Tuesday, Dec. 1st

We are now back to our hotel after a great morning out!

We left the hotel this morning at 10 Am and we only returned around 3:30pm.

The weather here again today is beautiful! You can see a blue sky which is very rare because of the pollution.

We set out in our bus down the side streets filled with small stores and food stands. Again today I noted bicycles passing with animals piled high (dead.... couldn't really recognise what type of meat). There are places with meat hanging outside, but these are rarer too see here in comparison to Nanchang which seemed to have this everywhere. We arrived at Tienanmen Square and each time our group stopped, we drew quite the crowds. So, we would move on! We spoke to many people along the way. Each very friendly. There was a man who asked where the babies were from and when we said Jiangxi he said that people there are all crazy. EEEK Actually, I believe that he was trying in his way to say that the parents had to be crazy. I have noted that no one seems to show understanding for the reasons of abandonment. They are quick to make an excuse, judgement etc... It is a very big subject obviously and one that is very complex. I will never think of our daughter's birthparents with anything other than respect, love and the most tremendous appreciation for their great loss.

We walked through the Forbidden City which from our experience, we were prepared for a very long walk (close to 4 hours). We fed Hannah Faith her lunch as we strolled. She also had a little morning nap at the beginning of our stroll.

When we were leaving the Forbidden City, we were approached by some young people hoping for pictures with us. Ok, actually only Hannah and me too! NOT Kevin! LOL They pushed him out of the pic which we both laughed about. So, he also took a picture! hehe On our way to the bus, we were approached by many people begging for money. There were people with physical needs, elderly people and people with children and babies. It was very difficult. Then there was a little boy who was about 5 years old who was literally pulling on pant legs etc. hoping for money. He broke my heart the most...

Changing the subject, we then went to a small local restaurant which didn't look as though it sees many tourists. We were warmly welcomed. The rstaurant was cold as are many buildings here. It was also filled with smoke. Smoke is everywhere! In elevators, hotels, restaurants etc.... There is no such thing as NO Smoking zones. Actually, there is a sign in the elevator, but it is clearly invisible! Anyway, the restaurant was playing chinese music and quite loudly. Hannah had already fallen asleep in the bus and slept right through the restaurant experience! It was nap time and I was happy that she had a proper nap today! We ended up sitting at a round table with our guides and bus driver! The pressure was on to not make a total mess with our chopsticks! We did quite well! No mess! But one of the dishes we shared was so slippery! My hand started to shake from sheer concentration! LOL I admit that I was a little nervous. When we had come in I peeked in the back room and saw aquariums again. There were buckets filled with dirty dishes. Definitely different and of course no western toilets here! Needless to say I could easily wait till we arrived back at the hotel! :))) Our dishes arrived with the most delicious food imagineable. Wow, everything at home will seem too bland after this! Really really delicious! I guess a lesson should be learned here not to judge by the looks!

As I type, Hannah is happily playing. She is laughing her giggly bum laugh! She has such an infectious giggle! Simply adorable!

Tonight we are going to eat in a restaurant close to our hotel. They are supposed to also have english menus! Perfect!

To answer your notes, we had such a great visit with Louise last night! It was wonderful to see her in person and she hasn't changed a bit. She said the same for me, so God Bless her! LOL We were able to Skype with our girls at home so it was especially wonderful that she was able to talk with Mara-Grace and vice versa. She brought us a beautiful scroll with a picture on it of all the zodiac animals. It also means happiness. How thoughtful.....

Tomorrow we are visiting The Summer Palace. I love this place and am looking forward to our outing which will be followed by lunch. Btw, "Lunch" here is typically much later. Like after 2! Supper is after 6.

All of our love from Beijing.

P.S. Ummmm, if you view our pictures at http://hannah.kjvb.com
note that I am not really a dork (ummm, saying dork perhaps sealed the deal!). In the pics where I am doing the peace sign and more, I was only joking around (as Mara would say). We've noticed that most people here do a silly pose and usually always the peace sign when posing for a picture! This kind of reminds me of when my brother and I were kids and we'd do the bunny ears peace sign on top of each other! LOL
xoxo
P