Getting to
In the airport in Beijing I waited for 2
hours in customs. The lines were crazy
and every time I went to a new line, they detained a person and they don’t take
them out of line, no they just make everyone wait. I could hardly take standing in line for so
long, I started to shake I wanted to get out so bad and then I though ‘oh I
have to stop that or they will detain me’.
When I finally pasted customs of course my backpack was searched before
finally being able to head to the shuttle bus that took you to the exits to get
out of the place. While walking to the
shuttle bus there was a parade of royalty walking through. The Prince was sitting in a basket like thing
that men where carrying. The guards held
huge knifes and all I could think about was ‘my backpack was searched because I
forgot I had a Redbull and these guys get to carry huge swords’ nice.
After making a transfer to
another subway line I got off at the stop my hostel was located at. I was unclear as to where the hostel was so I
called them (they spoke perfect English) and a girl came and got me.
My hostel was amazing. Everyone
spoke English and were super nice, plus it was about 5 blocks from the subway
which I took everywhere in China . My hostel also had great tours at a discount
and booked my train tickets to Xi’an
to see the Terracotta Army.
My first night at the hostel
was lonely. I was alone and everyone
seemed to know each other. So I wondered
around Beijing
and went to Ghost Street . It was a street lined in red lanterns with
amazing food places. Though getting food
in China
was hard. In Korea there are pictures,
so even before I knew Korean I could order food by pointing at a picture but in
China there are no pictures and you literally point at some Chinese words and
hope for the best. I did not have the
greatest luck and before long I gave up altogether and stuck with street food,
7-11s and fast food restaurants.
Ghost Street |
My second day I went to the Great Wall through a tour from my Hostel (The Happy Dragon Hostel). For 130 yen which equals about $35 I got breakfast, picked up at my hostel for a 2 ½ hour bus ride to a section of the Great Wall, admission into the Great Wall, a late lunch and my ride home.
As I approached the top, Chinese military was there to assist people getting off and thank goodness for that cause I was useless, they had to grab me and pull my off the side, I had no clue what to do and I was still in awe of the view.
Once on top, everyone decided which way they would conquer. One way had more towers (6-27) but the other way had special watchtowers that the other side did not have. I went by myself towards the special watchtowers since everyone wanted to climb the most and went the other way. Along the way I met two nice engineers from Arora who where here on business with a guide. I walked with them to the end of the Wall. It was, well there are no words, to see the detail and the sheer mass of what was created to long ago by hand… How? is all that goes through your mind while you scale the steps.
The steps where very uneven and so some steps where as big as my calf while others barely advanced at all. Once at the end of the Wall I turned around and started walking the long way. I ended up spending 3 hours on the wall and climbed all 27 watchtowers. On the wall there where people selling things to eat and drink, there was even a mule. The view was insane. The Wall seemed to go on forever in the middle of the forest over mountains. It was something you could just stare at forever and not notice how long you have been looking at it.
Al was one of the engineers I met while on the wall from Arora |
I spent all that yen on the hat and gloves and due to the crazy amount of stairs I was sweating and didn't even need them. |
The mule. |
This was one of the few canons left. |
the inside of one of the large watchtowers |
This was the market place on the base of the Wall. I got a shirt that said "I climbed the Great Wall of China" of course. |
I asked them to take a picture of me and they asked if they could take a picture with me on their camera so I said yes of course but then you have to take one on mine too. |
The toboggan ride down the Wall. |
There was a traffic jam. |
Right outside the Great Wall and the closest food place was a Subway. I laughed to hard, it was at the top of a hill in the middle of no where.
My tour group had lunch at a restaurant past the Subway before we headed home. It was the best meal I had in
I love this!!! You look fantastic! It looks like you have lost weight- all that climbing ;) Miss you and love you!
ReplyDeletexoxo