Looking For Lily: China-Day 2

We've had problems accessing our blog, but we're still here! (And no...our luggage is not!) We've had no luck with the airline. They have no idea what happened to our suitcases and don't seem to care too much about it. I've been doing pretty well until today, when I realized, I am getting my daughter tomorrow and I have nothing for her...no clothes, no pajamas, no bottles, no toys, nothing in which to carry her. I know all of these things will work themselves out, and once we have her in our arms, it won't really matter much. But putting all of that time into getting everything together, all of the things I wanted for her, and it not happening the way I imagined...makes my heart hurt. But we were able to get a few things for her at a local store here. And the best news...our wonderful friends, James and Allison, offered to go over to our house and get some things to FedEx for both Robert and Lily. How were we ever blessed to have such kind people in our lives? God made sure our paths crossed for times such as these I'm sure. So soon, Robert will have more than 1 pair of pants to wear and everything he needs, and Lily will have HER things! Thank you, thank you, thank you James and Allison!

On to the trip! Yesterday was a FULL and exhausting day. We left the hotel at 8:30am and didn't get back until close to 8:00pm. We started off at the Tian'an men Square. It wasn't nearly as scary as I had anticipated. Sherry, our guide, made sure to mention that we were not to ask her about anything political while we were there and not to take pictures of the guards. It was very crowded and I think I only noticed 2 guards (I guess I was expecting there to be tons of them all over). We were there for maybe 45 minutes and then moved across the street to the Forbidden City. It was interesting...the history of the City is quite fascinating, but that place seemed never ending! We'd pass through one gate into a huge open area, move on to the next gate and there was another huge open area. It went on like this for what seemed like forever! Once we finished there we were off to lunch...Chinese food! (We've had pretty much the same exact meals at different restaurants the whole trip so far.) Then it was on to the pearl factory where we learned about how pearls are made, how to tell the different qualities, etc. I'm not a big fan of pearls, but we did make a little purchase for Lily for when she gets a little older. Then it was on to the Summer Palace. After walking through there for about an hour, and with it being so hot and humid, and all of us being exhausted, we took the dragon boat back rather than walking. It was nice to sit for a little while! Then it was on to the silk factory where we learned about how silk is made and how they make it into comforters. By this time I was so tired, I really wasn't interested at all. And these factories have sales people who are like vultures! They follow you around everywhere and if you even look interested in something, they ask if you like it and want to buy it and practically start writing it up! (Much different than home where it's practically impossible to find anyone to help you!) Anyway, after that it was dinner and then finally back to the hotel. Here are a few pictures from our day...