China's Great Wall

Today we got to visit one of the wonders of the world, the Great Wall of China. We left the hotel after the usual, huge breakfast spread, just after 8:00 AM. The weather was about the same, cool but hazy. Traffic in Beijing was some of the worst I have ever seen. Cars and trucks were streaming through the city at every turn. Getting out of Beijing seemed to take forever. Traffic moved along after we left the city and we got to the Great Wall around 10:15PM. (I am pictured on the wall, with China's motto for the Olympics in the background, "One World, One Dream.") The weather was very good with bright sunny skies and a cool breeze. Buses and people were everywhere as we approached the Great Wall. Our guide got us very close to the entrance, while many others had to walk a great distance. We spent two hours walking and climbing along the top of the wall. There were thousands of people there and the vendors were extremely persistent, tying to sell all kinds of souvenirs. The walk was extremely steep at various locations, but the views were spectacular. At some places there were so many people that “people traffic jams” occurred, causing us to turn around. We left around 1:00 PM. On the way back to Beijing we made several special “shopping” stops. The first stop was at a large cloisonné factory. We toured the factory, had lunch and shopped. An hour further along we stopped at a state owned pearl factory/store and a state owned jade factory/store. Finally, back in Beijing we shopped at a huge “silk market”. The silk market was actually a gigantic “flea market”, with “copies” of every imaginable name brand. They sold all types of “name-brand” clothing, jewelry, watches, souvenirs, etc. Some members of the delegation got measured for fitted suits and jackets. The vendors, mostly young women were some of the most aggressive I have ever seen. They would grab your arm, block your path, and verbally harass you…to get a sale. They elevated the art of bargaining to a science. Some of us got great deals…others probably paid way too much. But at least we had a good opportunity to buy almost any type of souvenirs. Another typical dinner followed and we returned to the hotel by 9:30PM.