Day 3: Beijing

OK, Apparently now that I've uploaded yesterday's blog I can't see what I wrote! So apologies if I'm repeating myself!

So yesterday we left at 7am to get the bus to the great wall of china (that was 12am UK time...gross!). It was a 2 hour bus journey, but it flew past. We played a "game" where everyone got a number and then the rest of us could ask them that amount of questions. It was ok actually haha. When we got to the well I don't think I was quite prepared for it! It was a bit chilly when we first got there (cos it was only 9am!) but we were glad of that when we saw the stairs!

The stairs! I don't know of this is just me, but I'd never actually made the connection that seeing as the wall is on the top of mountains (someone google it and tell me which ones they are!) we would not only have to trek up a mountain to get to it, but it FOLLOWS the mountain, so you are constantly going up and down! My legs still hate me haha! Also the steps are all uneven, and it's pretty long and steep...lesson learned, don't underestimate the wall, it's not just a case of getting the cable car up and taking a few pictures before taking the slide (yes, there is a SLIDE down from the great wall of china!) back down to the bus again.

All of this aside, it was absolutely amazing! I have never seen anything like it, we only saw a bit of it ( it's over 6000km long) and it went on forever! God knows how anyone defended it never mind attacked it!! The views were absolutely stunning as well. It was good being earlyish, and at a relatively less touristy part too. So glad I went to see it! Some people didnt make it to the end, the last bit was so long and steep it was one of the most intimidating things I've ever seen! Looking forward to googling how far we actually walked, by the end our legs were properly wobbling with every step (who needs legs bums and tums?!). I couldn't get the slide down which was pretty gutting, cos there was a massive queue and we didn't have time, it looked class though!

On the bus journey back I slept until a taxi hit our bus...haha. I don't know if I mentioned this but the driving here is absolutely mental! Don't know why they even have lines/ traffic lights/ crossings because noone seems to care about them! I've actually never seen anything like it! The taxi basically tried to squeeze up the side of the bus when there wasn't room, and managed to walk away with some money cos when the police arrived they decided the taxi man was in the right! The people in his taxi were so unimpressed though , lots of shouting before they stormed across a 5 lane carriageway! Obviously it wasn't a big crash, but enough to keep us back half an hour!

After all that drama we went back to the hotel and got ready to go out for dinner because we had a Kung Fu show at 7:30! Dinner was almost as awesome as the first night, particularly the broccoli and spicy beef... Yum. There's talk of a cooking class at some point so that would be awesome!! Then the Kung Fu show was really cool, it was like performance martial arts rather than just fighting, so it told a story DVD was almost a bit like dancing at parts, was really impressive! Think Mark really would have liked it! Loads of crazy flips and stuff! At the end people could go up and get pictures with the cast haha.

Afterwards we got a taxi back to the church at the end of our road, and in the courtyard of the church there was loads, and I mean loads, of people doing this dance to music in the square in front of the church. Apparently they just do this for exercise every night, almost like a gym class! It was crazy! We had a bit of a join in which was good craic haha.

Ok, it's really late again now, so I'll have to catch up on day 3 tomorrow! Got a 13 hour train ahead of me though so it should be doable!

Night! Xxx