We're in ChengDu!

We landed in China around 3:30 pm yesterday. Yes, Sara cried! She said she couldn't believe she actually got to come along for the ride of a lifetime. I don't think Dad slept a wink on the plane - at least I never heard him snore, and that's the tale-tell sign.

We arrived in Chengdu around 9:30 last night and were greeted by our wonderful guide, Natalie. I knew right away we would get along - she said she heard a single woman was coming to adopt but she wasn't expecting - and I quote -someone so "young and beautiful." Clearly, I am going to enjoy Natalie's company! Good for my self-esteem,. HAHA.

We had a good night's rest and a lovely breakfast at the Sheraton Lido Hotel in Chengdu. Sara really enjoyed the breakfast dumplings. We then headed out for a bit of shopping. We went to our local supermarket to buy bottled water and snacks. We couldn't resist the opportunity to walk through the deli area - wow oh wow!! We saw all manner of things being offered. We were offered these itty, bitty snails to sample - YES, Sara and I both tried some. Dad declined. It was actually pretty tasty! Dad was turning green. They had roasted pig snout, cooked rabbit heads, gigantic white carrots that are hot like peppers, and all kinds of other things we have never seen before. If you buy 20 Yuan in food, you get to spin a wheel to see if you get a discount - I spun the wheel, but today was not my lucky day!

We are now off to do more exploring. We have been told that we will not get Amelia today. We will receive her tomorrow (Monday) at 1:30 p.m. China time at the Civil Affairs Office here in Chengdu.

After stopping at our hotel to unload our purchases, we headed out to Jin Li, a popular tourist attraction. It's basically a long street with little shops to purchase trinkets and street foods. Of course, we also found a Starbucks.

We were quite the sight traipsing down the street - the children looked at us like we were aliens. Some of them tried out their English with a big, friendly "hello," while others cried on the sight of us. We ordered noodles from a noodle stand for lunch. Delicious!!! Our whole lunch, two bowls of noodles and one stick of bamboo with steamed rice, came to a whopping total of 16 RMB, about $2. We ate at a table with a lady and a small boy. He was in kindergarten and was learning the days of the week in English.

Tomorrow is Amelia Day!!! We can't wait! We will post as soon as we can once we are back at the hotel. Please pray for a smooth entrustment of Amelia to our care tomorrow.

Love to all our family and friends,

Amy, Mike & Sara