A great day today! Tim and I as well as Tom and Vicky our travel mates (whom we are really getting along well with and having a great time with) agreed that it was a very fun and interesting day. Today we met our guide, Joy at 9am. We had a good hour and a half ride to the Great Wall. The city of Bejing is so huge. As we drove the city went on for at least an hour! Granted we were not doing 70 mph or anything-the traffic is so thick that it is stop and go. In fact on the way there and the way home, Both Vicky and I were not feeling the best and we concluded that because the traffic was so stop and go (jerking stop and go-gun it when it is go and slam on the breaks when it is stop!) that we both were car sick. I have never gotten car sick-in fact I can read in the car!
Our first stop was the Cloisonne Factory. Not much to tell, but we learned a lot about how they make such beautiful pieces of art. Note to any adoptive parents to be who will travel someday...bring travel kleenex packs with you and take them to the restrooms-no TP in many of the restrooms! I was glad that either Vicky or I had some.
Our second stop...The Great Wall!
The view coming up to the Great Wall was just breathtaking-the mountains are beautiful! It was a very nice sunny day-temps maybe 80, but on the wall there is a strong breeze. My close family and friends will be shocked to hear that I made it up the HUGE gondola that took us up to the section of the wall we were going to climb. I was terrified as it is not the smoothest ride and they about shove you in and the thing takes off! Vicky, Tom and Tim all had me about cracking up with laughter, so the ride was over before I knew it. The Wall was very cool. Very steep and because the Forbiddon City was closed today the wall was literally wall to wall people (pardon the pun). It was crazy-if you stopped walk ing up to catch your breath people started to shove you up! Vicky and I hiked a good section of it and then found a spot to rest-Tim and Tom hiked as far as our section and the mob of people would allow. It was a great experience-portions of the wall were first constructed in BC! Crazy to think that it was there before Christ! After we checked out the shops. A word about our shopping experiences in China-the vendors want to sell to you bad. They have radar that finds you and they stalk you-very helpful, but a little uncomfortable at times. As we left the wall this vendor shouted out 60 Yuan for a great wall book, as we walked on a little he said 50, then as we walked away he yells 30! So Tim went back with only 20 and the guy kept telling him 'no 30'. Tim started to walk away and the guy shoved the book at him and took the 20yuan! LOL A little over $3 US for a neat book with beautiful pics of the Great Wall in all seasons.
After the wall we went to a neat restaurant that was in a Jade store. It was served family style and we all had fun trying things. I loooooved the dumplings and we all agreed that the Kung Poa Chicken was the best. I was the only one to try one dish that we had no idea what the meat was-was it a seafood like squid or big mushroom pieces. I tried it and as I am chewing and say that I really do not think it is mushroom as it is very chewy-Tom says that maybe it is seal-all in joking, but after that it is hard to get it down! Geesh! LOL
In the Jade store we were really stalked by sales people-one followed Tim and I around most of the store. If you stop to look at something they are right there to sell it to you! I laughed because at home it is near impossible to find help in most stores and here there is too much!
On the way home we drove through Olympic park! We saw many of the places where the 2008 Olympics were held. The Birds Nest and the Water Cube are cool sights-I really wish we could go see them up close!
Well we have all agreed that even though this is fun and touring these places are a once in a lifetime event, we are ready to see our babies! It is 9:00pm here (9:00am there) and I am beat. Tim is already out! I am going to take a tylenol PM to see if I can sleep a little longer than 3am tonight!
Here is our flicker page if you want to view all our photos from the day: http://www.flickr.com/photos/42439562@N06/
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