The Great Wall of China: Mutianyu

Friday, May 12, 2017

After a lovely night sleep in this luxurious bed

 

We enjoyed a fantastic breakfast buffet here at the Renaissance Hotel Marriott in Beijing. I'm going to share some photos of the hotel first as it is very beautiful. 

 

The bathroom!

 

Outdoor view: we are on the 11th floor. 

 

Very surprised to find this in the nightstand in our room. 

 

Round one of my breakfast. Those of you who know me well will know this is far more than I can usually manage especially in the morning. But after being sick, then barely eating for 36 hours, and a good rest I went for round two. 

 

Admittedly, I could not finish it all but it was lovely. 

 

Something I did not try was beef noodles for breakfast but there were many, many guests who seemed to enjoy this as a breakfast item. 

 

We walk across this sky walk on the way to Callum and Hannah's home. It's a nice walk that Trent and I have enjoyed. 

We met up and watched Ruth play for a little while. 

 

Then we got into a car that Callum had borrowed and drove an hour and a half to Mutinayu Great Wall. 

Car seats aren't required in China so we got Ruthie to warm up a little bit more during the long car rides. She loves drawing so this was a nice activity for maybe 5 minutes. She is a very busy girl!

 

The entrance has been built up and made a bit more touristy but it did make for a nice well planned experience. 

 

Ruthie was most comfortable riding with Hannah, and truthfully I don't know if I would have made it up all the first steps before getting to the wall with her on my back. 

 

Iona took the day off school to spend with us. She was a great hiker. In this process she is losing a little sister and we want to be sensitive to the emotions that she is going through. She has lovely parents who are walking her through this process but it is not without its challenges. 

 

Gorgeous countryside mountain views from this portion of the Great Wall. 

 

Trent loved all the translations. Here is the glass ladder:

 

It actually was quite slippery, even when dry!

 

Ruth napped on Hannah's back the whole way up. When it was time to go back down she woke up and wanted to walk. Isn't she precious holding onto Trent's hand?

 

Hannah and myself. It was funny to see our similar features in person. Later Iona called me "mummy" only for me to look up and realize it was the wrong mum! 

 

Perhaps my favorite photo from the day. What a lovely trip!

 

 

Ruth didn't particularly care to have both hands held, but it was necessary on some parts of the steps. She is quite the little hiker and so determined to do it herself. 

 

So many photo opportunities!

 

 

Trent, Emily, (Ruth in the carrier), Hannah and Callum. Photo from the lovely Iona!

 

Iona was such a trooper! 

 

Another fun translation. 

 

We rode the luge down. My legs were glad for a break. This was similar to a bobsled track but much slower and without the ice. 

 

The Wall was such a great experience. 

 

We enjoyed a very nice lunch at the bottom. Ruth loved sweet and sour pork so we will be sure to keep that in mind during our travels and once home. I loved the smashed cucumber. 

 

We decided against the fish head, though. 

 

I did a little shopping here for the girls. Ruth seemed to like it as well!

 

She was pretty tired on the way home but playing games and tickling has proved to be a good way to cheer her up. 

 

After a brief rest at the hotel we gathered with two other families who have fostered babies from Peace House. It was so beautiful to hear them share their stories and hear more about Ruth before she joined Hannah and Callum's family. 

 

Again, more delicious Chinese food. We feel spoiled to have Hannah and Callum taking us around. There is a big conference this weekend in Beijing so some of the touristy things we had planned will not be open tomorrow so we will play it by ear to see what we do.

Today was a very full day but very nice. 

And if you think of it, say a prayer for the girls back home. Abbey was ill the first day and now Caroline is unwell. Hopefully these sicknesses will pass quickly and Zoey and the other two will stay healthy. 

It was truly a mountaintop day.