Hooray for Kate

Kate did well in the highchair this morning which was a first, then she also did well playing independently when we got back to the room. She sat on the bed without touching one of us (which has been rare) and she played with us and some independently (which has never happened). The bath was still a scream fest but it was before she ate and she seems to be much crankier on an empty stomach.

Here she is fresh from the tub.

Playing after we got her ready for the day.

We left on the bus this morning for a stop at a lookout where the Yangtse and the Jialing rivers meet. Look at the right side of the photo next to Jen's earring and you can see a boat in the background.. quite foggy here. Look at the spot between Kate and Jennifer... that will be relevant later on for another spot we went to.In Beijing, there are alot of bicycles, but Chongqing is very hilly (Michael the guide says it's comparable to San Fransisco) so there are alot of motorcycles here.I'm walking around in a T-shirt today and probably would've worn shorts if I had've brought them... look at this motorcycle and the guy on it. This is an average bike here... wind deflectors on the legs and mitts on the bars to protect their hands from the cold. The winter jacket is a nice bonus. This rider is an exception... he's wearing a helmet. Most don't and it's not uncommon to see 3 people on a motorcycle. Check out the old CD's on his rear mudflap.

This is a 1500 year old monastery that's still being used today. Unbelievable at the age of some of the buildings.

After the lookout, we continued to the "city hall". This is a huge building and courtyard where many people converge to read, play mahjong, sit, or take their kids to ride their small bikes etc.. alot of street vendors there as well so we got to do some haggling.

I have to say that I feel quite guilty haggling on price with these people. Their stuff is so cheap to start with and they all seem to be so poor, so the humanitarian side of me is winning out over the financial side of me.

After the lookout, we went to a tea house and they gave us a great explanation on tea and we got to sample some different types. It was very interesting. No negotiating on proces there. She told us that they would discount all prices by 30% but please do not ask for more. If you were a fine tea freak, you would've gone bonkers in this place.

That's it. We've been back at the hotel for several hours now. Kate was down for a nap, but is up now and is quite cranky (as she is when she wakes up). Someone was here at the hotel to show us chops (stamps with Chines names on it) so Jen went down when she was sleeping to get one done for Kate. An laundry service stopped by and picked up our dirty laundry. The guides arranged this as it's much cheaper than having the hotel do it. Michale the guide stopped by and gave us all of the final paperwork from the adoption. We just need her passport Friday and we're done with the China side of the paperwork.

Tomorrow we're heading to the "Old Town".. It's a working part of town that's more like China would've been several hundred years ago. I'm sure I'll get some great pics and videos from there.