Family is Forever

The final and definitely the most important part of this trip was the chance to visit my foster son (but to me he is just my son). He lives about 225 km (that's 140 miles for the 'Mericans) north of Xi'an, and it took three subways, two trains and ALL day to get there but it was well worth it.

He was most nervous about what I would eat. Think he knows me pretty well?? His small city (about 400,000 people which doesn't actually make it a city here) has not yet been invaded by the US chains that are popular in so many other places in China. No Starbucks and not even a McDonald's. He has, however, found a pretty decent pizza place so we ate there...twice. LOL

Aside from seeing where he works and where he lives, which I haven't done before, I also got to meet....the girlfriend! Isn't she adorable? She seems very nice, and we bonded immediately over our love of chocolate chip cookies (Hongwei has brought her many over the years after visits to us) and...you won't believe this...the Montana burger at Blue Frog! It's been my favorite since I first had it in Beijing over 10 years ago, and it's her favorite, too. I think she's a keeper. I hope Hanying likes me, too: Hongwei said I was nicer than she expected. I guess that's a start.

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​Hongwei and I only had one full day to hang out, and we had a good time just walking through the town and talking. It may have been a short visit, but it was very sweet to see him again and see the place he calls home these days.


​I am terrible at selfies, but we had fun trying.

For lunch we went to a restaurant that specializes in lamb soup. It's just lamb broth, pieces of lamb, and lots of green onion. You actually add the seasonings at your table: salt, chili, etc. It was quite delicious and seasoned just right for me...which means none. 
But what made my eyes grow as big as saucers and put a huge grin on my face was the bread! We used to get bread just like this in Jiaozuo, and I loved it. It is beautifully soft with a slight crust on the bottom and top. I don't think I have had it in 10 years. Yum, yum, yum. Hongwei brought me two more later that evening which I had for breakfast on the train back to Beijing. Love that boy. 

Some pretty typical scenes in a park near my hotel: grandparents and their grandchildren, a small "orchestra" of seniors playing traditional instruments and doing their evening exercise. I miss these simple things so much.