The Great Wall of China & other things

The Great Wall was about an hour and a half bus ride outside of Beijing. Even with all of the pollution the scenery along the way was very interesting and the guide was very informative about the area and the history of the wall. Arriving at the wall we were told, “warned” about the vendors on the way up and on the way down. It was also suggested that we not purchase anything ‘til we came down so we wouldn’t have to carry it the whole way. Turned out to be good advice.


Anyway, the climb to get to the Great Wall was strenuous but worth the effort. I didn’t count the steps but there must have been at least 1000 just to get to the wall. Of course you didn’t have to walk up, you could take a cable car much like the ones at Disneyland or Six Flags to the top instead. There is also a chair lift available like those found on the ski slopes at Alyeska or Vale. Of course the lift and the cable car cost money so if you are on the cheap or just want the experience you can take the stairs. These are really not too bad as long as you rest when you are tired or your legs are burning from the exertion. Our group all walked up to the Wall.


Once you get there a grand surprise is waiting for you. We have all seen pictures but no matter how many you have seen once you are there you will be amazed, awe struck. It is really incredible that this structure was built without modern machinery and along the ridges of a mountain range. There are watchtowers about every few hundred meters and steps constructed in the top of the wall to change elevation when the incline is too steep to walk easily. The watchtowers included signal fire areas, drum placement and cannon placements to help move information up and down the wall and ultimately to the capital city. The top of the wall itself is about 10 meters wide the whole length where I walked. This structure was an amazing engineering feat. It was also a seemingly insurmountable logistics feat to get supplies and personnel to stations on the wall. I was truly amazed as you might be able to tell.


The weather was warm and sunny while we were walking up to and on the wall. A few days earlier it had snowed in the area so there was still know on the side shaded from the sun by the battlements. This also made out experience much different from the summer tourist in China.

Some of us took the cable car down instead of the stairs, some rode the chair lift and the very brave tobogganed on sleds down the mountain for an exhilarating experience! The cable car was quick but gave you an extra long time to run the gauntlet of vendors that were trying to sell you all kinds of materials from chopsticks to dresses. Everyone got an education in dealing with vendors and some experiences were better than others. All-in-all the excursion to the Great Wall was exceptional and a highlight of our trip!

Pearl “Factory”

From the Wall we took the bus back to Beijing and to a pearl “factory”. The factory is in quotes because it was really a pearl sale outfit. They did have a great presentation on oysters and pearls. They talked about the difference between fresh and saltwater pearls and how the oysters produce them. Our presenter also told how pearls are graded, processed, and strung. They also talked about pearl cream and how to tell real pearls from imitations. We then got to go shopping. Many of the group made purchases here and seemed happy with the price and the look of their treasures. Bonnie regretted later not purchasing some but we can always go back another time. That sure would be nice.

We went off to lunch after the pearl store. Lunch was good and the food was plentiful. Had a good time getting acquainted with the other groups that were with us.

Chinese Tea Ceremony

After lunch we went to a Chinese Tea Ceremony demonstration and had and opportunity to taste several kinds of tea and here about their medicinal properties. John is the quietest of the group. Once you get to know him and listen carefully you learn of his great wit. As we were ascending the stairs to the tea ceremony he leaned over to me and asked if these people were going to be our TEAchers, a very cool pun in my book. We purchased some tea and a tea pot before we left. Had a good time.

Rickshaw Tour

Once the tea ceremony was concluded we were off to a rickshaw tour of an out of the way area like the neighborhoods of Beijing, called a hutong, use to be before all of the high rise apartment buildings. The rickshaws were pedal powered so no one pulled us in a two-wheeled cart but we road in a three wheel bicycle. We stopped and toured a “middle” income house in the area and had time to talk with the home “owner” through an interpreter while we were there. This was a fun and very informative side trip.

The day was very full. After the hutong tour we went to dinner. It was another well-done meal with plentiful food. The only really adventurous eater in our group is Clynce. He eats most anything and a lot of it. Clynce enjoys his meals.