Puran

The Mutianyu Great Wall trip

We visited the Mutianyu Great Wall last Sunday. Due to the heavy rain throughout the night, the weather remained very cool until the end of our visit. The kids were full of energy, walking quickly and leading the way, easily reaching the top by themselves. However, mom felt a bit dizzy when climbing to the highest, the 20th tower. We woke up at 5:30 am to catch the tourist bus. The night before and just before calling everyone to get up, I was contemplating whether I should cancel the trip for the day and reschedule due to the heavy rain and the blue alert. I was worried and indecisive. But I was glad I didn’t change the plan when we arrived at gathering place.

→ 8:44 AM, Aug 20

Today, I was quite anxious after receiving a message from my sister. She informed me that mom and the nephews need to return home earlier than expected. I’ve been contemplating how to take care of Hamer during the following week.

→ 11:26 PM, Aug 19

I just took Hamer to get vaccinated; she received two shots. Today marks her last shot of vaccinations before starting primary school.

→ 9:30 AM, Aug 15

Hamer went to the Capital Museum and the National Center for the Performing Arts with her sister, brother, and grandma. They did it by themselves, which was quite an achievement.

→ 11:39 PM, Aug 14

Hamer arrived at safety. She felt not alone but accompanied, and not tired but exhilarated.

→ 9:57 PM, Aug 13

Hamer is on her flight homecoming by herself. She looked like a big girl as she walked through the gate. I asked if she was nervous, and she said she was excited and not nervous at all.

→ 7:55 PM, Aug 13

We had a long walk along the river after dinner. It was pleasant with the breeze.

→ 10:53 PM, Aug 12

Hamer had two great days with her brother. They enjoyed playing with each other from the moment they first met.

→ 10:51 PM, Aug 12

On the second day of our Beijing tour, it was a day of intense walking. By the end of the day, mom’s legs had already started to ache, and even the nephew, who had been walking quickly all along, didn’t want to continue. We traveled from the Temple of Heaven to Beihai Park, then along the Forbidden City’s corner tower to Jingshan Park, and finally to Chang’an Avenue. We wanted to see Tiananmen Square, but it required a prior appointment now. At the end, we enjoyed the KFC that the nephew had been eagerly looking forward to.

→ 12:04 AM, Aug 12

On the first day of our Beijing tour, we saw a lot and also walked a lot. We visited the Lama Temple, the Confucius Temple and the Imperial College, the Earth Temple, Qingfeng Steamed Bun Shop, the Drum and Bell Tower, the Yandaixie Street, Shichahai, Nanluoguxiang, and Beixinqiao Luzhu.

→ 12:34 AM, Aug 11

My mom and nephews went to Beijing yesterday, and Beijing welcomed them with heavy rain.

→ 10:00 PM, Aug 10

I’ve been working on a performance issue all day. It’s always challenging to identify the problem, speculate on the potential buggy code, make updates, switch between versions for comparison, and test. Then, the process repeats over and over again.

→ 5:00 PM, Aug 9

Hamer called me this morning and told us she had decided to go home on Monday. In the evening, she confirmed that with us again with patience and logic. However, because the ticket for an Unaccompanied Minor (UM) is expensive, we may postpone and discuss the plan later.

→ 12:47 AM, Aug 9

Today, I set up the phone holder and rearview mirror on my bike and started recording my rides. It’s good to see the route in the recordings.

→ 12:40 AM, Aug 9

Xiaoyan had a good day today. She gave an excellent presentation in English, and after that, she discussed and resolved a potential trust issue with foreign customers. Happy for her.

→ 11:44 PM, Aug 7