11
Location: Baotou
After a shockingly restful night’s sleep on the overnight train, where many of us were crammed into top bunks for the 12-hour ride, we were welcomed back to Baotou with a chilly breeze that contrasted the heat of sweaty Beijing. We checked back into the Yue Cheng Fashion Hotel, with the same roommates we had in Beijing. Since we had some time to spare before our scheduled afternoon service, we were given time to explore the area and find some breakfast to eat. Some of us decided to go to the bakery next to the hotel, and others went to go find some bao zi on the streets of Baotou. With the rest of the time before lunch, we played cards and relaxed before our time at the orphanage. For lunch, we went to a small family restaurant on the side of the street and enjoyed a meal that consisted of different dishes to share. Then, we headed over to the Baotou Social Welfare Institute to help out with watching the kids for a few hours, and we switched from room to room as we usually do. After that, we were left to decide where we wanted to go for dinner, and we decided to return to one of our favorite restaurants that we had found a few days earlier. After a delicious dinner, we played some games in our private room at the restaurant before heading back to the hotel to have some free time to play cards and hang out with one another. Overall, we had a very relaxing yet fulfilling day in Baotou before we head out to the grasslands to stay in yurts tomorrow!