Today my tour guide returned and we met at 9am to see the local sights.
We first visited the Terra Cotta Warriors which were about 45 minutes outside of town in the mountains. The warriors were buried underground in tombs ages ago. They are life sized warriors, generals, even horses! There are many tombs to look at and one is probably nearly the size of a football field. I hoped to get a little more history about it, but L was all over the place! She wanted to walk everywhere. My guide told me to take pictures while she chased after L, but that meant I didn't get nearly the whole story of the Terra Cotta Warriors. There were many foreigners there as well as nationals, but I didn't see any foreigners carrying Chinese babies. I was definitely received with A LOT more smiles and greetings though. In fact, a group of college kids shared their picnic lunch with L! They were so sweet and they fed her some sort of meat stick, a cracker and LOTS of marshmallows. They got a big kick out of her and one even got to hold her for a picture.
We also went to a factory where they make warriors and handcrafted goods today. I didn't buy anything, but I wanted to buy the whole store! My guide told me not to feel pressured to buy anything, leading me to think that those things were expensive. The shop owner did say that he thought I was a good person and that anything I wanted would be half price. Tempting! Everyone was really pushing me to buy jewelry, a stamp with L's Chinese name on it, etc. One shopper came up in very good English and asked if my daughter is Chinese. I said yes and he smiled a huge smile and said, "You're a good mom." That made me cry. I almost lost it right in the store.
For lunch, my guide set me up nicely at a dumpling shop near my hotel. L didn't touch more than a bite and I brought back an entire plate of leftovers. Maybe she'll eat them later. My guide ate with me but she paid her bill before I could pay for her meal. More will go in her tip at the end of the week.
I returned to the hotel and it was time for some cool down time. It's hot here in northern China and I can't believe it being hotter down in Guangzhou. I want the Coke in the minibar so badly! I hope my husband has a big glass of sweet tea with ice for me when we come home on the 7th. (how's that for a hint?) I did a second load of laundry in the bathtub only to find that my khaki capris that I wore on Gotcha Day are ruined. It was a misty day and I think L's shoes were filthy and the black stains didn't come out. Darn. My favorite pair too.
Tomorrow my guide will take me to the city wall (just as you'd picture it, a huge brick wall surrounding the city) and the Wild Goose Pagoda. I'm very excited to visit the pagoda since geese are my favorite animal. And tomorrow is Children's Day in China, so public places will be very busy and there will be lots of people out playing with their kids. How awesome to be celebrating Children's Day in China with my daughter!
I've read lots of adoption blogs and have read of travel and people wishing they could just go home and be done with the trip. The traveler in me used to think, "oh, just enjoy it and take in every second." But i get it now. I am enjoying it, but i miss my men at home. It feels like I've been here a month and I'm very anxious to leave and head to Guangzhou to the Embassy and all our immigration appointments. I'll have another few days here while we continue to wait for L's passport to arrive. It will be nice to meet up with other American families in GZ and not feel like the only foreigner with a Chinese baby! And my time there will be short and full of appointments like the medical exam on Monday, the Consulate Appointment and oath on Tuesday and her US Visa arriving on Wednesday. Then we head home on Thursday. Phew! That will be a whirlwind! Looking forward to it.
Sorry no pictures. It was a full, hot, exhausting day and I'm beat. I'll upload some tomorrow, so check back then.
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| My guide with the college kids who shared their lunch with L. |
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| L and mama at the Terra Cotta Warriors. |
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| Breakfast at the hotel. The best time of day. |
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| Dumplings and spicy dipping sauce for lunch. L didn't touch them. |
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| My guide in Xi'an, Cathy. |
