10:19 PM

Today Brandon was finally able to leave the floor after they took his IV out. We decided to get the kids out and go to the park. We walked from the hotel room to the park (about a mile away). It was in the 90's today with the humidity as high as ever. We thought it would be fun for the kids but they were miserable. Since Brandon CAN NOT get dehydrated we only made it to the front of the park. Maybe next time.... So we went back to the hospital and had water & fruit ice cream cones. Tonight they had a pizza party on the floor. Today we asked the interpreter what "potato strips" were & we learned that they are french fries - AND they are! They are almost like American fries (they just don't have salt which is fine with us). We also ordered spaghetti. It's actually better than American spaghetti! It's spicy with jalapenos which make it really good. It had meat balls in it & I tried not to think about what animal that meat came from. We had to eat early so we could take mom, Courtney & Nick dinner. John, Brandon & I walk outside and it's pouring down raining. Not a single taxi could be found so we start walking to the hotel. I had rubber thongs on & they kept slipping so I ended up taking my shoes off. We looked like drowned rats by the time we walked the half mile to the hotel. We were almost to the hotel when 2 doormen ran out to us with umbrella's to help protect us from the rain (it was a lost cause - we were drenched!).We learned today that we shouldn't tip people here. Apparently they can lose their jobs if they accept tips. Every since we arrived we've been giving the food delivery guys & the door men who find us taxi's all a small tip (10-20 RMB's which is $1.42 - $2.85 US dollars). Tomorrow we get to go sight seeing for the first time. We are going to the beach and to Jimo which is like a large flea market. We're looking foreword to seeing something outside of our 1 mile radius.

Pictures: 1st- Family picture in the park - Qingdao, China 2nd- They have people here on bicycles who pick up trash from the streets. They are everywhere! Guess that explains why you rarely see trash on the ground. 3rd - A 3 wheel pickup in front of The People's Hospital where we are staying. 4th - These motorcycles are every where! Apparently they're the vehicle of choice here. 5th - A great scenic picture.