Last Night in Chongqing

Since this is our last day in Chongqing, we wanted to try the hot pot restaurant.  We ate hot pot in Beijing and it was very good.  Chongqing is known for their hot pot and spicy food.

We went to the mall and headed to the restaurant, none of the girls wanted to eat there.  They all wanted McDonalds or KFC.  We have a tradition that whoever has a birthday, they are the one who gets to choose where they want to eat dinner.  Robbie went to look at the menu.  He came back out and said, maybe we should choose another place, we could go back to the Korean BBQ restaurant.

The menu had no English and he said he thought it would be to difficult to order.  I walked in and looked at the menu.  I asked, in Chinese, if there was anyone who spoke english.  One young waiter said he could a little.  I came back out to the mall area where Robbie and the girls were waiting, I told him we should try.  He had been saying since we got to Chongqing that he wanted to eat hot pot here.

We all walked in.  We got a very warm greeting.  Something like "Welcome to Moe's"!  Now remember that we have walked in three times already, so EVERYONE is looking at us. Not to mention the fact that we are the ONLY Americans here in Chongqing.

We sit down and start looking at the menu.  The young waiter who speaks a little English comes over.  We order our drinks and start trying to decide on our meal.  We have eaten at a hot pot restaurant in Beijing and we know that you order meat, vegetables and anything else that you want to put in the boiling broth, but we also know that Chongqing is spicy food.  

Well, his little English and my little Chinese are not working.  We now have five additional waiters and waitresses  at our table.  We are leaving for the airport today, and we know that this is going to take longer than we thought.  I stand up and tell the waiter to follow me.  I go to the table next to us and say hello, then start pointing at their food and telling our waiter what we want.  I go to the next table and do the same thing.  By the third table, the people start pointing at their own food and saying "hun hao" this is good in Chinese and giving me a thumbs up!  

 

We get back to our own table and I sit down.   The waiter opens our menu again and starts pointing at some things and I tell him, "mei you".  Meaning "I do not want".  He insists and keeps on pointing.  I continue to say "mei you". He shakes his head and points again at the chicken feet and another item that I have no idea what it is.  By this time all the waiters and waitresses have returned.  They are all doing charades and some are laughing.  Then it hits me.  We have to choose what type of broth that we want to cook our items in.  I go with the chicken feet broth.  They all smile.

The food was really good.  One of the items that we choose was roasted duck.  It was already cooked and came sliced on a cute duck plate.  You wrapped the meat in a handmade tortilla and put cucumber and sauce on it.  It was very good.

This was another one of our favorite meals!

We hope you enjoyed your birthday meal DAD!

 

After our meal we went back to the hotel to pack up the rest of our things and head to the airport.  

 

Driving through Chongqing

 

These buildings stretched for miles.  They are apartments.

Here is a little bit closer view

We were a little nervous leaving Valerie's home.  We did not know if she was nervous or scared.  

We had Michael ask Valerie if she had ever been on an airplane.  She said no and said that she was excited.

At the airport check in counter.  The girls were laughing at the suitcases going down the conveyor belt.

 
Snacks at the airport

Michael took us to security.   As they were checking our passports, the security officer waived to another officer.  They came up to us and started talking in Chinese, something about our suitcases.  Good thing Michael came with us.  He told us to go on through and he would go with Robbie.  The girls and I went right through the security check and waited on the other side for Robbie.  About ten minutes later he came back.  Apparently, the battery charger that we brought to charge our electronics, was not acceptable to be put in checked baggage.  Robbie had to put it in his carry on.  Luckily, Michael was with us this time.  Unlike the last experience we had at the Beijing airport.
 

 

 

 
Going through the gate.

 

 

Seeing the plane outside

 Boarding the plane.

She really enjoyed the flight and did very well.  She looked out the window and was amazed at the clouds and the little houses and trees below

 

I am so amazed at this young girl.

When we got to the Guangzhou airport, she could not believe the "walking sidewalks"!  Her eyes got really wide.  She would watch Elise or Rachel and then follow along.  When she stepped on to the walking sidewalk she laughed and laughed!  

 

 

To see this child experience all of the things that we have never thought twice about has been an eye opening.  

Valerie's smile is wonderful.