We woke up this morning feeling much more tired than most of us have felt in the days previous. Hopefully we’ve just reached the top of the hill and will start feeling more in tune with the local time hereafter. Breakfast was in the hotel today, and it wasn’t long before we were blocked and off onto the buses.
Our first stop was a jade museum and shop. We were able to hear a brief summary on how jade is carved and the value the different shapes have in a typical Chinese home. For example, a cabbage leaf is placed with its larger end to the door so that money will be brought in the home. I’m not sure whether I would have a jade cabbage structure in my house, but it was certainly interesting to see. We then had a little time to shop around and buy gifts for our friends and family.
After the museum, we started the trip to the Great Wall. This was what many of us were most looking forward to in the beginning of the trip. We got to travel a bit into the outskirts of Beijing and see some beautiful mountains. The actual Great Wall snuck up on us a bit; suddenly someone shouted “There it is!”, and then everyone craned to look. It wrapped around the mountain in a serpentine fashion, rising up and down with steep motions and sharp turns. I wish everyone at home could have seen it.
We first stopped in front of the entrance to take a group photo. After the third shot or so, a tour group from the Middle East decided they wanted to be in the group picture and sprawled out in front of us. Those few shots most likely contained our biggest smiles.
We then split off in groups to climb the wall. We could either choose the steep left side or the even steeper right side. My group felt adventurous so the right side was chosen.
Just as a little side note, the steps are not as nice and even as they are in pictures. Some of them went up to my knees! A few people were reduced to crawling up the steps and taking breaks every few feet. I made it to the first outpost and that was just about enough for me. The view was nice and I had not yet collapsed! Many students went up to the summit of the mountain to see what it’d be like up there. I truly admire those courageous and tremendously in-shape souls.
My friend and I began the descent after having made it to the first outpost. Traveling down was actually more terrifying than climbing up! The wind had picked up and the railings were of absolutely no help! It was such an adventure, though. At one point I was sitting on one of the steps when the realization of where I was hit me. How many people get the chance to climb one of the wonders of the world? We are so ridiculously blessed. This trip has been the experience of a lifetime and it’s not even over yet.
After touring the Great Wall, we went to a porcelain museum and shop. After getting a chance to see how porcelain was created, we were treated to a “hot pot” meal in the restaurant upstairs. I got burned about three times, but I believe everyone else did well with it. It was a fairly interesting style of cuisine.
We then traveled to the Summer Palace. The grounds it was placed on were absolutely beautiful. We arrived there when the sun was setting and the light was a golden veil across the land. The lake was set with strands of diamonds and the myriad of cherry blossom trees were all set aglow. I personally wanted to stay there for a few more hours, but then again I hadn’t climbed as much of the Great Wall as many of the others did. We walked around a little bit and some of us were asked to take pictures with the locals again. Many of us are like celebrities in this country!
We then took a quick photo stop by the famous Olympic Games “Bird Nest” and “Water Cube”. We were again accosted by vendors and many of us tried to hone our bargaining skills (to no avail).
It was an extremely busy day, but wonderful beyond anything I could ever write.
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