Today was our last day with the guide here in Lanzhou. Tomorrow she will be busy getting Shi Wu's passport and then Saturday morning we leave for Zhengzhou. This morning we went back to the police station and met the policeman who responded to the scene when Shi Wu was found by the river. He said there were so many babies found then, that he could not remember her specifically. It was four years ago so I didn't expect much, but it was interesting to meet him. It caused quite a stir at the police station and I'm sure there will be lots of talk over whatever the Chinese police eat instead of coffee and doughnuts--tea and dumplings? We probably were the only Americans ever to visit that police station. Shi Wu sat on the policeman's lap and he said he was very glad that someone adopted her .
Everywhere we go, Chinese people ask the guide about us, since we are quite noticeable being the only Americans around, and carrying a Chinese child with us. They are all very positive about adoption and usually tell us that we are very good people. It makes me glad that they are in favor of adoption, but sad that Shi Wu can understand everything they are saying about her. Since she is only 4 years old, maybe she will forget a lot of that eventually, in her new life as an American girl, and especially after she gets some help for her feet. Someday if she is able to learn to walk I think I will just cry with happiness for her. She has waited a long time to be able to do something most kids can do when they are a year old.
After the police station, we went to a mall, which Hannah and I really liked because it was where normal people shop and the prices were normal too. We bought a few snacks and noodle cups, and some DVDs of children's songs in Mandarin, and some of Thomas the Train in Chinese. I couldn't resist those! They were very cheap and I'm sure it will be hilarious to hear the Sodor engines speaking Chinese.
Our next stop was the waterwheel park. They have preserved two water wheels of the type that used to line the river to get water for irrigation. The river is in flood right now because there has been an unusual amount of rain, so part of the park was underwater, and they were not running the waterwheels because there was too much water and they might be damaged. We have had two evening thunderstorms this week and one heavy rain the other day knocked out the AC to the hotel for almost 2 days.
Next we went farther upriver to this statue of Mother River. You are supposed to get your picture taken here and we had to wait because there were Chinese people also taking each other's pictures.
Froggy and Little Panda didn't wait for the Chinese people to move, they just wanted their picture taken.
Here is Hannah by the river. Usually people have tea houses down there where the water is, and you can walk to the little dock to take rides on rafts made from inflated sheep skins.
We had lunch at a local noodle shop, much to the interest of the other patrons.
We said goodbye to the American mom who was here adopting a little boy. They leave tomorrow for Guangzhou. We still have a whole week in another province to go before we head to Guangzhou, the final stop before coming home. I really miss my husband and kids at home, and I would really love to have a Chipotle handy to our hotel about now.
