The Great Wall Is Misnamed…

It’s more like the Amazing Wall! That was our main destination yesterday. The pictures and stories that you hear about it do not do it justice. We left the city fairly early, around 9 am to take our tour bus up the mountains to the north of Beijing. The farther we got from the city, the more the skies cleared to reveal a beautiful expanse of blue set against the mountains and the farm fields.

We took a cable car up to the top of the mountain from the parking area below. First we had to walk through a long line of tourist stalls, with the shop keepers shouting, “t-shirt, one dollar!” They are pretty aggressive, too. You have to march past without speaking to them or making eye contact. Yes, one dollar (actually, they mean one Yuan, which is 15 US cents) is cheap, but according to the one guy from our group who did buy some shirts, the one Yuan shirt is so flimsy and then they try to upsell. “Oh, you want cotton? That’s more.” Not only were there shirts, but you could also buy Buddhas, Mao’s Red Book, Mah Jong sets, calligraphy brushes, etc. However, our leaders, Kevin and Agnes told us that anything that we see there we could buy in Xi’an for much cheaper, so I bought nothing. Also I had to think about the flight today where our bags can only weigh 44 pounds.

Walking the wall is no small feat, mind you. It was not constructed with tourists in mind.(Although I did totally appreciate the addition of the toilets.) I was constantly watching my step, as the stairs were of different widths and heights and the stones were lose. It was tough, but something that everyone should do at some point in his/her life.

After leaving the wall, we drove back to Beijing, which took twice as long due to traffic. It took over two hours. We stopped for a late lunch at a state-owned restaurant/jade shop. The food was great. It was just like the Chinese food we have at home, but better. However, it’s not authentic food. As it is a government owned tourist shop, they cater to Western tourists. So they cater the food to our expectations of Chinese food. No chicken feet or scorpions! The jade was beautiful, but I couldn’t see myself using jade placemats on my dinner table.

Once back in the city, a small group of us took a couple taxis to Houhai Lake, an amazing restaurant/bar area that is full of locals. The taxi ride was about 15 minutes and was only 13 Yuan, or $2! So with four people per taxi, that was 50 cents a ride. Definitely not New York prices! We walked around the lake, people watching. We did sit down on the rooftop of one bar, having a couple beers and some snacks, like noodles.

Today is going to be a full day and a long one. I may not be able to post for a couple days until I can get situated in Xi’an and can find a Cyber Café nearby. (There is no internet in the dorm.) Until next time!