Let’s Go Kick Some Hunny Buns! – Part 4

The next day we got up and had a great homemade breakfast.  I had homemade granola and yogurt with bananas & raisins while Paul enjoyed an egg sandwich.  We decided to hike the Crouching Tiger wall that day.  It was quite the hike—we were both winded by the time we finally made it to the top.  And we opted for the “faster” route back down but got a little turned around and started getting a little worried that we wouldn’t make it out before sundown—and on top of that we had drank all our water.  But we obviously found our way back, although we ended up making our own path.  Paul took quite a few videos of the trip so I think I’ll let those give most of the commentary :)

Where would we be without iPods?

Restoration works in progress in the sleepy town of Gubeikou

Ready to get started… that’s the part of the wall we were going to hike

Didn’t even make it to the wall before the snacks were pulled out :)

Please excuse the Blair Witch Project style filming

View back towards the town of Gubeikou and the part of the wall we hiked the previous day

There were a lot of trains that went by while we were hiking—most of them seemed to be carrying coal

After a little while we caught-up with our new-found friends and hiked the rest of the way to the top with them
(they ended up spending the night in one of the watchtowers)

These views just took my breath away—they just felt like part of a movie and not real

Never thought we’d be standing on the Great Wall 3 years ago…

Kind of hard to see in this photo, but the wall even went up on that very far ridge in the background

That night we had family dinner just the 2 of us with the ladies who worked at the GWBH.  We had pasta with egg & tomatoes which was really delicious.  We had a bunch of other dishes & sides too, but now that I’ve waited so long to write this post I forgot what they were.  There were two memorable things about this dinner which both Paul and I are still quoting.  First, I asked her how to make the pasta with egg & tomato dish.  And she explained how you cook the pasta in a pot and separately cook the egg and then add the tomato with a little bit of salt and sugar, etc. Not being someone who can easily judge how much salt/sugar/spice to put in something I’ve never made before, I asked how much sugar.  And she said “just a little bit.  You know, you Americans always put too much.  You can never just do a little bit".  Both Paul and I just cracked up.

Then a little bit later, after having successfully accomplished eating nearly 2 meals with chopsticks in front of them I was feeling pretty good and asked “How do most westerners do with chopsticks?”  She replied “About like you.”  Totally took the wind out of my sails.  I was thinking that I was doing all great, and she brought me right back down to where I belonged.   Paul still likes to remind me of that :)

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The next morning we contemplated re-hiking the part of the wall we had done the first day.  But we were pretty tired and ended up sleeping in and having a lazy breakfast instead.  We played some cards and then eventually meandered down to the town center where Paul found a game of bball that he joined in on.

Standing in the entrance of the GWBH in front of the Great Wall which runs along one edge of the property

Walking into town.  GWBH on the right & their garden on the left.

Not sure what to think…

Definitely shy

We think they were probably cooking bao…
and every time we walked by we tried to figure out a way to buy some, but unfortunately the language barrier was too great

Back at the airport, getting his last fix of tomato & egg noodles before we flew out

What a wonderful trip!  It worked out as best as we could have hoped.  It was a great getaway and some nice time to soak in the outdoors and greenery that we miss so much in Abu Dhabi.  My mom saw this at a restaurant right after we got back and texted it to me… :)