We took our time getting ready and then requested a Didi (ride share taxi) to the hotel. It took 10 minutes to match with a driver, and when we finally did he was 15 minutes away. After another 10 minutes of waiting, he cancelled the trip. So we decided to walk the 20 minutes down the hill and into town, hoping it would be easier to get a ride from there.

Once there we had more luck, but barely. Where had the hoards of people gone? Why weren’t there more cars on the road? We later learned that today was Mid-autumn festival and many people travel home to be with family.

Our taxi took us to the base of the Ruyi Peak cable way. Via translation app he offered / insisted on helping us buy our tickets. Once again my cautious brain worried we were going to be ripped off, and once again it was just someone being kind and helpful. He waited in line for us and got us exactly what we needed, then showed us the way. People in China have been so kind.

And then began the day of exposure therapy for someone afraid of heights.

First, we took the cable car to the top. This was the highest cable car I’ve ever been in or seen. The gaps between the mountains felt way too wide to be safe. I felt less alone when the mom of the other family in there with us started visibly freaking out.

We survived and made it to the top. From here we could see the suspension bridge, which also freaked me out. But my logical brain knows that this would probably not be my cause of death, so we walked towards it. And then over it.

It was windy and swaying and I did not like it. But we survived. From the other side we walked to the top of the peak. They had a large viewing area and Millie went from “I can’t walk” to “I’m going to dance around up here” very quickly.

We admired the view and the feats of engineering all around us, including highways through mountains.

Then we went to the third heights fear factor activity: the glass walkway. This one was the least scary to me since it felt pretty solid. Even though it was up very high.

They made us wear booties to cover our shoes so the glass didn’t get scratched.

It was very hot and sweaty and lots of stairs, and we were wiped by the time we got back to the cable car to ride down. It was slightly less scary the second time.

From the bottom we waited a while for another taxi but eventually got back. Nick and Millie both fell asleep beside me in the back seat.

Millie and I cooled down in the hotel pool. She had a rough time when some slightly older kids came in and played with a floaty she wanted. She cried loudly and said she felt left out, and when they kindly offered to include her, she cried more and said she was scared. When I suggested we go back to the room, she wailed even harder. It was a rough part of the day.

Once she recovered, we got ready for our evening activity, a light show we bought tickets for two days ago. We had dinner at the hotel and I let Nick convince me to try the two local specialties: snails and something called beer fish. I’m not sure why because it has no beer in it. The snails were surprisingly my favorite and I didn’t love the fish. Millie had a toasted sandwich like a normal person.

We struggled again to find a taxi to take us to the light show. We walked down into town but still couldn’t get a match. We got nervous as the clock ticked by towards show time. Eventually we saw a tuk tuk and he took us to the large outdoor theatre.

We bought a fan because it was still warm and humid, even after the sun went down. We made our way to our seats.

The show was overlooking the river, surrounded by mountains. The mid-autumn festival always happens on a full moon, and there it was in all its glory between the mountains.

Millie befriended a little girl sitting next to us who had matching pigtails. The girl gave her a moon cake, another tradition of today’s holiday. As the show started everything went dark and hundreds of people came out on boats lit by flames. Despite the language barrier, Millie and her new friend started playing Rock, Paper, Scissors and giggling loudly. Between the beautiful view, the loud majestic music, and the universal sound of little girl giggles, I got choked up by the moment.

We watched the whole show while the two girls found ways to be friends without words: sharing snacks, playing with a toy, pointing and saying “ohhh!”

After it was over we walked with the crowds out to the street. It again took forever to get a taxi, but there were fireworks going off in the distance and everything felt just fine.

The streets were packed and it took an hour to get to our hotel just a few kilometers away. Millie didn’t get to bed until 10. It was a very full day and I am exhausted, but it was a great day.