Today has been amazing. We got to the orphanage, and it was all very surreal. When Mali's caregiver, Nam, came out holding her, both Ed and I burst into tears. She was a little shy at first and was a clinging onto Nam's leg for a little while. But she soon warmed up to us and even let us hug and kiss her. It seems like we had been waiting an eternity for that moment. We had lunch at the orphanage and met some other kids and caregivers, all of whom were wonderful. We were back at the hotel around 10:00pm. They entire hotel staff was waiting at the front door to welcome us back and congratulate us.

The next couple of days were spent touring the Bangkok and the surrounding areas. It was very interesting and really helped to fill our time while we waited for word from the orphanage. Finally the good news came! We would be leaving the following morning at 4am for the orphanage. I could hardly believe our precious little girl would soon be in our arms! I was so excited I had a hard time thinking straight. We went down the street to a little grocery store to get a few items we needed for the long bus ride. I sure had a difficult time getting to sleep that night. I felt like a child waiting for Santa to arrive.

We arrived exhausted, yet too excited to sleep. We checked into our hotel, (picture to the left) and immediately began to tour the city (after calling to check in with the orphanage of course). Bangkok is very exotic and alive with beautiful culture and friendly people. Another bonus.. Ed and I love the food, even though it is on the spicy side. To see some pictures of this beautiful city, go to Bangkok PIctures