Dad Visits Beijing

So we had our first visitor to Beijing. My Dad! He came this past week to spend some time with us on his way to India. He had never been to Beijing and it has been his dream to visit mainland China since he was a young boy, he later told us. So it was an honor to share with him our life here for the past several months. 

The first day, Chase picked him up from the airport and we decided to go out to dinner at a HotPot restaurant. We were hurting the next day because the food was so spicy. 

The next day, we sent him off using the subway to see TianAnMen Square and the Forbidden City. He managed on his own which I thought was great that he had that adventurous attitude. I know my first few days in Beijing were holed up in the Robarts' home just adjusting to my new work. I didn't dare do anything touristy for a week or so. 

On Wednesday, Chase and I took the day off to go to the Great Wall with Dad. We chose to do a grueling 12km hike along the Great Wall. We started on the JingShanLing Section and traversed the ridgetops until the SiMaTai section. 

As usual, I am having trouble putting the pictures in order. So they are backwards from the end of the trip to the beginning. 

Here is Chase at the edge of SiMaTai East on a suspension bridge we crossed. I don't know what used to be there in terms of a wall, but nowadays you pay 45 Kuai to cross over to the other section. 

Here's Dad at the end. His quadricep was cramping up but he managed. What a trooper! 

Here are Dad and I climbing a section. Dad bought a walking stick to help him along the way. 

Here's a view from the JingShanLing section. It was a really great day to hike. The air was crisp, the sun was out, and there was very little wind. 

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Here is one of the many sets of steps we had to climb. Can you imagine that guards used to run up and down these one a daily basis to get to their posts in the watchtowers? Much of these two sections of the Great Wall are being redone but there are sections where you can see crumbling stones that are original. 

Thursday was a recuperation day as we were sore. We treated him out to a delicious Buddhist vegetarian meal at Pure Lotus (remember we ate there a couple of weeks ago and loved it). He left early Friday morning. We had a great time with my Dad and can't wait for him to return in a couple of weeks. He's staying just for one night on his way back to the US.

We love being hosts so please come visit us in Beijing!