May 17th- So much Beijing Sight Seeing!

I don't think I've ever had such an event-packed day as today, but I guess they should call it Busy Beijing!

So we arrived in the city ridiculously early (around 6am) and right away we met our tour guide: Herbie! He's a really nice guy and he calls us his little Herbies. Walking out of the station, I'm hit with pollution! Sometimes it's hard to breathe in Dalian, but it's no where NEAR as bad as Beijing! I'm kind of regretting NOT buying those little masks, but I hadn't seen any in Dalian. After a slight change in plans, we decide our first stop will be the one we are most looking forward to: the Great Wall!

I don't really remember the bus ride (which I take to mean I was asleep the entire trip) but I couldn't sit still when we arrived! It was still very early, so early that we got there right as Subway opened. As everyone grabbed breakfast (I had already eaten a muffin I had bought the night before), I was flitting about in excitement. I was among the group who decided we wanted to take the ski-lift up instead of hike, so I was among the first to get to the top! The ride was AWESOME--scary, but the view was unbeatable.

The Great Wall is better than I could ever imagine. It's amazing that people were able to make such an enormous landmark that has withstood the test of time. Of course, we took a ton of pictures on it as we walked (including some O-H-I-O's). At one point on the wall, there's this little enclave with white canvas on the walls for people to write on. I definitely signed my name! We met up with the rest of the group on another part of the wall and took some pictures, but sadly our time came to an end.

The way down though was just as adventurous! What better way is it to go down than to TOBOGGAN down! Now, honestly, I was really scared! For one you handle your own speed with a handle and for two I wasn't supposed to wear my glasses (so I'd be blind, EEK!). So at the beginning, I went REALLY slow. Too slow! I almost got hit by the person behind me ><. But once I figured out that my purse was blocking the handle, I was speeding down! The thrill was awesome!

At the bottom, we were able to do a little bit of shopping. Usually I'm pretty good at bartering, but apparently I'm not good at it here in China! :/ I'll definitely need to practice some more.

Our next stop was a jade factory. It was really cool seeing how they make such beautiful works of art out of stone. I wish I had the money to buy a ton of it because it was honestly so remarkable. Instead, I stuck to eating the lunch they served us. In China, as opposed to America, our meals are served Family Style. As in, large plates of different dishes are put on a turntable, and you just grab what you want as it passes by! At first, everyone was kind of worried about using serving spoons, but I guess we kind of adapted quickly! (Especially when we realized some plates that tasted delicious didn't last long.)





The day didn't stop at the Jade factory. Our next stop was the Summer Palace. We learned all about it's history and how the "Dragon Lady" used to love to live there. She was a cruel queen who managed to rule the country as shadow emperoress, and let me just say: she sounds awesome! Maybe it's just the girl power speaking, but to go from mistress to secret ruler is pretty cool. The lake at the Summer Palace was absolutely breath-taking as well. It looks almost like a sea and it's unbelievable that it's man-made! Literally paradise still within the city lines. On the water was even a Marble boat. (In case you're wondering, it's much more of a statue than an actual boat as it can't travel due to it's heaviness.)

Although we were all tired, there was still one more stop for the day. The Bird's Nest/Water Cube: i.e. the site of the last olympic games! Now, Beijing is mighty polluted, but I think this area is the worst! The place smelled horrible because of all the people, exhaust, garbage, and some food they were cooking. Vendors were all over the place, but the actual Bird's Nest was pretty cool. I wish we had come to the Water Cube at night though, so we could have seen it lit up.

I was definitely so tired when we came home, I opted for no Hot Pot tonight. Instead, I just ate the hotel buffet and I'm all ready for another busy day tomorrow!