All,
I am still alive and well. This is the upside for fat cells. Thank God they are stubborn and refuse to leave because I now have them with me in Beijing.
The temperatures are still very cold but we had a fantastic day yesterday.
Mavis came to pick us up at 8:00 a.m. and we made our way to the Great Wall of China. It is majestic, that is for sure. Definitely one of the wonders that should be seen, bad food and all. As you approach the wall, it sort of reminds me of the mountains in California and you see the wall winding its away around the mountain. Of course I know the history of the Great Wall but honestly did not know that it had all these steps. I thought it was graded and you would walk up this grade. Well, perish that thought folks. The steps are very steep and deep.
Once again I was dressed like a terrorist, totally unrecognizable, but I was not cold. We came out of the parking lot and started our ascent up the steps. Mavis took pictures of Marcia and I at different points. Going up was not bad but when I looked back, after about 20 minutes, I thought there is no way in hell I am going any further. Most of you know I am afraid of heights, so I watched Mavis and Marcia climb some more and made my way back down slowly. The view is breathtaking and if China is on your bucket list, it is definitely worth the trip.
If you don't already know the Wall was built to keep out the enemies of China, mostly the Mongolians. The Mongolians wanted to trade but China felt there were self sufficient and did not need anything that the Mongolians had. I beg to differ. How about Mongolian beef, chicken or pork? Do you see where I am going here? One should never be too hasty in turning down recommendations. That is the lesson learned here. If you friend offers you food from another country, try it, you may like it and not torture yourself for hundreds of years with bad food.
Hundreds of thousands of Chinese died while building the wall and it was a sobering thought, all because one country thought it was self sufficient and did not want to learn anything new. Here I was hundreds of years later feeling the repercussions of a bad decision.
After the Wall, we made our way to the Jade Factory which was government owned. Very lovely pieces. I bought a jade bracelet which must be worn on my left hand because that is where the heart is, and it will ward away all illness (presumably even those caused by bad Chinese food) and if I rub it on my face at night, it will keep away the wrinkles. Last night I nearly rubbed my face off, needless to say. However, I was not encouraged when I looked in the mirror this morning. However, I will give it time and when I get back to Florida, I will do a before and after. Maybe you will see some difference.
We then went to the Summer Palace. More painted wooden buildings and the largest man made lake in the world. It is a beautiful place and it must be gorgeous in the summer. A crazy Chinese empress built the place, spending all the money to make it more beautiful, and then China lost the war to Japan because there was no money to buy weapons. But as it turns out, she may not have been so crazy after all, because here we are hundreds of years later walking through the gardens and enjoying the ethereal beauty of it all.
After the Sumer Palace, we encouraged or should I say strongly encouraged Mavis, our guide, and the driver to eat aqt McDonald's for lunch. It was absolutely divine. The fries were just like I remembered, since I have not eaten in McDonald's in over 20 years. The Big Mac is what dreams are made of and the coke with just the right amount of fizz. I thought I had died and gone to Chinese Heaven. McDonald's was filled with mostly young people and it was packed. We saw a young black person so with the three of us in one place in China, felt the makings of a revolution (lol).
What more could one want in one day I said to myself. Climbing the Great Wall and eating McDonald's. This one will go down in the record books. We had dinner in the Japanese restaurant, prawn tempura and teriyaki salmon. The rice was actually good and the other stuff was passable. Getting a coke with ice is a major task here which exhausts before I even ask for it. However, between Marcia and myself we were finally able to communicate that I wanted a coca-cola and a glass of ice. All of this for a coke. No wonder the United Nations is not particularly successful in resolving conflict, for heaven's sake. The coke here is a little watered down, I guess like the dry wall, cheap clothes, dog food and I could go on but I won't.
Today we off to see how the ancient Chinese lived in downtown Beijing and will be riding in a rickshaw. Usually, when I see Asian drivers navigating the roads perilously, I usually shout out, "do you think you are in a f------g rickshaw?" Hope springs eternal. Today, I will be in one and get to see the other side.
This afternoon we fly to Xi'an and the adventure continues. Love to all.
Liz
#
No comments:
Post a Comment