Not a lot will get me up in the morning, willingly, but the Great Wall of China will do just that.
Enroute to one of the seven wonders of the world, we made a pit stop at the Bona Jade store, one of the largest jade store in China.
There we learned that:
* Jadeite is the highest quality of jade.
* The longer you wear jade, the darker the colour becomes, making it priceless.
* 80% of jade is from Burma.
* Good quality jade will scratch a surface but it won’t itself be scratched.
* How to spot high quality jade: clink it together. The higher the pitch, the better the quality.
* Brides used to give jade shaped like white cabbage to her husband-to-be to prove her purity.
* In response, husband-to-be gives his betrothed a jade bracelet to reciprocate his affection.
* To find the right size for you, the bracelet should cover the first 3 knuckles.
* Amateurs use lotion to put on/take off bracelet. Professionals cover the hand with a plastic bag.
And after the presentation, we were let loose to do some shopping (natch) in their store. Mom bought a few pieces but I was reserving my shopping money for Shanghai. Besides, I’m not much a of jade fan.
We finally got back onto the coach bus and headed to Badaling section of the Great Wall, one of the most accessible, the most popular and the most crowded. The other being Mutianyu. Apparently most of the Great Wall is unrestored and crumbling away.
The section at Badaling was restored in the 1950s and 1980s. It comes equipped with guardrails, tourist facilities and a cable car. But to visit the Great Wall would be to hike it, non? However steep the trail might be.
On the other hand, my mom might have benefitted from a ride up. We hiked the steep incline, along with hundreds of other visitors and made it up only to the first tower. My mom was winded at this point, but a trooper and wanted to complete that leg at least. (She did better than 19 year old Justin Bieber who had to be carried up the Great Wall by his bodyguards!)
And I being the dutiful daughter, stayed with her, rather than hiking to the next towers. One fit couple on the tour with us made it to the 5th or 6th tower in the time that was allotted to us!
Funnily enough, Badaling is supposedly the easiest and least steep section of the great wall! Still gave me the jelly legs though.
Although I don’t like them on Paris bridges, I quite like the look of love padlocks on the Great Wall. I may have locked one on too, if Sean was traveling with me.
And the next time I visit the Great Wall, I’ll be sure to go to the Mutianyu section, where it offers toboggan rides! Hike up or cable car ride up and then wind down the mountain, controlling your speed with the handbrake. A friend of mine did this and he said it was quite the thrill.
After a couple of hours, we met back at the tour bus and headed back to Beijing. First, we stopped off at a cloisonne factory to take a look at how vases and dining ware were made. As well as another opportunity to be sold to. Again, I didn’t bite.
Back in Beijing, Jeff the tour guide offered us a chance to tour the Hutong area or old Chinese quarter via rickshaw bikes and see a kung-fu panda show for $30 CDN, which those of us who hadn’t had it included in our original tour, agreed to.
Hutongs or Beijing alleyways are created by the walls of courtyard houses, or Siheyuan, built with their backs turned on the outside world. several families may be living together in one Siheyuan.
Our tour included visiting with such a resident and having them tell us the history and inviting us to check out their homes. It’s not posh by any means or modern, (it may even be considered by some as slum living), but it’s a real slice of life. And a great way to be transported into the past. The rickshaw bikes, zipping in and around the hutongs were a fun way to get around too!
The old hutongs are in danger of disappearing in rapidly modernizing Beijing. Tourists, as well as, locals flock to this redeveloped district buzzing now with shops, cinemas and restaurants.
The Kung Fu extravaganza show at the Shichaihai Theatre nearby was enjoyable, though not nearly as impressive as the Golden Mask Dynasty Show. It’s great for kids though.
The hour-long production was produced by movie directors including Jet Li’s mentor and was performed at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.
For dinner, we were dropped off at Wangfujing Street, Beijing’s main pedestrian shopping street and left to fend for ourselves. Tonight would be the only night on our tour, where dinner was not included. We walked through the nearby snack street, which reminded me of the Richmond night markets in the summer. Stalls and stalls of snack food on sticks. Including scorpions and seahorses. Did I mention the scorpions were alive and squirming on these sticks? WTH?
Knowing that I would be going to China, I was well aware that I’d have to make concessions on what to eat. Although there are some Chinese vegetarians, meat is the main staple in Chinese cuisine and is, quite simply, everywhere. And in everything.
No – I didn’t not eat any meat. BUT I did eat McDonalds. for the first time in over 3 years! I know what’s in a filet o’ fish meal and in a sea of KFC and other fried chicken fast food offerings, it kept me fed and was the safe bet. (!) I’m sure that this will not be the first and only time I’ll eat mickey d’s in China.
View more photos of my trip on my Flickr album.
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