On to Fuling!

A wonderful welcome into Fuling today! Even our hotel had a banner out front welcoming us to the city.

This morning we were on the bus bright and early for our journey to Fuling, Lydia's birthplace and where she spent the first 14 months of her life. It is a two hour bus ride, which was uneventful; but, as we neared the entrance to the city, we were confused as we pulled over to the side of the road. Soon, we realized that we were pulling over so that we could join our police escort who would lead us into and around Fuling! Director Yang made a surprise appearance on each bus to welcome the girls (and parents) back to Fuling...what a great treat to see her!

Director Yang plays with the children near the river.

The girls pose for photos along the riverwalk.

The police and camermen followed our group around while we viewed the city and Yangtze Riverwalk. Fuling is a city of around 1 million people (small in China terms) and hardly ever sees foreigners, so this is a huge event for the city. Many city officials greeted us as well as we took photos of the River.

Another surprise, the sun is out! Fuling is a city nestled in the mountainous area of Chongqing, where it is cloudy and overcast most of the time. In fact, they said that we must bring happiness and good luck with us because the sun follows us...they have a saying here that "when the sun comes out here, the dogs bark because it is such a stranger." The sun has definately given us a clear view of Fuling...better than we had last year (all foggy and gray).

This afternoon, we visit the old orphanage and drive to the new orphanage up in the hills, and make dumplings in the evening.