The days are getting shorter, and definitely colder. Earlier this week my friend called me and asked if we would like to join she and the boys for one last afternoon outing at one of our favorite parks, before the weather turns disagreeable for the duration.
Gongqing Forest Park is about 25 minutes' drive northwest of us, just on the other side of the HuangPu where it heads north to meet the Yangtze. 324 acres of trees and green space, it is labeled in reviews as "a nice patch of green in the city". Truly it is a refreshing bit of nature in the otherwise endless sprawl that is the concrete jungle of Shanghai. We've been there often for a number of the attractions found there. They have a small amusement park, some go-Karts, a loop-de-loop rollercoaster (that I would never get on or allow my kids to ride!) a climbing wall, pony rides, a little ride-on train and a small children's play area. Yesterday we were intent on enjoying the newly renovated and very well done climbing/adventure park. The weather was beautiful so we all enjoyed it, and the kids got some great exercise.
Conrad gives Vivi a ride on the zip line.
Vivi returns the favor.
Eddie's turn!
Then Vivi is on to the big tunnel.
With help from the signage we all managed to stay safe around the water zone.
We finished the day with a lovely ride on the carousel.
Last time we were at the carousel we were accosted by a strange smell. We finally identified it as the frog skins that the park workers were frying on a small fire nearby. Sorry I missed getting pictures of that one!
Eventually our adoring fans caught up to us
And then they got really bold and picked Vivi right up. I decided to take this picture as a good visual for a discussion on the Chinese version of "Good Touch, Bad Touch": When can someone take your picture? More importantly, are they allowed to pick you up?
On a more entertaining note, check out the pink bunny ears on the one chick's phone. You see them everywhere here!
Aside from the creepiness with the chicks picking Vivi up, which they often have no qualms about trying to do until told to back off, we had a very nice autumn afternoon.
Good bye Gongqing Park! See you in the Spring!
OMG!! They have no boundaries at all do they??
ReplyDelete