Ok. So something I haven't really been writing about since we got here is the hotel accommodations, which may seem a little out of place, since my major is hospitality management and the hotels we're staying in are key players in the industry I'm studying. We've been sleeping--and I say sleeping because we've been running around too much to do anything else but sleep in them--in nothing less than a three-star hotel. Let me clarify, three star hotels in China are nicer, probably more so than they would be in America. The rooms feel a little cleaner (aside from our first room), they have nice amenities and haven't decided to start curbing in-room toiletries like some hotels in the U.S. have, so that's nice. But one of the things I couldn't believe about Chinese hotels is that the beds are just unbelievably hard. It feels like you're sleeping on planks (at least the ones we stayed in.) I don't think it has anything to do with quality; I think it's just a cultural difference, because when I brought it up with Dr. Kung, he mentioned that he liked his beds firmer. Whether you like your bed firmer or not, it's something to get used to. The reason I thank the person who decided to put in a Holiday Inn Express made my life a better place with their beds that are just a little bit softer...soft enough to notice.
Enough about beds and hotels! You're not all hospitality majors, so you probably don't care about stuff like that. So, today we went to see the Olympic Park in the morning. It was very peaceful, again, cold, but nice to see to see the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube. Now, I watch the Olympics in my spare time when it's on, but I'm no avid watcher. More striking to me is how hosting the Olympics in 2008 pushed China further into its quest to become a leading world power and prompted it to demonstrate its improving and ever expanding persona of expansion and growth. We learned a lot about the steps Beijing took to decrease automotive travel on city streets, build up its railway systems and to decrease overall pollution (focusing mostly on air pollution.) If you forgot, Beijing once looked like this:
Now it looks like this:
I think they can really call this their claim to fame: Bluest skies in all of China.
After walking around here for a while (it was soooo cold here, too), we made our way over to a jade factory where we saw them cutting the jade into small gifts called happiness balls. I bought stuff--surprise, surprise. Then we transfered to a pearl museum, which is owned by the same people, where Vendula picked the right number of pearls in the clam, so she got to have the biggest one out of the shell. I bought stuff--surprise, surprise...again-- and we were finally on our way to what I had been wanting to see since I heard we were going on this trip...dun, dun, dunnnnn: THE GREAT WALL!!
The trip was long, the winding roads winding, the wind piercing, the climb arduous, but the view and the photo ops....worth every moment. My trip to the great wall doesn't need words, even though they could probably describe it. Rather, I'm going to let my photos do all the talking:
From a distance
At the beginning
View from beginning
Not even a third of the way to the top
Making some progress
But, obviously, not enough
Little bit further
Hardest, most uneven stairs to climb ever. If you need a heart rate boost, then give these bad boys a try
View from the top
Balancing myself on this rock for a fabulous photo opportunity
Tower's window view
......
What you will look like after climbing the Great Wall. :) Thanks, Shannon, for the great photo!
Climbing to the top of the Great Wall was breathtaking and moving. I don't know if I'll ever have another chance to do it, but I'll carry that memory with me for a lifetime. It was, honestly, better than I ever imagined....
And then we ate! :D What did I tell ya?? It's what we do best! But this time the specialty was Peking Duck, which goes through this process almost as tough as climbing the Great Wall. You can google it, because I won't write it here, but let me assure you, it's not for the faint of heart or those with no time to spare for prepping food. It was DELICIOUS! I know I say it every post: best food in China. I would eat it every day if it didn't make me obese...
Cutting off as much as he can
Looks soooo goooooood!!
I'm salivating from the memory alone.
I'd say it was a good end to a long day. But now time for bed and our last day in China that doesn't involve an airport. I don't want to go home yet! Can't we just stay for a little while longer...?
Whitney
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