Life at the Leingangs': China: Day Fourteen

Got up early and went down to the biggest, most beautiful breakfast buffet I have ever seen in my entire life. There was food from both the east and the west. And everything was fantastic! I still think about it... :)

Lots of seating, too

making fresh Chinese "pancakes" YUM

they also did made-to-order pancakes, waffles and egg dishes

We met our driver, Will, at 7:00am so as to get to the Great Wall before it got hot. It was still quite warm out but it started to RAIN on the way there. This was only concerning because Will said it is possible they would close in the rain. He called to double check and it was open and was still dry when we arrived.

I have to say that I was not surprised by all of the souvenir stalls along the way to the cable car but I was not expecting a Burger King and Subway...

this was a candy made out of hot sugar

Will went on ahead after we arrived and bought our tickets for the ride up and the toboggan ride down the Wall. There was a bit of miscommunication and we went to the cable car platform rather than the ski lift/toboggan ride platform. Not the biggest deal but it was quite a climb up there...

This was my very first time on a real ski lift. It was a fun ride up and being out in the open meant we had a much better view!

When we got to the platform we had to decide whether to go right or left. First we went left...

I have never walked up steps that were at such a slant. It was much more challenging than I thought it would be. It kind of messes with your balance.

Next we went right...

This is the Mutianya section of the Great Wall built during the early Ming dynasty in 1404 BC on a 3,280' mountain ridge. It is unique because of its three watchtowers, tower and two forts at either end.

There were quite a few people there. The most foreigners we had seen in one place since arriving in China. That includes the airport.

It doesn't look it but it was fairly hot. I am quite certain I have never sweated so much in my entire life! At one point it was literally dripping off my arms.

But despite the heat, I decided to make my way as far as I could; until I got to the end or I died... LOL

It was a lot more challenging than I had anticipated. First of all, it was steep! At one point, the stairs almost had to be scurried up rather than walked. Second the steps are very uneven. Some are low, some of very high, some are wide and some so narrow my foot hardly fit.

But I DID IT!!!

I could see another section through the clouds in the distance but the way was closed. Thank goodness! LOL

We made our way back to the platform to ride the toboggan down and just as we reached it, the skies opened and it POURED!!! But guess what??? We had our umbrellas this time. LOL

The rain let up some but it was too late, the toboggan was closed! My heart was broken! It was the one thing I had been truly looking forward to the entire trip. I was so excited! I know it is silly to be so disappointed over something so silly, but I just can't help it.

I felt sad the entire trip back down the mountain just looking at the track and thinking about what I was missing... :(

At the same time I was so thankful that it didn't start raining until we were done walking back down the Wall. I'm pretty sure that would not be a pleasant hike...

All those stairs made us pretty hungry and we were ready for lunch by the time we were ready to go back to the hotel. Will told us there was a place famous for noodles on the way. He dropped us off and we went in, eagerly looking forward to a delicious noodle lunch. There was a bit of a misunderstanding. No one in the restaurant spoke English. The menu was only written in Chinese characters and no pictures. We did manage to figure out how to ask for noodles... They didn't even have any on the menu. After talking to our driver on the phone, who ordered noodles for us, we got three bowls of cold noodles with raw vegetables on top and a clump of some kind of thick sauce on the top. Needless to say, we were still pretty hungry when we left. Mostly because they weren't good and we didn't eat them. :(

When we got back, Sue and I enjoyed the pool (which was the perfect temperature) and both saunas (traditional and aromatherapy) and the second best shower I had while in China.

When we returned to our room, we were all very hungry. Thankfully, Chrissy had gone out to the bakery on the corner and picked up some of the most delicious baked treats I have ever eaten.

That was enough to energize us for a bit of exploring to scout out the neighborhood and a good place to eat.

While we were out, we discovered a brand new beautiful and air-conditioned mall...

this place was in the basement for moms and babies to play and swim together

there was even a KFC outside the entrance

We went back to the place we had discovered for supper but ordering was a bit trickier than expected despite the menu with pictures. A very nice lady, sitting near the counter, spoke English and helped us order (including beers). It was delicious!