The Great Wall

After I posted to my blog (pics later), I checked e-mail and there was one from Cassie, the tea lady on the ship. I was happy to hear from her. I wrote her back. I also had a bunch of e-mails that I thought I deleted, but the 'delete' did not go through. I got my unread e-mail down to 86.
Monday
I woke up sweating. So I got up to pee. I saw the digital time on the mirror read 5:27. I told Chris that the wakeup call would come in three minutes, but the phone rang in less than one. In 15 minutes we were both up, getting ready. He went down to breakfast first. I put seed crackers in my purse, read email, then went down to the restaurant. I told the hostess at the buffet that I just wanted food to take on the tour because it was too early to eat. She said only whole fruit and bread were allowed. She went to fix it so I sat with the Damours. She came back with an apple and a pear and two plastic containers of baked goods in a hotel gift bag. I told her I only wanted fruit so she came back without bread, but more fruit. Chris went up to brush his teeth. Then we got on the bus.

The bus took an hour and a half to get to the tourist part of the great Wall. The guide talked about it on the way. Parts of the wall were made at different times and with different materials, sometimes just rocks and dirt. Those parts are wild and overgrown now. It would be difficult and dangerous to try to walk the 6000 miles of wall.
Our bus took us pretty close. We walked to the tourist shops. There was a place for a group to sit and stand so as to have their picture taken. Our picture was taken and we were promised the opportunity to buy the picture in a book about the Great Wall. Then we headed for another set of tourist shops which lead to the Great Wall itself. There were steps going up to it. Not bad. But the wall itself follows the ridge line. So walking along it was steep and slow. We walked to the highest point we could see. We could have gone further, but the view wouldn't have been any better and you could only go so far before the renovated part ran out and signs were posted to stay out. The bricks along the sides were at least 600 years old, but they were new in comparison to the thousands year old ones they replaced. Chinese names were scratched all over them. It was hard to make out the original names, which the emperor required so he could punish the makers (or their descendants) of bad bricks. Michele came with us, turned back and then changed her mind and joined us at the highest part. It was scary coming back because of the steepness. I went down backward so I didn't have to look down.

Back at the place we started, I shopped. I got a t-shirt and some bracelets. That was most of the money I had. Then we all went back to the previous tourist shops. I bought a scarf and the lady sold me another t-shirt for half the price of the first one. Oh well. I looked at magnets, but there wasn't one in the shape of China. Then we went back to the place where the group photo was taken. When the whole group gathered, we walked back to the bus.
This time the bus took us to a jade factory, the number one in China. The manager gave us a tour and let us see people working on the jade balls. There was a huge jade dragon boat and other large impressive pieces. She said jade came in 30 colors, even blue.
Then she took us to the second floor for lunch. Again, there were large round tables with a rotating center. Under her close supervision, dishes were brought for us to sample. She brought me a separate gluten-soy-free plate. I ate it, and tried to sample the dishes on the table when she wasn't looking. The soup was good. There was a sorghum drink nicknamed firewater. And it was. We only had a little, but it was potent. The others went off to shop. I went to the restroom and then Cecily and I joined the others in the jade room.

There was so much to look at, but the salesgirls kept asking me what I liked and what color did I want and did I want earrings, or a pendant or a necklace? Being it was certified jade, it was not cheap, even though what I was looking at was the soft jade. The hard jade was even more expensive and I couldn't tell the difference. Nevertheless, I bought a set to go with my navy ball gown. It was purple rather than blue, but Marie thought it would look fine with the dress. I wished I had a picture. But finally I gave in. The pendant was so pretty and it looked better in the purple than it did in the green. She gave me a chain to put it on for free, like it was a big secret. But she handed me the ticket to take to the cashier so it couldn't have been secret. I walked around and looked at other pieces. But again with the questions. I just wanted to look.
The group was leaving, so I followed them to the bus. The next stop was the Ming tombs, surrounded by cherry trees. Vendors were selling cherries on the roadside. I was excited to see the tombs, but we did not go that way. We walked the opposite way, down a path lined with stone statues of people and animals. Perhaps they were guarding the path to the 13 tombs? Only one tomb had been excavated and our guide said it was not very safe because of all the people trying to crowd in. It was seven stories underground.

From there, we went back to the hotel, passing some of the Olympic buildings in the distance. We tipped the guide for the whole tour and the driver for our time in Beijing. When we got out, there was the same man on the street, selling silk wallets, scarves, handbags, t-shirts, hats and maybe other stuff, that was there every time our bus pulled up. Someone said he must know our schedule. Some of our group crowded around him. Chris and I went up to the room to drop off our stuff. Then I wanted to go back down and see what he had. It was hard to get close enough. The deals were good, but I didn't believe his claims of 100% silk. Still, I managed to get a scarf and a t-shirt for a lot less than I paid at the tourist spot (even after haggling).
Then Chris and I went to the second floor to check the class schedule for the fitness center. We leave the hotel at 1 tomorrow and I hoped to get in a yoga class, but there wasn't one. We went to our room and I typed notes for my blog while Chris checked e-mail.
Then I got dressed for dinner so we could all meet at 6 in the lobby.