Alexandra is doing much better, and back to herself again. As Adam would say "The Flood Gates Have Opened!" My happy little baby girl is back. She's smiling and playing and exploring again. She is also starting to eat more table food. Before she would only drink from her bottle. She was never fed any other way. She really likes the French Toast in the mornings. We have to break it up before giving it to her in pieces because she only has one tooth in the front bottom, and two teeth coming out.

Yesterday we toured the Market in Guangzhou. How interesting it was, and how glad I was that I had went. This place was further out from our little area of Westernization and beauty. The tour allowed us to see a new part of China. Our tour guide said we were going to the pet store and herb stores. The sights were amazing. You would think that since I'm from Louisiana and Cajuns can just about eat anything that nothing would surprise me. I think the Cantonese people from this area got us beat. We saw so many interesting things. A lot of fresh herbs and spices being sold on the street. I saw a bag full of snake skins and asked my guide what they were used for so she asked the local people, and they use the snake skins to cook with in soups. I'm assuming this is to make a broth and aid flavor. We saw many shops with baskets full of scorpions, frogs, and turtles. In one store they were boiling a turtle that was on it's back kicking around. And then we would pass by an area with cages stacked on top of one another with chickens. Why should this seem odd to us since they do the same thing in the U.S. it's just not out on the streets for us to see. There was one store that had chickens and rabbits in the cages and then on the top cage were two cats. We can only assume. I hadn't noticed at first, but my guide, who I may tell you about later, pointed it out to me. She is from Beijing and doesn't practice a lot of the local habits here in Guangzhou. She would ask the locals questions that we had many of times because this was not her background. Anyway there were chopping blocks in front of some stores. I know this sounds crazy, but I'm sure this is one of the reasons why Chinese people are so healthy. Everything is fresh and I'm sure there is no such thing as preservatives or additives. Adam was so bad he said that maybe this is what she meant by Pet Store, but it was not. In some areas there were puppies and fish for sale. The puppies were sooo cute. I had asked about how much they cost and the answer was around $40 to $50 dollars. If only in the states. And yes, Ashlyn wanted one, but we told her no.

In this area, we did not see hardly any westerners other than our group. We got a lot of stares and smiles. Our guide had given each of our families a personal card in Chinese stating why we were there and that we were adopting a daughter from the area and that we loved her and were bringing her back to the states with us. I had one Chinese couple that stopped to talk to me and asked me about Alexandra, and they told me that they had adopted the little boy that was with them as well. And then there is Ashlyn, they love her. I was told that she would be the American Idol here and she is. They are all fascinated with her hair and sometimes, the people will touch her face. I'm told that Chinese people are very superstitious and that if they touch her face, they believe that it is good luck. It's strange because in the mist of all of this, never have I felt afraid or in any danger. I had even taken Ashlyn and her friend Graham to the park the other day by myself, which was a few blocks away and we stayed there for a couple of hours. I was totally content, but observant at the same time. We had a few locals come and ask if they could take pictures. One of the things that we try to do is take Ashlyn to the park every day or go walking during the evening. I even tried out some of the adult equipment. I would do more, but I'm lacking my workout clothes, and I've been looking around for some. I started to do a little Yoga in the kids play area, but Adam was a little embarrassed so I stopped. I really need it because my back has been giving me problems. Only because I'm not doing my weekly stretching.

The beds here are super hard because they believe that it should be hard to keep the spine straight. Believe it or not, they don't bother me, and Adam actually likes the beds. I don't know if I will have time or not, but I'm still hoping to get a massage or acupuncture done.

We also ate at a Cantonese seafood restaurant last night. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures, but it was really wild. In the front there was a display of what you could order. There were sandworms, frogs, snakes, crabs (which I like), crab beetles, and eel - they were all alive in cages. Not to mention a lot of other things to choose from that I can't remember right now. But anyway this was all in the front, but when you got to the back, the restaurant was really nice and big. Everyone enjoyed the food and since people with the adoption groups go there, they will get a special meal that the rest of the public doesn't get. NO SEAFOOD, just the regular chicken, beef, pork, and veggies. All of the restaurants, with the exception of one, seats us at a round table and then they put the food down on what I think looks like a lazy Susan and everyone just takes what they want from the dish. It's funny because I very seldom ever try anything that's meat, but I will try the vegetables. And many of the people are the opposite they will try the meat, but are scared to try the vegetables. I'd rather take my chances with a plant, than an animal. Oh and hardly any of the restaurants have napkins.

Every day we go on a little tour somewhere, which I am really glad because it helps the time go by a little faster, plus we get to learn a little more about the culture here. Today we visited a small Buddhist Temple within the city, and we got a little background information on Chinese religion, etc.... It is legal for the Chinese people to practice any religion they choose, unless you are part of the communist party, then you cannot practice any religion. Communism is your religion. The five most common religions in China are Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, and Daoism. I was a little frustrated because we took a travel seminar before coming to China, and apparently the person who gave the seminar hadn't been informed of all the changes that had taken place since she came, and we were advised not to bring or wear anything that showed we were Christians. This really aggravated me to know that I was misinformed because I would have definitely wore my cross necklace and earrings that I wear often. Anyway, I'm getting off the subject.

I have a ton of books that I haven't had a chance to read yet, and was really annoyed with myself today for not reading my book of World Religions before coming here. Sometimes I think when people are afraid it can be because of their ignorance. Anyway, we toured a small Buddhist temple in the area. Most of the Buddhist temples are in the country because the monks are to learn and they are taught not to have any worldly desires, and the hustle and bustle of every day life would be a distraction. I did learn that Buddha was a prince and that he was sheltered from the outside world and that when he became older he escaped to learn what the world was like and got a glimpse of poverty and suffering. The story goes that On the full moon of May, with the rising of the morning star, Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha, the enlightened one. I learned that all the gods around were one deity but with many different facets. Buddhist also don't believe that it is not their duty to convert others to their beliefs because your fate is already determined. It is also believed that you can practice the beliefs but not necessarily be a Buddhist. All of the gods were different sizes and looked different, but I thought it was interesting that one of the biggest ones, was the god of fertility. The people pay their respects by burning incense and offering food. I asked our guide who ate the food and she said the monks did. it was kind of strange because in one way this is there religion, but in another way it is looked upon by the people as being mystical. Our babies could receive a blessing from a monk. I choose not to participate only because I did not know enough and I could not bow down before the statues, but Adam, Ashlyn, and Alexandra did receive the blessings.