with children’s clothing. Lisa had stopped outside the gate of the park and asked Licho and Tom for a book of stickers. They had wanted to buy Ava some stickers too, but she wanted a bubble gun instead. I allowed her to buy it with her allowance money and she was quite thrilled with the fact that it also played a catchy little tune. She walked down the street with music and bubbles coming from her hand. Everyone stopped to look at her and kids stopped to play with the bubbles. She was so excited. Here is a video:

http://www.promptfile.com/l/C302F6CA6F-DB4E78F9DE

Later, we all had some noodles from one of the little shops and then drove home. It was a nice way to spend a morning.

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Photos

Boating
Yes, we can drive under this bridge and we did!