7/18/06 Tuesday- In Yongxiu

Simba told us we would be staying at the best hotel available in Yongxiu. The Yongxiu Hotel. And you can tell that it was a great hotel at one time. The lobby is very nice, but they do not have AC in any of the common areas, just a unit in each room that you can turn on with a remote control.

The room is nice and large with 3 twin beds. But we were so shocked when we entered. The floor is covered in a very old gray carpet. And there isn’t a square inch of it that isn’t marred by huge cigarette burns. People must just drop their cigarettes on the floor and step on them. And it reeks. The beds do not smell clean, and the towels don’t’ either. But we have been traveling for what seems like days and must have a rest. I showered and changed clothes and we went downstairs to meet our guide for lunch. Did I mention that there is no elevator in this hotel? Thankfully we’re only on the second floor, so there are only one and a half flights of stairs to climb.

I was amazed at how much food the girls ate. They gobbled up everything that was placed on the table. Julia has got to be the pickiest eater on the face of the earth at home, but not here. She tried everything, and loved it. That first meal I think she ate nearly a whole watermelon. The food was very, very spicey, and she needed the watermelon to counteract the hot peppers! Lisa loved it too, but was much more quiet, letting Julia do all the talking.

Our guide told us that Mr Cai, the orphanage director was coming to see us later today at the hotel. I was surprised since we are supposed to meet them tomorrow morning at 8 am.

We went to our room to rest for a while before the meeting. I was very very tired. The girls played cards and watched a bit of a video while I dozed for a while.

About 5:30 we met Simba in the lobby, and soon a van drove up. There was Mr Cai, the orphanage director, two assistant directors, and one on the nannies. How nice of them to drive out in the heat to welcome us to Yongxiu. They promised us a tour of the orphanage next day, and left quickly because there was a thunderstorm coming at any moment.

The girls and I decided we needed sleep much more than we needed supper, and we went to bed at 6:30 pm. And slept soundly on those rock hard beds until about 3:45 the next morning.