The Great Wall

Trip Start Apr 10, 2005

Trip End May 01, 2005

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Flag of China Beijing, China
Sunday, April 17, 2005

Knowing that we only have 2 full days in Beijing, we booked the Great Wall of China and the Ming Tombs day tour. Our tour guide picked us up at our hotel at 7:15am and after picking up the rest of the tourists, we headed to Long Di Superior Jade Gallery. The gallery guide took us on a quick tour showing us how they pick, carve and polish jade. And then they drop you into the alligators... The gallery guide brought us over to the jade bracelet area where they want you to "try" a bracelet on. Being a little naīve at the time, 3 of us ladies tried the bracelets on. It's not that easy... they choose a size based on the distance between your first and third knuckle, and after smothering your hand in lotion, they slip on the bracelet. Then they ask you if you like it and if you want to buy it! Can you believe that? And worst of all, after they put the bracelet on me, they wiped the lotion off. It wasn't so easy coming off...

On the way up

We headed out to the Great Wall of China which was the highlight of the tour. As we were making our ascent through the mountains, we can see glimpses of the Great Wall in the far distance. It spans over 5000 km long, most of which is not maintained and not suitable for tourists. We walked up the GREAT WALL OF CHINA to a height of 180m. The climb wasn't that easy, some sections were very steep and each step varied in height. At times, it was difficult to catch your breath. Cam, on the other hand, who is in tiptop shape, could have probably run up to the top! It was a disappointment to see how commercialized the Great Wall has become - there were vendors at each level trying to sell you the same stuff (stamps, certificates, pictures, postcards, etc.). Nonetheless, the Great Wall is indeed impressive and the view was spectacular!

After lunch at a restaurant, we headed out to the Ming Tombs. On the way, we stopped at a Traditional School of Chinese Medicine. A student did a brief presentation and brought the doctors out for a "free" examination. Apparently, they can diagnose any ailments by reading your pulse with three fingers. Cam went first and was told that his ying and the yang were fairly well balanced, but had to "nourish" his kidney function. They wrote up a prescription and quickly asked him if he wanted to buy it. After a bit of thought, he agreed.

We headed to the Ming Tombs where 13 emperors and their empresses were buried in a 40sq.km area. Three of the tombs were open to the public and we toured the Dingling tomb. It wasn't as magnificent as the Great Wall because there wasn't a lot to see, but the stories of the Ming Dynasty were interesting.

After an eventful day, we came back to our hotel at 6:00pm and had a short rest. We wandered outside to the shops and shopping mall down the street from our hotel. Shopping only lasted about fifteen minutes. We were tired. We had dinner at a dumpling restaurant our concierge recommended.