Torch Relay....

Today we are heading back to Guangzhou, just a quick one day trip so that first thing on Monday morning we can pick up Tina's new passport.

Last time we were in Guangzhou, we were surprised to see that the Olympic torch was running right past the hotel we were staying at and we had hoped that we might get a chance to see them run by. We didn't, but we enjoyed seeing the crowd and how excited they were.

We had a second chance to see the torch here in Xiamen, but due to the fact that we didn't understand the Chinese telling us how the torch route was run.

After the devastating earthquake, the torch run was momentarily suspended and now it is continuing but with a lot less of the built up hoopla as a solemn show of solidarity and respect.

It just happens that we would have had a third chance to see the torch last Friday when we were in Shanghai. So for those keeping track, the two times that we travel to another city in China, it also happens to coincide with the time that the Olympic torch is also going through that city...

When we were heading down to the Metro subway, enroute to the train station for our 8元 train ride to Xitang, we started seeing a lot of the "I love China" t-shirts, the small flag and heart stickers on peoples faces, and the telling Olympic flags that everyone waves along the torch route. We got off of the train station and didn't see where the crowds were going, but because Tina had given her Olympic flag to a small child back in Xiamen we purchased a kit with both an Olympic and China flag from a guy on the subway. For 10元 we now had two new Olympic flags, two China flags (now we are up to 5 of these), and about 30 stickers. The stickers are hearts, flags, and the standard Olympic symbol - a lot of fun, and we gave a few of these away to children that were running around the airport last Sunday when we were waiting for our flight back to Xiamen.