Great Wall 2.0

Day two in Beijing was no less jam-packed with events that its predecessor. We started bright and early and headed off to the Great Wall. We stopped by the Jade Factory first.

I was hoping to pick up another pendant identical to the one I purchased last time, but they didn’t have any this time. So, Deb and I chose to use our time wisely and take amusing pictures of things that made us laugh.

One big difference between this trip and the last is the number of people out and about and the traffic resulting from their increased presence. School is still out here, which makes for increased domestic tourists, and also the weather isn’t so cold, which makes the people who were already here all come outside. It is crazy! The difference is noticeable no matter where you go. As a result of so many people going so many places, traffic is even worse. Now, I grew up in Miami. I am no stranger to crazy drivers, but the ones here could (and probably would) drive circles around Miami drivers. I’m not telling you this to complain about it, but rather to give you an idea of what it’s like here in the summer, compared to our own adoption trip last winter. So, all that to say… the drive to the Great Wall was crazy, and also took a long time. A whole hour longer, in fact, than we were anticipating because we just sat there on the road, not moving at all. Another difference between my two trips is that this time around, the jet lag effects have definitely taken their toll on me. Last time, I must’ve been high off the pre-getting-Asher adrenaline, and thus didn’t really have any issues at all, but Deb and I have both had our share of travel-related unpleasantries this time around, and mine decided to kick in full-force on this drive, leaving me to wonder (at the time) if there was a time I could recall in my recent years in which I ever felt so gross… the answer is no. This was bad. However, thank the Lord, once we finally arrived at the Wall, I was at least able to stand up and walk off the bus with the rest of the group. I was really wobbly-legged though, and thus decided I could forego a second race to the top… ok, fine… I admit I had no intention of going all the way up this time, but even if I had intended to, I wouldn’t have made it far. It took a good two days to start feeling normal again. Ok, enough jet-lag discussion. Sorry about that.

This gives you an idea of how crowded it was.

So, Deb did make it up to the same point I got to last time, and I was able to take some pictures of her ascent and descent. Thankfully, she elected to wear a bright pink shirt that day, which made her easy to spot from down below. She said she was thankful that her travel buddy is blonde because she was able to easily spot me from above. See? We make a good pair! Here she is, flying like a Chinese dragon, on her way down:

While she climbed up, I had time to take in the lovely sights down below, such as this one:

(You'd be surprised how popular this lovely fashion trend is around here.)

(And no, I don't feel bad about taking their picture. They were all indiscreetly taking mine as I stood around waiting. So, turn about is fair play.)

I also got to look at the vendor stalls and see the authentic ancient artifacts available for purchase.

... I chose not to purchase a waving Chairman Mao watch, but only after minutes of debate and consideration.

After the Wall, we went to the same restaurant we ate at last time, but I chose to forego most of the food, even though it was really good at this place. Just didn’t want to risk my tummy objecting.

Fish head, anyone?

The aforementioned traffic had put us really behind schedule, so the group had to scarf down lunch really quickly, and jump back onto the bus to head to the Olympic Stadium (Bird’s Nest), and the Water Cube are. We didn’t have time to walk as close to them as we did last time. We just walked up on an overpass and took pictures of the view.

Then it was off to the acrobatics show. This one was slightly different than last time, but still entertaining.

Finally, we headed back to the hotel to crash and pack for the next morning’s flight… not in that order though. We wandered the mall underneath our hotel in search of dinner. The mall has changed since last time. The hotel lobby has changed. Different restaurants for lunch. Different entrance area to the Wall. Different acrobat show… I honestly wasn’t expecting so much difference this time around. It’s fine. None of it has been bad (well… except the lunch restaurant on Day 1… that WAS bad!), but I guess I was just surprised that it all surprised me so much. I need to remember that in China, things are constantly changing.