For you, 50 Yuan

Today’s slideshow is a little slim. I apologize. There are actually 111 pictures on my camera from today’s events, but I only chose the really good ones of the wall. We went on the very old part of the wall, Simatai, not the new touristy spot. This section of the wall is for the adventurer at heart. It’s all stone steps, very steep, and very tiring.

So…I guess I’ll start from 3 days ago. Thursday morning we woke up and packed our things into the bus. Over night, Nikki had gotten whatever the sick people had been sick with and was still not feeling well. We all watched what we ate for breakfast. I watched my garlic potato wedges go right into my mouth. Didn’t know they could be so good. We took a trip to the Banpo Site. We got to see all of the artifacts and we even found an actual Western toilet (not 6000 years old like all the other stuff)!

From there we got back on the bus and made the trip to the Terra Cotta Warriors. This was pretty much amazing. We walked around the different pits and saw the different artifacts. Christina wasn’t feeling too good. I know what you’re thinking. Not another one! In the midst of looking at everything, we stopped for lunch. Needless to say, we didn’t eat a whole lot. The bamboo chutes were pretty good. They actually had 2 guys making homemade noodles, which was really good. After lunch, we shopped for a bit, bargaining with all of the people selling stuff. That’s one of the greatest things about the trip. When we ask the price, they will say “For you, 50 yuan.” So we ask the tour guide how much it’s worth and he would say something like 15, so we bargain with the merchant. We even have come up with different techniques. It’s great. We rested for a while in the tea room where Tyler fell asleep sitting up and Katie decided to stick her finger in the chair. Alex came to the rescue and helped her release her phalange.

We then left the site and headed for the train station. We were there way too early, so we went to McDonald’s and sat for a while. When we finally went to the train station, we got to sit in the “soft cushion lounge” because we were first class. We talked, slept, and even played with the little kids that found us fascinating. Then the loud speaker (and I mean BLARING) told us in Chinese that we could board our train. Our little first class rooms were so neat. There were 4 beds and a little table. We hung out for a while, chatting and watching Chinese television, then we were all pretty much tired and went to sleep.

We were awakened to a loud banging at 6 am. They were collecting trash and asking if we wanted to buy some coffee. That’s how they get you. They wake you up too early so that you NEED the coffee. We brushed our teeth and collected our things (no shower though), and exited in Beijing at 7:20. We couldn’t find our tour guide. He was nowhere in sight. We sat there while Robert went to find him. At least we were all feeling better. This was the first time in a while that no one was feeling ill. Finally the man with the yellow flag was found. William took us to our hotel so that we could eat breakfast. After scarfing down some food, we went to Tian An Men Square and then into the Forbidden City. After realizing how truly ginormous the Forbidden City was, we were out the other side and on the bus to the Temple of Heaven. We walked around and saw the way it was built and how the sacrificial ceremonies were done. We even found another group of American college students.

Once we were finished looking around, we traveled to a genuine pearl store. The other American college kids actually showed up a few minutes after we did. I felt sorry for the workers. That other group consisted of a BUNCH of loud obnoxious college students. I was proud to be a part of the small Centenary group. One of the girls was a Zeta and came up to me because I had a Zeta shirt on. Didn’t expect to find a Zeta in China. We then went back to the hotel and back to McDonald’s. A few people actually found a Papa John’s that had just opened! Katie (Emperors/Forbidden City) and Nikki (The Great Wall) gave their wonderful presentations. We pretty much crashed after that.

Saturday morning we got on the bus at 9 and headed for the wall. We chatted it up, trying to make the ride feel a little shorter. As we got into the mountains, we were getting excited. Once we got there, we realized that we still had to get up to the wall. There was a pathway, but it was a bunch of steps, too. Not nearly as many as the wall, but still quite a few. Once we got up there, we were all awe struck. We were actually standing on the Great Wall of China! I called my family (who was still awake at midnight?) and told them where I was. We all went in different groups up the wall. Will, Ed, and Tyler all went way ahead of us. A group stopped in one of the tower-things and resting in the breezy shade. A couple of us went a little further and then Andrew, Katie, Danielle, and Christina went further than me. I sat in the shade for a while watched as others became out of breath. We all met at the base of the mountain at around 2:35. Some of us went bargaining while others just got on the bus.

On the way back we drove past all of the new Olympic stuff. We think the torch-looking building is a hotel for the athletes and important people. Will has been holding back. His presentation is tonight, and he said that we had to wait until then to learn the things about the Olympics. There are 5 little characters that are the mascots for the Olympics and none of us know what they mean. We will find out tonight. After we got back to the hotel, we showered and went to the Papa John’s. AMAZING! Our little waitress was too cute. When we asked to take a picture with her, she was so excited. Today we are heading to the Summer Palace and the Ming tombs. Tomorrow we will get to see the different areas that are being torn down before we head to the plane to go to the mountains. We miss you all! (It’s also been said that we are missing clean laundry, soft beds, ice, free refills at restaurants, drinking from the tap, electricity without the room key, and good old iced tea.) Hey mom, can I have a big glass of iced tea at the airport? I would love you forever. (even though I already do!)

Love Y’all!
Ashley