Day-39: Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Beginning Location: Beijing, China
Interim Location: Badaling, China (The Great Wall)
Final Location: Beijing, China
Today had a jam packed schedule, what better way to close-out a great trip than to see and experience the wonders of China. By day's end we would have experienced:
Today had a jam packed schedule, what better way to close-out a great trip than to see and experience the wonders of China. By day's end we would have experienced:
With a full schedule we had eaten breakfast by 0730 and were in the hotel lobby ready to go by 8 AM. Our first stop was in the heart of Beijing, the Beijing People's Square, more commonly referred to as Tiananmen Square, the location of:
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| Walking in Formation Black Uniforms Tourists or Security? |
We didn't go in each of the buildings but had ample time to view and photograph the surroundings and the people. There was an increased level of security in the area during the visit; as it would turn out, a major government meeting was in progress with the aim of developing new ideas for the advancement of China both economically and domestically.
The location of the "tank man" stand-off was pointed out, but as one would expect there's no monument or marker celebrating the iconic act of defiance from 1989.
Our guide led us through the various gates and courtyards of the palace providing a continuous commentary on the life and times of the emperors of China.
On our way out of the city we picked up from a street vendor a stick of glazed crab apples and a stick of glazed strawberries. Can't say much for the apples but the strawberries were excellent.
From Beijing we hit the road en-route to the Great Wall stopping along the way at a restaurant aka jade shop. Well we did have lunch but the fact of the matter was that almost every couple walked out of the retail store with some sort of bag, carrying another piece of China.
After another one hour ride we arrived at Badaling, the location of one of the best preserved and restored sections of the Great Wall. Badaling is set up for tourists with restaurants, hotels, shops, etc. even has a KFC and a Subway.
Once at the wall, May picked up our tickets and we proceeded to the wall. After a brief description of the wall and its history we were free to travel the wall at our leisure. Here the group split with most of us heading up the west side while a few others started up the east side. The climb is not easy, some elevations have steps (anywhere from 4 inches to 20 inches in height. The rock surfaces are worn and broken and often slippery; otherwise there was no problem as long as steep inclines, both up and down, were within one's abilities. In the end, I went up through several of the towers before heading back to the base and then heading up part way on the east slope.
The mountainous terrain makes the wall's construction more amazing. To think that the wall is thousands of miles long, the amount of labor and effort to complete such an endeavor without even the idea of mechanical equipment is unimaginable.
The thought occurred to me that throughout the history of China there have been several of these great endeavors, the Great Wall and the Terra Cotta Army of the past but in today's world, the building of thousands of condo units and ghost cities is just as remarkable. In all three examples the projects were government funded efforts that resulted in a tangible product but as importantly kept thousands if not millions of people employed.
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| Good Luck! |
So ended our visit to the great sites and sights of China; mission accomplished, we had seen the Terra Cotta Army and now the Great Wall. We boarded the bus for the ride back into Beijing, many of us dozed off for a few minutes but were awoken as we neared the Beijing 2008 Olympic site. We made a brief photo stop to view several of the venues including the "Water Cube" and the "Bird's Nest" (web photos).
Though China reports to have spent $15B (U.S.) on the Olympics, some outside estimates suggest that the spend was more like $50B (U.S.). When one recognizes the amount of infrastructure upgraded or built for the 2008 games the work effort is again staggering. Beijing built a new airport terminal, new highways, additional subways, tore down thousands of Hutongs, the traditional city neighborhoods and completed many other major projects to make way for the games of 2008. Generally the Chinese Olympics are viewed as having been successful but as with so much we've seen it's hard to know if what you hear is factual or a good government story.
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| The Dragon Hotel |
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| Copper Wire Toys |
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| Future Observation Towers |
We made the short ride back to the hotel in another 30 minutes and had about an hour to rest and get ready for the Peking Duck dinner.
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| Nick with an Actual Peking Duck |
By 8 PM we were seated around large circular tables again with lazy-susan centerpieces. The meal was served with many courses of vegetables, tofu, meats, soups and fruits. Finally the Peking Duck arrived and was sliced for us to enjoy. We were shown how to make a duck spring roll but none of mine looked anything like the ones made by the restaurant staff., nevertheless the taste was good. We had a birthday celebration for one of our fellow tourists. The staff brought out a huge cake with candles lit. After a round of "Happy Birthday" the dessert was served.Upon returning to the hotel and with no other plans, two of us again headed to the Donghuamen Night Market. Tonight we were earlier and arrived before the 10 PM closing. Just as advertised, the vendor stands offered an array of food items from traditional rice, wontons, and fruit to the very exotic including a variety of insects, shell fish, snakes, lizards and meat body parts that I can only imagine.
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| Shrimp and Octopus |
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| Cenitpedes & Millipedes |
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| L to R: Scorpions, Snakes, Star Fish, Caterpillars, Grasshoppers, Sea Horses & Lizards |
Upon return to the hotel we again sat in the bar, closing out the cruise and land excursions with our fellow travelers. It was easy to stay up late as tomorrow would be a free day until about 2 PM when we would make ready for our flight home.
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