Saturday, October 19, 2013

The Great Wall and Olympic Stadium




 We went to the Great Wall on the morning of national day, October 1st. A man from our hotel drove us all the way there, about an hour to the north from Beijing. Other guests at the hotel came too. Most of them were from Germany. The hike up to the wall took us 30 minutes, and then we walked along the top for three hours. Visibility was poor that morning, but the wall was great. It felt amazing to be in such a famous place. Several vendors were selling snacks along the wall, but prices were high for the convenience. Some of the steps on the wall were extremely steep. It took a lot of effort to get to tower 1, the furthest and highest part of the wall at our location, but the view from it was great. The sky started to clear and we all took some great pictures. Luke, Josh, and I sat down at this furthest point, and we had a mini picnic rest. I ate Tuōshuǐ xiāngjiāo piàn (dehydrated banana slices). We met many awesome people at this spot. The walk down was much easier, and we met up with our hotel group for lunch at 12:39 (9 minutes were lost when we walked too far). We drove back to the hotel after the meal. The wall started to get much busier. 









That evening we went to the 2008 Olympic stadium. The whole area was extremely busy, and we had to go through security to get in. The big buildings were closed, but they were all brightly colored. There were many shops selling souvenirs, and street salesmen were showing off their light up merchandise. One young man was playing guitar for money.





Friday, October 11, 2013

National Day Expedition: Part 1




   
      School was off this last week for national day, so we took a five day trip to Beijing. We traveled by bullet train at 190 mph, and it took 3 hours each way. Trains are very common in China, and the price is quite reasonable. The train stations are as large as airports. On our train ride we saw several small towns and lots of farmland. The crops were in huge fields like in the US, but once we were surrounded by a landscape of greenhouses. When in Beijing we took the subway to get to our hotel. This is the way to travel for cheap, as a cross city ride cost the three of us just one dollar. Our hotel was also low priced because there were many people in each room. There was a booking error so we got upgraded to a three person private room. This hotel also served food and gave tours to the Great Wall, and we took advantage of both services. It was called The Red Lantern, and the place was decorated with many such light sources. There was a goldfish pond in the middle of the common room, and a mini wooden bridge over was the best way to get to our room. Exiting out the front door, we would step into a small Beijing alleyway each time we left the hotel. Many small vendors sold fruit or meat or second hand books - all for a low price.



      We ate at three local restaurants in the neighborhood of the hotel, but one really stood out. To order we pointed at pictures of the food that looked the best, and we ended up with a great supper that night. The first dish was mutton and octopus with celery, red peppers, and raw garlic. There was a flame underneath that kept it boiling hot. We also had a beef and potato combo as well as a healthy helping of Sweet and Sour chicken (Suān tián jīròu). Finally we each had a bowl of rice and bottle of brand beer (both very common in China). It was a great meal.