First Full Day in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China

1Today started out with sleeping in until 9:00 am and then going down to breakfast.  I ate some fried rice mixed with scrambled eggs (very good, actually), some toast, a steamed dumpling (too dry on the outside), and a fried egg (which was not fully cooked underneath-- I found out while eating it).  Praying that I don't get salmonella from that.  So far, so good!  :)  Howie had similar things aside from the rice and undercooked egg.  He also had part of a dry donut.  Overall, we can't complain, though.  The breakfast comes with the price of the hotel, and it's better than continental!

After breakfast, we went back to sleep.  Howie slept well.  I mostly rested, since it's hard for me to get back to sleep once I'm awake.  Then we had minestrone soup for lunch at the hotel before meeting up with our sweet guide, Aggie.

We first went shopping at the supermarket, which looked pretty similar to a small supermarket we would see in the states.  Wet got the disposable changing pads that we needed.  Next on the list was hand soap.  No one could figure out what we wanted.  They pointed to laundry detergent, and we said no, and as they were still debating what detergent we wanted, I found the hand soap, and Aggie said, "That's what you want?  Just for your hands?"  Yes, just for our hands.  Then, she asked if we had enough snacks for Andrew.  We mentioned what we had (Gerber puffs and Gerber Yogurt melts) and asked her if she could tell us some things that he might be currently eating for snacks or if she could find some snacks that he might like.  Now, we have plenty of toddler snacks on hand-- most of them rice based.    She also said that we should get him some milk, so she went to an unrefrigerated shelf, took off a package of milk boxes (look like juice boxes) and said to give him that for a drink.  I asked her what kind of milk it was, and she said it was cow's milk.  I guess it must have a lot of preservatives or something!  She told us not to give it to Andrew cold or at room temperature but to warm it up under warm water.   She said, "Do not give him anything cold to eat or drink.  It must be room temperature or warmer."  (This is a big belief in the culture-- the belief that eating and drinking warm things is healthier for the kids.)  

After the supermarket, we went to a Chinese "factory" where people were making various kinds of foods, jewelry, and artwork.  After seeing them at work, we had a chance to look at the products that were up for sale.  We bought Gabriel and Andrew a "lock".  It is traditional in Inner Mongolia for every baby born to be given a lock for longevity.  In general it is a well wish that they will be healthy and have a long life.   The lock consists of two bracelets and a necklace.  We got Gabriel ones that had fish on them (since he loves fish, Sally, so much), and we got Andrew bracelets and a necklace that has mandarin writing on it that means "Happy Child."    Then we purchased some hand-painted leather of two wolves (which are revered in Inner Mongolia as wise and strong creatures) and another of a Chinese man playing a horsehead fiddle.  The fiddle is another thing particular to Inner Mongolian culture.

After visiting the factory, we were on our way to go out to eat when something unexpected happened.  All of a sudden, Aggie was telling our driver to quick, stop the car.  I was like, "What's going on?"  Aggie had seen that another car had hit a dog in the street.  She rushed out to look at the dog, and our driver went after her.  Then, after assessing the situation, they rushed back with the dog, and we quickly drove to an animal hospital where Aggie said she would pay for this dog to have surgery and then would find it a home.  Sadly, the dog didn't make it.  It had stopped breathing when we got there.  Aggie was overwhelmed with grief.  She's so sweet.  She said, "Well, it was better that we picked it up instead of other drivers just driving over it, right?"  We agreed that it was.  She said this happens regularly here-  cats and dogs will get hit by cars, and no one will stop.  She stopped traffic (or made them awkwardly turn in an intersetion because cars here rarely stop) to try to help this little dog.  She said that she spends 10,000 RMB (a lot of money) to help injured cats and dogs each year.  She's such a caring person.  We're very fortunate to have her as our guide.

After that incident, we picked up our stroller for Andrew and then went back to the hotel, since Aggie was too sad to eat.  She helped us order from a Chinese restaurant that delivered to our hotel, and here we are now.  I'm typing away, and Howie just fell asleep on the chaise lounge that is in our hotel room.    After calling Gabriel, I'm goign to take a shower and go to bed, too.  We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow!  We will meet our son between 9:40-10:00 AM that time, which will be the same time for you all only on Sunday PM!

I apologize for no pictures on this post.  Howie tried sending them to my email, but they haven't come through.  Hopefully, I can do another post just with pictures if we can make it work!  :)  I certainly hope you can see pictures of our son on Sunday night or Monday!

I hope you are all doing well!   Hohhot is a nice city, but we definitely have the feeling that we're not in the states anymore!

We love you all.

Blessings,
Jenn and Howie