Random #2

this guy asked Eric to take a picture with him

It is Wednesday here and I know everyone only wants to see Ella, but I have some other cool pics to post! Don't worry-I'll post later in the day with lots of Miss Ella!

We are in Hohhot which is located in Inner Mongolia. Inner Mongolia is part of China, but their customs are a bit different. On our gotcha day, 2 beautiful young girls dressed in traditional Mongolian attire came into our hotel lobby. Apparently someone important was coming to the hotel and they were here to greet them. Eric was holding Ella and she was so intrigued, we asked if they would hold her for a picture. They were so sweet and kissed her before handing her back. I am so excited that we will be able to show her these pictures someday!

Yesterday we were in the lobby at the perfect time again. A wedding was taking place! In China, on their wedding day, the groom picks up his bride and they drive around town with the wedding party following behind. After he shows off his bride, they return for the wedding ceremony and party. Only the wealthy have weddings in the hotels, the common people have their ceremony in restaurants. Their guests do not bring gifts, they give money in red envelopes. They keep record of the exact amount given and it will be returned to them on their wedding day. I stepped outside to take pictures and I noticed alot of cameras and video cameras. Our hotel manager explained that the wedding was a huge event because the couple used bicycles instead of cars. The news teams were here to do a story for the local news because of the bikes. They looked like they were having so much fun! Can you imagine our wedding parties riding around downtown Dallas on bikes so the groom can show off his bride? The bride was gorgeous!

Eric is still drawing attention. People are very confused when they look at the 3 of us. You can tell they are trying to figure out if Ella is our daughter and how that happened! I can't say enough about the hotel. They brought Ella a birthday cake last night. We are becoming so spoiled-I really don't want to leave! The maid wrote a note for us today and left extra water so that we can stay hydrated because it is so dry here! We are very close to the Gobi dessert and Russia. Inner Mongolia is famuous for their grasslands and every picture I see looks so amazing. I wish we could visit but our time is running out here and it's a 2 hour drive! Maybe if we weren't traveling with a 2 year old, but I believe we'll skip it. The 30 minutes to the museum with no carseat was enough for me!

Tomorrow we will visit the temple and pick up Ella's passport. Then we will leave Friday morning for Guangzho to complete the American side of things. More on Ella later-I know that's the real reason y'all are checking this blog!!!