Day 5: the day we conquered the Great Wall
Rebecca's suggestion of walking 15 kilometers on the Great Wall was voted down. And good thing too because it was hot.
The bus left at 6:30 am and what a bus trip it was! The drivers are maniacs but they must be extremely good drivers to do the crazy stuff they do. There were moments when we thought it was the end...or at least that there'd be some sort of accident.
Anyway, we slept on the bus and then jumped out at Simatai. We looked up and perched on top of the jagged peaks, we could see the watch towers on the Great Wall. We opted for the cable car to get us part way up. And then walked to the wall, trailed by people - who apparently camped on top of the wall waiting for the tourists to arrive - peddling t-shirts, stone carvings and water.
At the end of the renovated section, there was a soldier making sure no one would cross (or be fined 200 Yuan or 20 Euros). He asked through Bo if we had coins from our home countries that we wouldn't mind giving him. We were happy to provide him with various euros and a silver 5 Franc coin.
We walked through 10 towers, up and down and up and down and thousands and thousands of stairs. And some crazy French kids running up and down with no guard rail in site, only a sheer drop down the mountain. We ended up walking about 6 kilometers in all which wasn't so bad especially considering the terrain.
We got back to Beijing and had 2 hours to find money and shower before the hotel turned the water off for repairs. No luck at the fancy hotel but just as we lost hope, Jerome forced Rebecca to try her American ATM card. And it worked to everyone's surprise! Thank you Penn Federal in Montclair New Jersey! (PS Mom and Dad check the bank statement please).
Tired and hungry and showered, we went to a place just out of the hutong where we had to share a table with two locals who didn't seem to mind us. As usual, we didn't want to take too much food and as usual we had enough for at least 6 people. Bo explained to us that it's normal to order too much and to waste a lot because you're supposed to show your wealth. That said, seeing what our neighbors left, we could have ordered nothing and still had a full meal.
So we went back to Lotus Lane and got drunk on cocktails and reminisced about the hutong smell. We were all exhausted by Beijing and glad to be leaving the next day.
Click here to see Bo in the cable car
The bus left at 6:30 am and what a bus trip it was! The drivers are maniacs but they must be extremely good drivers to do the crazy stuff they do. There were moments when we thought it was the end...or at least that there'd be some sort of accident.
Anyway, we slept on the bus and then jumped out at Simatai. We looked up and perched on top of the jagged peaks, we could see the watch towers on the Great Wall. We opted for the cable car to get us part way up. And then walked to the wall, trailed by people - who apparently camped on top of the wall waiting for the tourists to arrive - peddling t-shirts, stone carvings and water.
At the end of the renovated section, there was a soldier making sure no one would cross (or be fined 200 Yuan or 20 Euros). He asked through Bo if we had coins from our home countries that we wouldn't mind giving him. We were happy to provide him with various euros and a silver 5 Franc coin.
We walked through 10 towers, up and down and up and down and thousands and thousands of stairs. And some crazy French kids running up and down with no guard rail in site, only a sheer drop down the mountain. We ended up walking about 6 kilometers in all which wasn't so bad especially considering the terrain.
We got back to Beijing and had 2 hours to find money and shower before the hotel turned the water off for repairs. No luck at the fancy hotel but just as we lost hope, Jerome forced Rebecca to try her American ATM card. And it worked to everyone's surprise! Thank you Penn Federal in Montclair New Jersey! (PS Mom and Dad check the bank statement please).
Tired and hungry and showered, we went to a place just out of the hutong where we had to share a table with two locals who didn't seem to mind us. As usual, we didn't want to take too much food and as usual we had enough for at least 6 people. Bo explained to us that it's normal to order too much and to waste a lot because you're supposed to show your wealth. That said, seeing what our neighbors left, we could have ordered nothing and still had a full meal.
So we went back to Lotus Lane and got drunk on cocktails and reminisced about the hutong smell. We were all exhausted by Beijing and glad to be leaving the next day.
Click here to see Bo in the cable car
posted by Gros Joe at
12:11 PM
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