Well, today was a day for us to try to settled into our new time zone and environment. Neither of us slept great, but we got up and, after breakfast, head out for some more sightseeing. We forgot both the camera and the Chinese/Mandarin pocket guide. Not having the camera was not too terrible, but not having the translation guide made for some pretty confusing situations at the shops and places we stopped. We did have a pad of paper, so we drew a lot of pictures. Most of the time, that created more confusion than it helped, but a lot of people in Chengdu had a very good laugh today at the expense of two very clueless tourists. Sorry about the lack of pictures but as I mentioned... we did not have our camera today. We will definitely do better tomorrow because we will meet Grant at 10:00 in the morning!! We did have an great dinner tonight. Or attorney, Jeff Li, arrived in Chengdu this afternoon and he took us out to a local restaurant. That was wonderful!! We are in Sichuan, which is famous for spicy food. At the first bite, we realized why that is the case. Someone said about the food that it is too spicy to eat, but so delicious that you just can't stop. That is so true. It was very, very good (and very spicy). Jeff took the opportunity to prepare us for tomorrow while we savored various local dishes. Olivia, Anna, Grace, Quinn and Amelia - You are so missed. I think about you every time I see a young child and let me tell you that is quite frequent. You would be amazed at the dogs walking around the sidewalks. They are not strays, I can tell that because they are perfectly groomed. They just stroll along in their cute coats with no masters to be found! That is right, they do not have leashes - they are very obedient dogs. It is amazing! We have even seen a Golden Ret. carrying a basket! I saw one cat today for the first time. It was a grey fluffy cat curled up outside a store window. Anna, I do not have a picture of Bailey with me. There is a picture of you and Bailey under the tab with your name - I am sure she misses you too. I love you! Mama
