Finding Spot

Yesterday afternoon we visited a silk shop. At least, there was a large shop, but there were also silk demonstrations and exhibits, and we watched a runway show! That part was a bit "absurd" as Tripp said. We couldn't really sit to watch it, as we each had a child strapped to our back, so we perched awkwardly on the edges of our seats, to watch several models parade around wearing garments that this place sold in the retail portion of the facility. And men wearing silk pajamas.

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The part about the silk was quite fascinating, and we were invited to stretch out some silk over a frame the way it is done to make filling for silk comforters. It was very difficult! We made quite a mess of it. We learned that the cocoons are boiled (with silkworms inside) to make the silk more pliable, and then we were told that, as a bonus, you could eat the silkworms when you pulled apart the cocoons. Very nutritious! What is amazing, though, is that each cocoon contains thousands of meters of silk thread.

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We wanted to purchase some of the beautiful comforters and silk covers, but none really struck us. Mom and I both found beautiful jackets that sadly fit us all wrong, so we left empty-handed. This would have made Tripp very happy, had he not had to wait so long for us to decide not to buy anything!

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Last night Jerry took us, and his fiancee, to a "hotpot" restaurant. This was no ordinary restaurant. It was 3 floors, with fountains, sushi boats (where ingredients float past on plates on a little river, and you grab what you want- a HUGE area for this), and private rooms, one of which was reserved for us. Very insightful, as Yao Yu is LOUD! The hotpot itself is similar to broth fondue, but the pot is much larger, and there is actually a pot within a pot. The center pot was mild, and the outer pot very (very!) spicy. As with most Chinese food, it can be very tasty, but also very disturbing. I won't even describe the "black bone chicken". Not even the claw. Ok, I will. It looked like the poultry farm had been next door to, or, wait, INSIDE, the dirtiest ever coal-fired power plant. (We have since learned that the black meat and bones come from an unusual breed of chicken called the Silkie.) Other ingredients that were added to the pot included various mushrooms, lotus root, tofu noodles, beef, spinach, potatoes, and other "normal" things! Actually quite yummy, though SO much!

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This morning we visited Yao Yu's finding spot. The place where he was found when he was just two days old. It was on a narrow residential street that receives lots of pedestrian traffic. There was a school nearby, several markets selling fresh produce, birds singing, and some beautiful flowers. We don't know the exact spot, just within about 100 feet. We bought some bananas and Clementine-size oranges from one of the markets, and the boys feasted while we took photos and video of this significant location.

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We finally had a free afternoon, and the boys took a 3-hour nap, which meant we actually got to catch up on some reading, and Mom and Tripp watched an awful tv movie, mocking it incessantly.

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After the nap, Yao Yu came out of the bedroom looking for his baba and climbed up on Tripp as he lay on the couch.

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Tonight we walked over to the Green Lake Hotel, which is apparently the best hotel in Kunming. Must say, it was much grander than our hotel, but not as child-friendly. We ate dinner in the restaurant Belvedere, which has a French chef who is from Chicago. We were the only ones there for at least 20 minutes, so he came and chatted with us and fussed over the boys. He mentioned to us that he was extremely choosy about the suppliers he uses, and the method of food preparation, so we were more than happy to feast on fruits and vegetables, without the usual worry of contamination.

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Yao Yu is still doing surprisingly well, and he even called Mom "Grandma" several times today! He sleeps fairly well, though cries out sometimes. He is like Sebastian's shadow, and imitates everything Sebastian does, good and bad. Sebastina takes off his socks...YY takes off his socks. Sebastian throws a toy across the room at your head...etc.

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Yao Yu has some habits that we wish Sebastian would imitate! Tripp loves that he removes his shoes when we enter the hotel room, and lines them up by the door! He is also wonderfully potty trained. He'll take our hands and lead us to the bathroom if we go too long without taking him in ourselves.

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The boys engaged in their first-ever joint game of Hop on Pop, which is played pretty much how it sounds. Sebastian had already honed his skills in this area, and Yao Yu seems to be an excellent study. Tripp curses Dr. Suess after every session, but keeps playing nonetheless.

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[We'll caption these photos in the style of the Chinese translations we've seen around the city.]

These words good to be living together with

Crackers give friendship energy for finding spot venture

At finding spot, flowers give lovely, but only pictures smell

Yao Yu at school gates laughs at children learning

True balloon power emmanate from tongue