May 7th through May 8th, Beijing
We left the jade factory and headed towards the mountains in Beijing. Before long, we could see the Great Wall threading through the mountains in the distance. It was amazing to be seeing the Great Wall with our own eyes after seeing it through other's photos and specials on the Discovery Channel. Let us just tell you that when you're actually there, walking it, it's an awesome thing. None of the stairs are the same height, which makes for a rather aerobic climb, but the view from the second tower (which is as high as we made it) was spectacular.
When
we first arrived and the bus parked, our group got together for a group
photo before the wall. Before we left, the gentleman who took the
photo put it in a great coffee table book about the Great Wall
which we purchased it for about $20 US.
One of the first sites to greet
us as we ascended to the wall itself, was a young mother holding her
son up in a crenelation and whistling. At first we couldn't
figure out what was going on until a group member pointed out the
little boy's split pants. You can probably figure out the rest!
The day was slightly overcast,
but the temperature was nice, about 70 F, which was good climbing
weather. In the first picture above, you can see the second and
third towers. We're by no means experienced hikers and this was
quite the climb. We stopped at the second tower, caught our
breathe, and headed back towards the temples and merchants at the
bottom.
We were now starting to realize
just how inexpensive it is to purchase items in China. We had a
chop carved for Isabella, which took all of two minutes, and I believe
cost us about $3.00.
After enjoying the great wall, we all piled back into the bus, and made our way back to Beijing. When we stopped back at the hotel, the first thing we did was purchase some bottled water. We bought it in the hotel store, even though group mates suggested we go out to the 7/11 and get them to save a little money. We paid about $1.50 and walked away with four bottles of water. We got a few minutes in our room after that to unwind, and then it was off to the Beijing Acrobats, who put on an incredible show. Also in the lobby we purchased a scroll with Isabella's name done all in animals. While the show was great, and we were still very excited to be in China and heading towards our daughter, it was hard for all of us to keep our eyes open. Jet lag caught up with us at about 9:00 PM, about half-way through the show.
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