This was definitely one of the best parts of the trip. This experience was amazing and even the best pictures can not do it justice. There are multiple visitor sites at The Wall but we chose Badaling since it was only an hour bus ride from downtown Beijing.
The hike from tower to tower was insane. Some spots are extremely steep and walking on cobblestone on an incline is not easy. There are also areas with steps, these too are very steep and most of them are uneven.
We met a group of Buddhist monks during our hike and they asked to get pictures with us. As we were warned, it was almost unavoidable... we were constantly being asked if we could have our picture taken. Even funnier was that at least three people during the duration of the trip told me I looked like Avril Lavine (apparently she's extremely popular in China.)
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While in Beijing, Katie and I met up with a close family friend, Fr Ming. He's lives in Washington D.C. but is from Beijing and happened to be visiting the same time we were there. Fr. Ming was great... He took Katie and I to a local street market and bought us all kinds of food to try. He also showed us around Antique Street and we saw the first original Peking Duck Restaurant. He also helped us buy our train tickets from Beijing to Shanghai, which was a complete blessing since NO ONE at the train station spoke English. Finally, he took to a dumpling restaurant and fed us traditional chinese dumpling soup... yum! I'm in Beijing... after a 26 hour train ride. I don't have Iternet connection at the hotel so it's been difficult to post. I'll be in Shanghai on Tueday and will write more then... Wow, I am so happy I am here. This place is AMAZING!!! I could actually see myself living here for a few months. Don’t worry Mom and Dad, that’s probably not going to happen anytime soon but I would like to revisit in the next year or two. Beijing is modern (esp compared to Chengdu), clean, safe, and has tons of neighborhood charm. The people are very friendly and there are many extraordinary sites to see. The trip to Beijing from Chengdu was a nightmare!!! The train ride was 26 hours on a disgusting train with the most uncivilized people ever! People were spitting, smoking, and staring at us like animals. Smoking is such a common thing in China that it wasn't surprising that people could smoke on all areas of the train. I woke up in the middle of the night with the worst headache ever and seriously thought I was going to vomit. I couldn't tell if my nausea was from the smoke or the COW SKULL I mistakenly ate the night before.... YUCK!!! The women who worked in the dining cart were also extremely rude to us. At one point, Katie burst into tears because they were so cruel. |
About ChristineI just completed a 4.5 year Chinese medical program at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego, CA. I am very excited to have this opportunity to study Chinese Medicine where it originated. I will be traveling to Chengdu, Beijing, and Shanghai. |