Day 9:

11/4/12 Today we went to the Chen clan Academy and Liwan lake park. We got back at 1:30. Samuel was so tired he fell asleep on the bus. So we opted to eat pizza in our room for lunch. Levi has not been wanting an afternoon nap and seems to hold up fine. After Samuel woke up we went to the Friendship Mall. We didn't stay long as its basically an American shopping Mall. Next we went to Jusco which is a 5 floor Walmart type store. We were looking for a straight iron as ours exploded from a power surge. We also happily discovered China carries Oreos!! We ate supper at a really good Taiwanese restaurant! Samuel and Levi downed a whole tray of dumplings! The weather is still great here, but up in Hohhot and Beijing its snowing! Our trip here is winding down. Tomorrow we go to get Levi's TB test read and Tuesday is our Consulate appointment. Wednesday we leave for Hong Kong so we can fly out early Thursday morning. Chen Clan Academy

Our guide Jack

Ship made of Ivory and bone

Liwan Lake Park

Day 8: Medical Exam

11/3/12 Day 8: Go to medical clinic for exam and TB test. Then jack came over to help us fill out our last document. Then we went to lunch with two other AGCI families. Came back to our room for naps and to get our laundry done. After naps we went down to see the waterfall and fish in our hotel. It was very pretty and peaceful. Guangzhou has many more trees and plants than Beijing and Hohhot. Meg, Katie, and Mark went swimming. The rest of us stayed in the room and relaxed. The pool is not heated and was VERY cold. (22 degrees Celsius) After they came back up we headed to dinner with another family who adopted from New Day as well. Being adventurous, we tried a local place. They were very nice and accommodating for our large group but we could only find 3 things on the menu that we were brave enough to try. (Didn't want to eat the donkey or pigskins). I think the waiters were laughing at us for ordering 3 things when we had 8 people! We ended up loving the dumplings so ordered more of those! Also got to experience seeing Chinese kids wearing split pants. This is worn instead of diapers. Very interesting to see but we were very curious as to where excrements go since there is nothing to catch it?! The weather here is great! Probably around 75-80 degrees. Tomorrow we meet our guide early to do some touring.

TB Test...so sad, but a lollipop brought a smile!

The hotel courtyard:

Day 7: Guangzhou Here We Come!

11/2/12 Today we leave for Guangzhou. We hung out in our room to finishing packing then headed down to the lobby to meet Aggie at 9:30. The flight was good. Levi did great. We were worried about how his heart would handle the decreased oxygen level at a high altitude, but he was fine! Hopefully, he will do as great on our 12 hour flight home! He laughed during take off and landing! We enjoyed the meal served. This little guy can really put it down! We arrived at Guangzhou at 2:15. Our hotel is awesome. It is located in a spot where we can walk to just about anything. The people are more tolerant of differences and do not stare as much. It is also 75 degrees!! We walked around at supper time. Saw many different restaurants but everyone was so tired we choose McDonald's, but will be eating Chinese tomorrow!! There are so many American families here adopting!! We have met families from California, Washington State, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Akron, Ohio!!

Day 6

11/1/12: Hung out in room getting stuff packed today. Then left for the Hohhot Museum and the mall at 12:30. We also picked up Levi's passport!

Day 5: Exploring Hohhot

10/31/12: This morning we ventured out to walk the streets of Hohhot! We found lots of neat little shops. And found many little alleys with street vendors. It was fun to watch them making buns and other food items. We were not brave enough to try any. Not because of taste but upsetting our digestive systems if things were not prepared right. But, boy did some of it smell good!! Samuel decided today he would say "Ni Hao" to everyone! He was usually greeted back with a smile! We came back to the hotel for quick naps for the boys then headed out with our guide to see the place where Levi was abandoned. Really I should say found. His finding spot. It was a bus stop. No shelter. Just a sign where you wait. He had no blanket. He just laid there. My heart breaks wondering how long it took for someone to call the police to come to his aid. Just down a ways was an entrance to a village. We wonder if that is where his biological parents lived or had they walked a ways to leave him in a spot further from their home so they would not be suspected? I do not know who called the police. There is no record of that, but I am forever grateful to that person for saving Levi. Next we went to the Zhao Temple. We did not choose to go to the temple. It was prearranged. But, we are glad we did. As our guide was explains all the Buddhism beliefs she asked what we believe about reincarnation. Mark explained Biblically what we believe and what you need to do to be saved. A seed was planted. We figured she asked so it was safe to share. We ended our day eating a Mongolian Hot Pot. What a fun experience. You sit at a round table with a big kettle in the center. They come and cook the food in this big, hot kettle. You then pull out the food with your chopsticks and dip it in a peanut sauce. In our pot we had beef, lamb, cabbage, beets, sweet potatoes, potatoes, winter melon, noodles, sweet garlic, and spinach. You could choose what you wanted. We also had a bread type pastry on the side. It was very good and neat to experience a traditional Mongolian meal.

This is how Levi sleeps. He pulls up his top to his chin. Look how skinny he is. I am happy to say he is already getting a belly on him!

Bus stop where Levi was abandoned. There is no shelter. He was left on the side walk our guide said. No blanket or anything. My heart breaks knowing this.

My heart now rejoices because Levi is FOUND!!

This is the Village by Levi's finding spot. It no longer exists but there is a good chance Levi was from this village.

Da Zhao Temple

The Mongolian Hot Pot