The Great Wall of China
After the Forbidden City we were taken to the Friendship Store. This is a department store owned and run by the Chinese government. The place was quite big and there was a good selection of Chinese goods for sale. After that we went to a resturant that occupied the back of the building. We went in and sat down. All meals in China for foreigners are the same. The table you sit at is round. There is a lazy susan in the middle. The waitresses come and put many different dishes on the lazy susan. You turn it to get what you want to eat using chopsticks. The plate in front of you is about the size of a saucer so you fill it more then once. You keep eating and turning the lazy susan and putting more on your plate. The girls bring more dishes of food out until you are finished eating. We were unable to eat all the food they brought out.
After this we were off to the Great Wall of China. We got to the freeway and started heading north. It looked like any freeway I had seen in the United States except for the signs written in Chinese reminded me where I was. After about thirty minutes we got off the freeway and headed into a mountainous region in an eastern direction up a winding road. Occasionally we passed a village. We passed a place that made tile roofing where stacks of it were positioned in front of a store by the side of the road. Here people lived a more traditional life. I could see where generation after generations had worked the land laid the foundation on their property and the present generation was still carrying out the plans.
The place where we were going was called Mutianyu Great Wall. It is supposed to be one of the best kept parts of the Great Wall of China. It was built by the Qi and the Ming Dynasties and it has been rebuilt and restored down through the centuries. It has a 1,400 year history and many battles between the Chinese and the Mongols had been fought there.
When we got to the site the driver parked the bus and we got out and proceeded up a gradual incline passing a couple resturants and a few stalls where people were selling memorabilia and other souvenirs.
We took a chair lift to the wall which only took a few minutes but saved alot of walking. When we were let off there was a stone staircase we had to go up to get on the wall. Fortunately it was a pretty clear day except for a few rain clouds in the distance. The view was real good. The wall runs up and down the steep mountains which could be seen for miles.
After awhile it started to rain so we all took cover in one of the guard towers up a steep flight of slippery stairs. Inside there was a girl behind a table selling some stuff. Once we were all inside she started making a big fuss about us buying her stuff. The Chinese as a nation had been closed
Great Wall
off from the rest of the world so long that it seemed they didn't know how to act around foreigners. If she would have calmed down and stop begging maybe more people would have bought her stuff. I'm sure by now the Chinese people have stopped doing this when they try to sell their stuff to what they consider rich Americans. This was back in 2000 when China had only been an open country for a few years.
After this we went back to our hotel where we had to get ready for our journey to Mongolia that would start after breakfast the next day.
After the Forbidden City we were taken to the Friendship Store. This is a department store owned and run by the Chinese government. The place was quite big and there was a good selection of Chinese goods for sale. After that we went to a resturant that occupied the back of the building. We went in and sat down. All meals in China for foreigners are the same. The table you sit at is round. There is a lazy susan in the middle. The waitresses come and put many different dishes on the lazy susan. You turn it to get what you want to eat using chopsticks. The plate in front of you is about the size of a saucer so you fill it more then once. You keep eating and turning the lazy susan and putting more on your plate. The girls bring more dishes of food out until you are finished eating. We were unable to eat all the food they brought out.
After this we were off to the Great Wall of China. We got to the freeway and started heading north. It looked like any freeway I had seen in the United States except for the signs written in Chinese reminded me where I was. After about thirty minutes we got off the freeway and headed into a mountainous region in an eastern direction up a winding road. Occasionally we passed a village. We passed a place that made tile roofing where stacks of it were positioned in front of a store by the side of the road. Here people lived a more traditional life. I could see where generation after generations had worked the land laid the foundation on their property and the present generation was still carrying out the plans.
The place where we were going was called Mutianyu Great Wall. It is supposed to be one of the best kept parts of the Great Wall of China. It was built by the Qi and the Ming Dynasties and it has been rebuilt and restored down through the centuries. It has a 1,400 year history and many battles between the Chinese and the Mongols had been fought there.
When we got to the site the driver parked the bus and we got out and proceeded up a gradual incline passing a couple resturants and a few stalls where people were selling memorabilia and other souvenirs.
We took a chair lift to the wall which only took a few minutes but saved alot of walking. When we were let off there was a stone staircase we had to go up to get on the wall. Fortunately it was a pretty clear day except for a few rain clouds in the distance. The view was real good. The wall runs up and down the steep mountains which could be seen for miles.
After awhile it started to rain so we all took cover in one of the guard towers up a steep flight of slippery stairs. Inside there was a girl behind a table selling some stuff. Once we were all inside she started making a big fuss about us buying her stuff. The Chinese as a nation had been closed
Great Wall
off from the rest of the world so long that it seemed they didn't know how to act around foreigners. If she would have calmed down and stop begging maybe more people would have bought her stuff. I'm sure by now the Chinese people have stopped doing this when they try to sell their stuff to what they consider rich Americans. This was back in 2000 when China had only been an open country for a few years.
After this we went back to our hotel where we had to get ready for our journey to Mongolia that would start after breakfast the next day.
posted by THE REAL MIKE BAILEY at 7:26 PM
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