Chongqing Guild Hall and Orphanage Visit

Today was a busy day for the Howard family. We started out by visiting the harbor where the Two Rivers meet. It was a much nicer day than yesterday with a bit of sun, so it was nice to visit the rivers and take some pictures. After visiting the harbor, we went to the Chongqing Guild Hall. It is a 300 year old building dedicated to the first emperor of China. We had a private tour explaining how the building was used. It was very interesting. We enjoyed seeing the architectural details of ancient times and the skill that was put into the hand carvings. We bought a painting completed on a banyan tree leaf for Amelia when she gets older. It is an amazing piece of artwork with a scene of ancient Chongqing in black and white. The banyan tree is the tree of Chongqing, so it is something specific for Amelia's birth city. We also purchased a beautiful jade bracelet that was a bit costly. I am planning to wear it until Amelia is older. No other purchases for souvenirs her, which is disappointing. Sorry everyone, but I won't be brining back nothing from Chongqing. Maybe I will have better luck in Guangzhou.

After touring the guild hall, we went to the orphanage for a visit. The nannies were very excited to see Amelia, and she seemed happy to see them and the children she has shared her life with. We were able to see two children who are about to join families we know. It was nice to be able to take pictures of these children to send to their new families. I know I would have been excited to get pictures of Amelia from someone who visited the orphanage before me. While touring the orphanage, we were able to see where Amelia slept. She went straight to her bed and wanted to be put in it. Amelia became very fussy and restless while we were there. I wasn't sure what her reaction would be, but we felt it was important for us to let her say goodbye and for us to actually take her away from the orphanage. I really think it was an emotional time for her. She was upset in the van ride back to the hotel and cried several times. I have been trying to ration the Puffs but her behavior called for a special treat to calm her down. Once we were back at the hotel, she became a lot happier. We had a fun evening playing together in the room.

Tomorrow, we will spend the morning in the hotel waiting on Amelia's passport to be issued. In the afternoon, we will fly to Guangzhou and begin the next leg of it journey. I don't know if I will post tomorrow night because of traveling.