One of the highlights of the trip was to visit one of the modern "Seven Wonders of the World": The Great Wall of China; and it did not disappoint. We woke up early and drove almost 2 hours to reach Mutianyu, a renowned section of the wall built during the Ming Dynasty. Some of us hiked up a trail to the wall, while others went up in a ski lift. Seeing the wall for the first time was an amazing experience. It stretches off into the distance in either direction, straddling a mountain ridge, punctuated by watchtowers every couple of hundred feet. The mountains fade away on all sides, definitely one of the most spectacular things anybody could ever see. A group of students and teachers including Roarke, David and Janna, Coach Pablo, Mr.Sayfie, Miss Kagan and Mr. Cosgrove decided to hike along the top of the wall as far as we could within the time we had there. We lost count of the number of steps we climbed and towers we passed through but definitely got our exercise in for the rest of the week! Our journey back down the mountain when it was time to go was much easier than our hard climb up.... A giant toboggan run snakes for a couple of thousand feet down to the village at the bottom and most of us raced down the mountain in our own private sled. Fortunately each was equipped with a brake!
After lunch we visited a Hutong neighborhood, a part of Beijing that houses an old and traditional Chinese community. Hutang neighborhoods consist of old houses built around a central courtyard. We were lucky to be invited into a resident's home where the children listened to an old Chinese woman talk about her everyday life. The children seemed engaged and asked lots of questions. More than a few were shocked to find out that each apartment DID NOT have their own bathroom as more than 20 families shared the PUBLIC bathroom facility. With 7 toilets all together in one room, it was not surprising to learn that these facilities are nicknamed "Chatterboxes" as residents share their news while they do their business.
We're off to Changsha now to visit our friends!!
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3 comments:
Have a great trip!
Great story from "The Wall", Prince Pablo. Do you think you have time in your very busy schedule to show us some pictures from the wall?
I love following your blog. It's so exciting to see all the activities you are enjoying. How sore were the legs of The Great Wall "hikers" the day after?
We are all waiting for pictures from the Great Wall!
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