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There are approximately 25 million people living in Beijing. In the past three days, I have experienced being packed like a sardine on a bus, subway and at the Forbidden City. As beautiful as the city is, I can't imagine living in this large metropolis. With this amount of people, there are a large number of cars, buses, bikes and mopeds on the street at one time. Pedestrians do not have the right away. When you hear a honk you better get out of the way or you are going to get hit. Plus the amount of pollution is visible, with humidity, the smog is easily seen.
The traffic is crazy everywhere you go in China. Drivers are very aggressive. Kim & I have held our breath on several occasions as various taxi drivers and rickshaws. As Passengers on subways and buses we all have learned to be aggressive getting on & off the buses or subways pushing through the crowds. You can't be nice or timid!
As assertive as people are in Beijing, they are very courteous. May has salt & paper hair and whenever she travels on bus or subway, someone younger is always offering her a seat. They think she's "lowe pou" aka old woman. most older women dye their gait to hide the grays.
Today we explored the Great Wall. Basically, tourist can access the wall in several areas: Badaling (most popular), Mutianyu, Huanghua Cheng, Simatai. We decided to visit the wall at Mutianyu since it is not as popular with the tourists.
While waiting at the bus station, we were approached by two people trying to sell their taxi service to the Wall. They offered a round trip to the Wall from the bus station. We settled for a taxi that could hold 6 people for 300 RMB. The bus is a two hour ride to Huairou, and a 30 minute drive to Mutianyu.
The parking lot long, windy and narrow. Our driver was very aggressive honking at cars and people to get out of the way. He even moved a barrier so we could park near the top.
When you leave the parking lot, the pathway to the Wall is littered with vendors, it looks like a flea market. We decided to have some lunch and sat at a restaurant to eat dumplings before venturing to the Wall.
On the advice of the Driver, we took a cable car up to the starting point. Most Chinese people decide to walk to the starting point. I can't imagine not taking the cable car since it's a very steep climb and you'd be very tired walking to it. We were in the cart that former President Bill Clinton was in when he travelled to the Wall on 6/28/98.
The Great Wall is mind boggling. It's hard to believe the amount of people used & sacrificed to build this man made phenomena. according to my Nano Pedometer, I walked 5,748 steps along the wall with lot's of steep inclines. I started snapping a lot of pictures, but as the terrain got steeper, I lost interest. It took us 2.5 hours to complete one side. It was a good thing it was cloudy out, because if it was a sunny day, it would have taken us longer. My dry fit Columbia clothes were soakings wet!
Bring lots of water! I had 2 liters and I finished it. I purchased a Chinese banana pancake to eat for the carbs. May and I decided we were not going to complete the 2nd half of the wall when we reached the end point of the first.
En route back to starting point, Kyle fell during a steep portion and ended with a few cuts on his knees and elbows. The fall looked scarier than it appeared. You have to be careful in certain parts since the brick/stone has broken off.
Rafael and Bryce went ahead and decided to explore the second half of the Wall. The 2nd half looks very beautiful, but there is a portion of the wall were it becomes very, very steep. From a distance, it looked like a 500 meter climb, I know I would have lost all energy climbing the first 25, ;)! It took them both 90 minutes to climb that portion.
This was a very exhausting day. We had to pay the driver an extra 30 RMB to take us to the main bus station since the stop originally agreed to be dropped off for our return would not have guaranteed us a seat. I wouldn't have wanted to stand 2 hours for the return trip to Beijing.
We returned to the city and everyone was hungry. We decided to eat a restaurant serving Mongolian Hot Pot. Basically, you have a broth, order various foods and cook your food in the hot pot. It was delicious, but Kim & I made the mistake of eating the cold appetizers, we both got diarrhea. Live and learn!
Tomorrow we are venturing to the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven.
- comments
Mai Unreal adventure. Good job June on not only doing it but on blogging it all too. Great fun checking in with you and seeing how you are doing. Have fun.
Renate June, I love reading your blogs - it's almost like being there with you. I will be anxious to hear about the next leg of your trip.