A low-key day in Hohhot

Warning to reader: This post is being written under the lingering influence of somewhat ineffective Ambien at 2:00AM. So I ask your forgiveness for any typos or less than lucid ramblings!Today was one of the days in our itinerary where we had no official business to deal with. We are just waiting for the authorities for process all of the paperwork signed, registered and notarized yesterday, and to allow for the processing of Chloe's passport. So after breakfast in the hotel restaurant, we met up with the other adoptive family and our guide and went in search of souvenirs unique to the Inner Mongolia region. Our guide took us to a couple of different markets; one a traditional Chinese market with many storefronts and merchants of all kinds, and the other a more traditionally western department store. We wanted very much to get a few things that, later in life, will give Chloe a sense for where she came from. Not only China...it's such a massive country...but also the region where she spent the first couple of years of her life. China itself obviously has a history dating back thousands of years. And although perhaps a little less documented, the Inner Mongolian region is no exception. Genghis Khan was a Mongol leader came to power by uniting many of the nomadic tribes of northeast Asia. After founding the Mongol Empire he started the Mongol invastions and raids of the various dynasties. By the end of his life, the Mongol Empire occupied a substantial portion of Central Asia and China. Needless to say he is very revered around here. And the best way we can describe the area is to equate it to Wyoming without the Tetons. Although parts of Hohhot appear quite modernized, once you get outside of the city proper there is a rural, agricultural feel. That feel is reflected in much of their items for sale...things like leather goods, knifes, and various types of animal and wildlife pictures, as well as all types of products depicting the history of the Mongol empire. But after a couple hours of shopping, both Chloe and Isabelle seemed vary tired. So we opted out of a visit to what appeared to be a very nice museum and took a taxi back to the hotel to let them nap. And there's something about the taxis here that frightens Isabelle. We don't think it's necessary the erratic driving, but each time we're used a taxi she's seemed noticably hesitant...to the point of crying. But once we're in and on our way she settles down. Just one in a series of interesting behaviors we're seeing. After letting the girls naps for a couple of hours we decided to enjoy the sunshine (although it was windy and rather cold) and take a walk to one of the central shopping/entertainment areas in Hohhot. It's only about a half mile from our hotel, and Chloe in particular really seemed to enjoy being outside for a while. And talk about being the center of attention. We can only imagine how odd we much look. Two pasty white Americans, one a blue eyed blond, walking around with two Chinese girls. It has become very entertaining for us to watch the gawkers literally run into poles or other people because they looking back as us trying to figure out what in the world we're doing. The only time it gets uncomfortable for us is when someone, usually a women, will come up want literally try to take one of the girls out of our arms to hold them. We're told by our guide that this is actually very flattering, but it sure doesn't seem that way. Especially to Isabelle. She wants nothing to do with it. And sweet little Chloe just goes with the flow. After successfully navigating a major intersection (the drivers, cyclers and pedestrians have rules known only to them!) we arrived at the Victory Shopping Center. It's very modern with what appear to be name-brand and upscale store, but our destination: McDonalds!! Although Diann has been more adventuresome than I've seen her in the past in trying foods that are outside her comfort zone (let's face it, that isn't saying much) she really wanted an order of french fries and a Diet Coke. So while Diann and the girls sat in a booth to continue our version of the freak show, Bill ventured to the counter to place an order. And fortunately the counter help spoke enough English that with a bit of pointing back and forth (I'm pretty sure I can now say "do you want fries with that?" in Mandarin) we got an almost correct order. Somewhere along the way my attempt to get a kids meal for Isabelle ended up being a strawberry shake. But the girls got their chicken nuggets, Diann and Bill got a diet coke and fries, and Chloe REALLY enjoyed the strawberry shake. All in all...mission accomplished. But although we won't dwell much on it here, remember to ask Diann about the, as she calls the, the squattie potties that she's becoming quite adept at using. Or at least at helping Chloe and Isabelle to use We tried to look around in a couple of stores in the mall, but Chloe decided she had had enough. So we took our show on the road back to the hotel. By this time it had grown quite a bit colder, so we grabbed a taxi for the short ride back. After the two girls enjoyed a bubble bath sponsored by Mom, they both fell asleep fairly quickly at we were all in bed very early. Which is probably good because tomorrow we check out of the hotel and Chloe takes the next step in her journey to our forever family. We go to Guangzhou, a 3 1/2 hour flight, to start taking care of business with the U.S. Consulate. The pictures we're sending along today remind me of a scripture found in 3 Nephi 17:23, "And he (Jesus) spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones."