china, day four

china
day four - olympic venues & great wall
1 april 2009

with a plan to go to the cafe before checkout, shannon and i got up early. in a great coincidence, my phone rang and i was surprised to hear voices from home on the other end. mom, dad, andrew, bec, kizzy, mrs. donnelly.. it was so good to hear everyone's voices; even if i was half asleep and didn't say much!

a great way to start my morning, shannon and i then headed to grab a quick hotel breakfast. located in a separate building, it felt as though we were walking to the dining hall at school. the weather even reminded me of new hampshire and i was glad that shannon could relate!

some fabulous oatmeal and a croissant in my backpack, shannon and i dashed to the cafe for some coffee and one last check of the emails. unfortunately the computers had not been set up, but i was just happy to have some coffee.

after gathering our big group in the hotel lobby, we eventually made it out of the hotel. vincent deserves a medal for his patience. while he was happy to have a young group, i'm sure his older groups are punctual!

we began our day with a surprise visit to the OLYMPIC VENUES(!!!). i wish i had a recording of the bus as the water cube and bird's nest came into view. no one had realized that we'd see them! word was that the olympic venues were listed in our itineraries but most swear that they never noticed. i suppose sleeping on the great wall overshadowed that detail.

everyone was so excited, and most certainly awake as we got off the bus and headed towards the olympic park. the water cube was first in sight, and we were all taking pictures like crazy. the entire area around the arena was new; from the roads, to the apartments, to the 6-star hotel. we made our way around the water cube and the bird's nest came into view. it was so much fun! we were all running around like 5 year olds, reliving the weeks in august when everyone was glued to their televisions. i was positively giddy!

soon, a photo shoot began. jumping pictures, several group photos, solo pictures and some of the scenery. we had so much fun, and provided entertainment for locals, as well. we could see them taking photos of us, it was a strange phenomenon.

even more peculiar were the groups of women or other tourists that would come up and ask to have their pictures taken with us. who knows what they will do with photos of american college students, put them in their scrapbooks?

it was remarked that the olympic venues created much more excitement than the more historical venues of tienanmen square or the forbidden city. in thinking about that, i rationalized that while the historical sights were impressive and rich in history, the olympic venues resonated more due to the fact that we had experienced the 2008 olympics. back in august, as i watched the olympic coverage, i never thought i'd be standing in front of those buildings. i suppose that modern china is also a reflection of the current mindset of the country, one that is desperately trying to modernize, to build and to gain status in the international community.

reluctantly, we followed vincent back to the bus. a few more paparazzi moments as we walked through the parking lot and we were heading to the ming tombs. as is now tradition, everyone fell asleep instantly.

the ming tombs were the final resting place of 13 emperors, all buried around this area, 50km north of beijing. the tomb we visited was the only excavated tomb, named Ding Ling. the emperor buried there was wanli and he lived in fear of his people. as a result, the entire complex is buried underground and was not discovered until 1956. we wandered through the pathways and worked our way up the hillside. eventually we made it to the entrance of the tombs; a rather plain set of stairs, descending into the tomb. we worked our way down the stairs, descending deep into the ground. once inside, the tomb was simple. red caskets (replicas) of the emperor and his empresses where the main event. there were rmb's everywhere that people offer to the emperor as good luck.

we did not spend much time in the tomb, there was not much to see. as usual, vincent did his best to keep our merry band of troublemakers together and attempted to provide us with a brief history of the tombs and the dynasties of china. the best part of the tombs was the view from the hilltop as we exited the tomb. after climbing lots of stairs back up to the surface, the panoramic views made the trudging worth it.

a few more trips to the happy house and we were again on our way, all hungry for lunch. vincent promised a delicious lunch after one more stop.

the next stop was really neat. the spirit way/sacred way, a 7km path leading up to the tombs, was lined with concrete animals and guards. we began closest to the tombs and worked backwards, from the guards to the animals. it was great fun and the statues were gigantic! guards, camels, elephants, lions, and horses. there was a plaque next to one of the elephants with a photo of mao in front of the same elephant. vincent re-enacted the photo for us, using his yellow flag as mao's cane. it was precious. we had a great time posing with the statues and attempting to sit on the back of the camel. it was much harder than it looked! they were slippery! the weather was warming up and it was a lovely stroll back to the bus. i was nearly the last to get back to the bus; i walk slowly and stop to take too many pictures!

and off to lunch we went! a fancy restaurant, we repeated the system we'd created during our first meal together: becca pointed to photos of food and vincent did the talking. we had an incredible and lingering lunch in our own private room. the dishes were much more upscale at this restaurant, but we enjoyed ourselves just as much as we had in the hutong the day before. a final trip to the happy house before our 2 hour drive to the great wall and we were on the road again.

as usual, everyone fell asleep quickly, relishing the opportunity to nap.

a quiet and restful 2 hours passed in the blink of an eye and i woke up to the setting sun shining in my eyes. we had reached our destination: the great wall. bundling up against the chill, we grabbed our cameras and hiked up to watch the sun set over the vast hills.

a brief stop at the happy house, i decided to wait upon seeing the facilities.., and we took on the wall. after ascending the hill, multiple staircases and uneven steps, i made it to the wall. 

and yet another photo shoot began. solo shots, group pictures, and thank you signs were occurring all over the wall. it was chilly but we were all warm from having climbed. i took some incredible photographs and i am itching to get them printed and blown up. the sunset was perfect; better than anything i could imagine! we lingered on the wall for about an hour, thoroughly chilling ourselves and not wanting to leave. reluctantly, we made our way back down to the bus and had dinner.

in a restaurant of sorts, with a disco-ball and fake flowers on the ceiling, we huddled to stay warm and enjoyed a more informal meal. another small group of semester at sea girls were in the restaurant with us, though they were not very friendly. a few more chinese favorites: cornmeal pancakes, green beans in soy sauce, as well as a new dish made of scrambled eggs and tomatoes. no idea what it was or what it was called but it was sweet and so yummy with rice. it would have been delicious for breakfast!

after dinner we had to change and pack our bags for the overnight on the wall. layers were the key; 2 pair socks, leggings, gym pants, baggy sweatpants, tank-top, t-shirt, long sleeve, sweatshirt, jacket, panda hat, gloves. it was like a makeshift snowsuit! in our backpacks were the items we'd need the next day: cameras, sunglasses, and extra batteries. i also brought my wall-e fleece blanket, even though i knew i'd be carrying it the next day.

all bundled up like school-kids going to play in the snow, we disembarked from our cozy and warm purple bus and hiked to "our" tower. in the opposite direction of our sunset spot, nearly the entire hike was stairs. twisting and turning, little steps and big steps; lots of stairs. panting and overheating, we eventually got to the tower where our sleeping bags and mats were located. we then trudged to the next tower and began to set up camp. our tower, which had no ceiling, was simple and provided no shelter from the elements; though i suppose the walls broke the wind.

i took a few long-exposure pictures of the town but most of the evening will just be mental pictures. good friends, silly jokes and an overall sense that we were the luckiest kids on the planet.

opting for a slumber-party set-up, we arranged ourselves in a circle with our heads facing the center. then began the task of getting into the sleeping bags and arranging ourselves. we were offered 2 sleeping bags and i opted to stuff one inside the other, making a thicker wall. at the advice of mckendree, who has far more camp experience than i do, i removed my jacket and big sweatpants, so as not to sweat in my cocoon. i used them for my pillow. i decided to sleep with my cameras in my sleeping bag with me, hoping that my body heat would prevent them from cold-damage. expensive cameras are not made for 25-30 (f) degree weather!

as everyone settled into their respective sleeping bags, we got a "delivery" of juice boxes and beer. exhausted and ready for bed, most opted for the apple juice boxes. more photographs were taken and we attempted to tell stories and entertain ourselves. it was not long before the chatter lulled and everyone fell asleep. on the great wall of china, looking up at the brilliant stars. i wish i could have taken a photo but a mental photo will have to do.

i slept as best i could, shivering beneath my double sleeping bags and wall-e blanket. only my face stuck out and it was freezing! i tend to get claustrophobic, so being tightly zipped into a mummy-style sleeping back only increased my discomfort. overall, though, i could not complain. i was warm enough and was tired enough to sleep; even if it was only 930p!

as we drifted into sleep vincent promised to wake us up around 6 so that we could pack up camp, eat breakfast and head out on our 6 mile hike .