After 4 1/2 months of living here, we finally made it to the Great Wall of China! And we must say, we really were quite impressed. We hired a driver with a large van to pick up our family, along with Sarah, Rob and Ben, at 7:30 Wednesday morning. We then drove for about 3 1/2 hours to a place called Mu Tian Yu, which is a small village in the mountains outside of Beijing that is famous for it's portion of the Wall. One of the most surprising things to Sarah and Rob during the drive there was the "Beijing Scramble". This is when we're leaving the provincial limits of Tianjin and coming into Beijing and works kind of like a check point for all vehicles on the road. The drivers pull up into this area that is blocked off with lots of armed guards carrying large weapons. (Please note: this is not an organized parking lot, but rather just the main road which is several "lanes" wide with concrete road blocks scattered all over--in no particular order.) So cars are just left there while the drivers literally run out of their cars and about 200m away to a little booth on the side of the road where they take their license and other paperwork. After waiting in line (which can be only a few minutes or as long as half an hour or
more), they return to their vehicle with the required paperwork needed to enter the nation's capital. It's quite a site to see! And then you still have to leave the chaotic scene and get back on the road, which can be a real challenge. Because there is no rhyme or reason to this "parking area" or sorts, you may be blocked in by another car or two and have to wait until they return from their place in line with their papers! Each time we've made the drive we all kind of roll our eyes and think that surely someone with some creative problem solving skills should come up with a better system!Anyway, we made it through the Beijing checkpoint without any major delays, and after snacks and even a movie in the car telling us about the history of the Great Wall, we made it to Mu Tian Yu. Due to the incredible cold weather and the ice that was on the ground, we opted on buying tickets for the enclosed cable car to take us both up and down the mountain. At the base of the mountain as we headed toward the cable car entry, there were a TON of vendors selling their Great Wall memorabilia for "One dollar!"--which turned out to be much more when you actually stopped and started bargaining with them!
We were all take aback by the grandeur of the scene as we rode up the mountain. Kevin and I both had lower
ed expectations, as we'd been told that it really just looked like a big wall. But we were in awe of the enormity and beauty of it. It really was incredible to think that men had built it more than two thousand years ago amidst such rugged terrain. We didn't stay up top for very long because it was so cold, and we didn't hike along the top for as long as we'd liked either because it was a very steep grade with a thin layer of ice covering most of the walkway, making it pretty dangerous, especially with the kids. But we were so thankful for what we were able to see and do while there!It was after noon when we came down, and we were all absolutely shocked to find a Subway (oh yes, the sandwich place) at
the bottom of the mountain! It smelled like a real Subway, looked like a real Subway, and even had a similar menu to what our Stateside tastebuds are used to. We loved it! We then jumped back in the van to warm up and make the drive into Beijing. Our plan was to go and spend the afternoon touring the Forbidden City--where several of the emperors spanning two dynasties several hundred years ago lived. Unfortunately, of the 9,999 1/2 rooms in the palace grounds, we were only able to see the the gate and entryway! They had shortened winter hours, and our trip took longer than planned to get there, so we didn't get to see all we'd intended. As we all laughed, the Forbidden City really was forbidden!Our driver then took us to a hotel that was close to the airport, with the plan of making the travel day easier for Sarah, Rob, and Ben the next morning when they had to catch their flight back to the US. We had fun eating at the hotel restaurant, then crashing early as it had been a long day of travel. The next morning, the kids were thrilled to get to go swimming in the indoor hotel pool after a fun western buffet breakfast! (The pic is of the kids waiting for the elevator with their bathing suits and snow boots on--a great combo, I thought!) It was a great discovery of fun Chinese landmarks and a great place to stay while in Beijing.
We had a sad goo
dbye after our swim as Sarah, Rob, and Ben caught the airport shuttle. We could not have been more blessed by their visit! We truly didn't know that having guests in our home for 3 weeks could actually be a refreshing experience. But they truly served us the whole time they were here, had great attitudes amidst a lot of chaos and "China days", and really worked to further our development of relationships with friends here in ways that we didn't imagine were possible. I must admit to some tears this morning as I was upstairs and heard Hud downstairs wondering around calling, "Scooter, Rob, where are you?". As Kevin and I reflected last night in their absence, the things from the US we miss are so minor compared to the relationships. And yet we are soooooo richly blessed! We not only have family and friends who are wanting to stay connected with us (like you, even as a reader of this blog!), but we have people who are coming and having weeks on end of quality time under the same roof with us, getting to walk in our shoes and see the adventure of our lives here! We couldn't be more thankful for our support group back home. So THANK YOU, and know that you make a difference in encouraging us onward!
