Today we went to the International Horticultural Expo – a huge, landscaped theme park that reminded me a little bit of Disney World’s Epcot Center. This was a unique opportunity for us, because while it was a very elaborate event, it is only a temporary, 6-month exhibit. Our first stop was the native bird habitat, a giant caged area like the bird house in Forest Park. Some members of our group decided to have their pictures taken with the birds. The attendants placed meal worms in their hands to get the birds to flock around (yuck). The birds were extremely colorful.
When we left the bird habitat, we saw lots and lots of striking outdoor floral and topiary displays, but we couldn’t get into many indoor exhibits. The lines were incredibly long (3 hour wait in some). Our local guide cajoled one of the security guards to let us skip to the front of the line at one of the pavilions, but we mostly wandered around outside. Unfortunately, the temperature rose up near 100°F – brutal when you’re walking on black asphalt.
We finally gave up and headed back to the hotel. Along the way, we dropped off some of the adults who went for a Chinese foot massage. I opted for a long, cool shower instead. Then we all went to the Tang Dynasty Dumpling Show. We had over 20 kinds of dumplings, all in various shapes to match their fillings – little pigs for pork and fish for seafood – very artfully prepared as most Chinese food is. I even managed to master chopsticks for this meal. The show involved many different kinds of dances, also very beautifully choreographed and costumed with feathers and silk scarves.
