Last night in Urumqi

Today we left the hotel at 10 (8am Urumqi time) and headed for Heavenly Lake. It was a 2 hour bus ride and slow going once we got into the mountains. It appeared that every bridge was being rebuilt and the bus had to go around on rocky terrain. The motion of the bus put Lily sound asleep. The countryside was very barren right up until the park and then suddenly the environment turned into beautiful snow capped mountains with tall fir trees and winding rivers with crystal clear water. Made me think of Colorado. Heavenly Lake was frozen over but it was a clear sunny day and we didn't even need a coat. The kids had a great time hiking all over the rocky ground and we took many photos (just wish I could post them). Afterwards we had a great meal in the park's restaurant. The only bad part was when Lily announced that she had to go to the bathroom. Seems this restaurant does not have a bathroom but our guide told us to follow one of the servers. She lead us outside and down about 50 steps and then pointed to a building. The building however was not a bathroom as she indicated that Lily should go on the ground behind the building. There was plenty of evidence to show we were not the only ones who had passed this way. Lily thought it was an adventure and did just fine.
We didn't get back to the hotel until after 5. It was a holiday in Urumqi and tomorrow there is a small festival going on, celebrating the ancestors. The park across the street was filled with people and they had special children's rides in place. Luke and Lily went on the inflatables and had a great time.
We are packed and ready to go, suitcases to be picked up at 6:45am and then our flight leaves for South China at 9:30. It is a 5 hour flight and a true test for Luke. He is such a sweet boy and lights up like a Christmas tree when Ba Ba comes in the room. He does get a bit upset when we correct him but we are sticking to our guns so he will understand what we expect. Most of the time he is very happy. Ok, time for some sleep in anticipation of that early morning wake up call.