Our first official day in Beijing started early. We got up around 7am and got ready for the big adventure of the day: a visit to the Mutianyu section of China's Great Wall! Erin was ready a few minutes before we needed to leave, so she stepped outside the hotel to look for some breakfast while James finished getting ready. Erin came across a McDonald's a few blocks away and ordered a very American breakfast for both of us.
We joined the rest of our group for our trip in a large tour van. The ride to the Great Wall was about 2 hours long, and was as smooth as could be (the highway systems in Beijing are very modern and well-kept). Our tour guide took some time to explain more about Chinese culture to us during the drive. We learned about the importance of intonation when speaking Mandarin (with “ma” being the primary example as it has 4 separate meanings), how to use one hand to count to ten, and more about some of the laws regarding marriage and children in China.
Our guide also explained how much of the Great Wall is in disrepair after the passage of centuries, but that there were several places, including Mutianyu, where the Wall has been maintained for visitors. We arrived, and can say with certainty that the Great Wall did not disappoint. We opted to walk up the wall, although many people in our tour group took the cable car up. The walk up was treacherous! It took us nearly an hour to get to the top and we were winded and sweaty by the time we were through. The views were amazing as you could see the nearby mountains and portions of the Great Wall extending in both directions. The wall itself was amazing to see, and it is incredibly long. It is no wonder that it has been suggested that you can see it from the moon!
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| A map explaining the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall |
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| James walking along one of the few level places on the way up the Great Wall |
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| One of the views across the Chinese countryside from the Wall. |
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| While it was cold, the hike up the wall warmed us both up - James even took of his jackets. |
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| Tabitha high atop the Great Wall. |
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| James adds his and Erin's name to a wall set aside for visitor messages. |
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| One of the most memorable moments in our trip, high atop the Great Wall. |
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| We tried the requisite jumping photo (we promise we are both off the ground!) |
We had about 2 hours to walk along the wall and do some more exploring – so, we hiked up and down the Wall, exploring some of the small forts and taking many pictures along the way. We had a Chinese family ask us to pose for pictures with them (which, we did), and we also met a few fellow Michiganders while walking along the wall!
To get back down the wall, we had two options: walk or take a toboggan. We decided to walk down, which may not have been the best decision in retrospect. The walk down was almost more difficult than the walk up. We could feel the muscles in our legs contracting and shaking for most of the walk down. When we reached the bottom we spent about 10 minutes stretching in an attempt to prevent any serious muscle pain later. (We'll let you know how that worked out...).
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| James helps Erin stretch out after the walk up, across, and down the Great Wall. |
Once we met back up with our group, we got back in the van and headed to the Yashow Clothing Market close to Beijing. The market was a large indoor mall with 5 floors of different “knock-off” products. Imagine any US city's “China Town” on steroids! One floor was full of electronics, another was full of watches, another with make-up and perfumes, another with luggage and tennis shoes. The mall was filled with people bargaining for different products. James purchased a replacement flashlight (because the one he originally brought was lost), as well as some cufflinks for when he eventually returns to his normal life and job. Erin just watched today.
After the market, we stopped back at the hotel for an hour before getting some dinner. Tonight we had one of China's traditional meal options: Peking Duck! Erin opted to eat vegetarian for the evening (just to be safe), but James ate the duck and said it was fantastic. As is the norm in China, the meal was “family style,” where everyone samples from the same plates.
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| The chef prepares the Peking Duck near our table; notice the duck's head in the bottom right of the pan. |
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| The "family style" dinners are served on a lazy-Suzan platform in the table's middle. |
When our meal was completed, we went back to the hotel for the evening. We still had some energy left, so we wandered to the nearby mall to look around. The mall was incredibly large and it took us a while to make our way through all of the different areas. Surprisingly, the prices weren't that great for most products. We had fun looking though. When we returned to the hotel, we paid for internet in the room so Erin could do some work. James fell asleep almost immediately, and once Erin was done she went to bed as well.
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| This mall was Garfield-themed, and he was enormous! |
