Saturday, Sep 20, 2008 5:25pm... Today we drove north of Kunming about an hour into the country to the county(town) of SongMing, which is the closest town to where Solomon was left at one month old. On the car ride over, he indicated to the guide that he would like to be called by his American name now so it is official: Solomon. Our driver is the most helpful guy and he was able to talk to a police officer who explained how to locate the crossroad out of town. A few miles later, we were there at the exact spot where he was left over 4 years ago. The area is absolutely beautiful; much more so than yesterday. It is mountainous and heavily forested. Most of the local people are farmers and grow a variety of vegetables and fruit. We headed back into town and located the Elderly Care Center where Solomon spent his first year of life. The picture of the gates above is in this location but we could not go in. I wish we had because I am sure that someone would have remembered him; people here normally work one job until they retire. We drove home via the countryside and it was well worth the extra time; absolutely breathtaking. This was by far the best day of sightseeing for myself and Nathan. We stopped in one very old village with mainly mud block homes and went with our guide to venture through the streets (if you could call them that). We found one family home and they invited us in for a visit. They had two darling children pictured above and we bought mushrooms from them. They grow many things including tobacco. It was quite the off-the-beaten-path experience! The village people are so welcoming and hospitable. Solomon had a bit of a naughty day; I think sitting in a car was not as much fun for him as for us. Our guide and driver took him to dinner with them. They have been so helpful. Tomorrow we will drive to the Stone Forest, a national park here in Yunnan Province.
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