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Great Wall Day
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y we started our morning by visiting a Jade factory in
Beijing. We learned all about the process of carving Jade, which by the way was
incredible, the detail that goes into each carved piece, and also learned about
how jade is chosen, what makes it unique and tips on buying jade. After getting
our tour through the factory, we were able to shop for about 30 minutes. I got
two pairs of beautiful black jade earrings, a ball of happiness, and a ring. We
got a student discount, which everyone used as justification for shopping. It
was truly a unique place, and I will now appreciate Nanny's jade tree much,
much...MUCH MUCH more. After we finished at the Jade factory we took the 45
minute drive to the Great Wall. I can't even begin to explain how impressive
the Great Wall is. We went to the Great Wall at Badaling, and spent about an
hour and a half on the wall. First, it was the coldest place I have ever been,
by the time I got down, I couldn't feel my face, hands, legs, or feet, even
though I had on about twenty different layers. Let me also mention, that while
we all wore hiking boots, uggs, a tennis shoes to climb the great wall, it
became apparent that the traditional Chinese way to climb the wall for women is
in stiletto boots. No kidding, and I'll even admit that a lady in about 4 inch
heels passed me on the way up the last stretch of the wall. We stopped lots of
times on the walk up to take pictures and catch our breath. My fear of heights
didn't kick in at all, just the fear of passing out from no oxygen. It was a
beautiful view from the top, and I'm not sure I've ever been anywhere that was
that beautiful and impressive. Seeing that it took a great amount of physical
effort to simply climb the Great Wall, it completely blows my mind to think it
was constructed by hand with no modern conveniences. After slowly making it
back down with my rubber legs, we all met up at a coffee shop at the bottom of
the wall and drank hot chocolate, and a few of us bought super obnoxious
tee-shirts that will inform the world "I climbed the Great Wall!" Soon after we
caught our breaths and got some energy back, we loaded the bus and were headed
to lunch. We ate lunch at a popular tourist place near the wall. It was also a
Cloisonne factory. Once again, I can't even say I appreciated the various vases
and things Nanny collected over the years, but after seeing the process in
which these are made, I was completely blown away. So after lunch, we did some
more shopping. I bought 3 Christmas Ornaments, I was only going to buy two, but
the Chinese ladies in the stores are so good at persuading me to buy more, but
after today, I have decided to draw the line, I will no longer fall subject to
their demands to buy more. Dr. Crowe said it was expensive, but it is one of
the only places to buy authentic stuff. Cloissone is one of Beijing's three
treasures, along with jade and Peking duck. It was kept a secret from the
outside world until the 1980s, but China is still the only place in the world
that produces it. After leaving lunch we had a 30 minute drive to the Olympic
Village. This was such an exciting stop! We went into the Bird's Nest first.
The outside design is so original, and I can't begin to explain to you how
impressive and huge it looks when you walk beside it. When we walked inside,
this song from the Olympics was playing, and there was a huge Christmas Tree in
the center of the stadium. There were so many people touring the stadium, and
walking through you can't imagine the pride and nationalism filling the entire
place. It was so exciting to be in the middle of such an important structure.
Next, we traveled across the street to see the Water Cube. Once again, such a
cool building! We had a great time seeing the Olympic Village, and I gained a
greater appreciation for the work and commitment and the honor associated with
an Olympic Bid, China should be proud, the Beijing Olympic Village is gorgeous,
and will continue to be important in Beijing in the future. After the Olympic
sites we went to eat dinner in downtown Beijing. It was my favorite meal so
far. My favorite dish was a fried squid in a really sweet sauce, everyone at
the table tried it, since we have all claimed we would try at least 95% of the
things on the table at meals, and everyone thought it was awesome. After dinner
a few of us paid 150 Yuan and went to a Kung Fu show. One of the coolest stage
shows I think I have ever seen. It was an hour and a half of super intense
martial arts telling the story of a kung fu warrior and his experiences. We
just got back to the hotel and I am looking forward to a goodnights sleep after
such a busy day. Once again, enjoy the pictures,
Love
Anna
Latest Comments (2)
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TIM (reply)
Jan 8, 2009 21:54 EST by tpw184
FORGOT SONTHING IMPORTANT LOVE U ANNA DAD
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TIM BILL PAYER DAD (reply)
Jan 8, 2009 21:52 EST by tpw184
HI GAL BE SURE TO ASK ABOUT THE SUMMER PALACE AND SEE THE GRANET BOAT IT MAY BE UGLY NOW WINTER BUT THERE IS A GRATE LOVE STORY CARVED IN THE SEALING OF THE WALKWAYS U WILL FING AMAZING
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