After being on a plane for thirteen hours and adjusting to the 12 hour time difference, last night I went to bed at 8:30 pm. I think the last time I went to bed that early was in first grade after my parents read me a bed time story. Despite my exhaustion, I woke up at 6 am to get ready for the most exciting part of our trip – The Great Wall of China.
We left our hotel at 8 am and met Uncle Joe, our tour guide. He has been doing Plus 3 trips for three years and lives in Beijing working in the insurance industry. Uncle Joe told us stories about the past Chinese dynasties and history about the Great Wall during our hour-long bus ride. His humor and intelligence made him a great asset to our group. Driving through the country side helped me understand the differences between Beijing and small Chinese villages. There were people fishing in the rivers, selling fresh fruit on the side of the road, and farming their land.
Once we arrived at the tourist village below the Great Wall, we took a shuttle bus to the base of the mountain where we started our hike. About 70 flights of stairs later, we arrived at the 14th guard tower on the Great Wall. Once I saw the view, as cliché as this sounds, I was truly speechless. I forgot about the intense heat and sweat dripping off of me (tip: wear waterproof mascara and dark colored leggings if you ever hike to the Great Wall). This was truly the coolest experience of my life. After facetiming friends and family, we started the walk to the 6th guard tower. From there, we rode a toboggan back to the base of the mountain. The toboggan was one of my favorite parts of the visit. The metal slide curved through a pretty forest, which was relaxing after the long hike.
For lunch, we went to a restaurant about five minutes away from the wall and ate a traditional Chinese banquet style meal. Chinese banquet meals consist of ten to sixteen dishes placed on a large glass lazy susan in the middle of the table. Each guest has their own plate and chopsticks to enjoy a little of every dish. Usually there is rice, several types of vegetables, fish, chicken, Chinese pancakes, and fruit. Before I leave China, I must figure out how the broccoli is cooked because it is amazing :).
Next, we drove an hour to visit the Summer Palace. Uncle Joe explained the history behind the palace and stories about the dragon lady who lived there for six months every year (I don’t blame her – it’s beautiful). When we arrived, I used my first Chinese public bathroom. Fortunately, there was a handicap bathroom with a Western style toilet, but unfortunately, there was no toilet paper in the entire bathroom. I’ve learned my lesson and will now carry toilet paper in my backpack for the rest of this trip :). Anyway, we explored the magnificent gardens as well as many temples and towers. Every building had intricate paintings and vibrant colors. Uncle Joe took us to walk on the longest corridor in the world which lead to an all marble boat in the lake next to the palace.
Finally, Dr. Li took us to a hot pot dinner. Hot coals boiled pots of water on each table. We ordered different cuts of lamb and many vegetables to boil ourselves. This dinner was a special traditional Chinese experience and it was a great ending to our busy day.
Goodnight from Beijing!
Ttylxox,
Ali <3
