Our Great Great Great Wall Adventure

Before I get into our adventures in China I thought that I should comment a little on the typhoon in Hong Kong. Last Thursday there was a T8 Typhoon. The stock exchange was closed, the stores were closed, the roads were comparatively empty and lucky for me school was cancelled. However, from our side of the island there was relatively little going on. It was a bit of a blustery day, but mostly it was uneventful. We spent the morning packing and getting ready for our travel day and then I was off to the climbing gym and Cami went for a run. A half a dozen hours of sleep and we were off on our adventure to CHINA!!!

Chinese Lesson Number One - There are millions and millions and billions of people in China

So the morning began with a two hour flight delay, no fun, but not that big of a deal. 

-On our way to Beijing-

When we landed we took the train to the central bus terminal and had our first big surprise. There are millions and millions and billions of people in China. The bus terminal line up for just our bus that was to take us out to the great wall was a line up 500m long. No joke it took us an hour and a half just to get on the bus. 

The line up to get on our bus 

Half hour later, looking back from where we were

Much later again looking back,

China Lesson Number Two - Chinese people are ruthless in lineups

While we waited there was a constant flow of line cutters, pushers, shovers, and yellers in and out of ours and other line ups. There are security guards everywhere, yelling through megaphones or just yelling in general. People yell back, push back and disregard the rules as frequently as the guards let them, which happens often, and the whole process is pure craziness. Meanwhile, it being China's National Holiday, the Chinese army parades around Tianamen square and the Monument of People's Heroes in full glory, with tanks, infantry, hummers, jets, helicopters.

 

Private CPC Parade Flexing China's Military Muscle

Canada Has An Army Like This Right? 

Finally through the Entrance Gate 

Wait no we are only half way there 

Finally Getting on Our Bus

China Lesson Number Three - Everything is up for negotiation 

So after our two hour bus ride out to Miyun we exited the bus to ten men fighting to have us use their cab to get us the rest of the way to Jinshanling. They started out at 500 yuan, then we slowly but surely worked them down to 250 yuan which took us all the way up to Jinshaling village right below the great wall. 

You'll see on the video, but on the way to Jinshanling our Taxi driver turned on a light on his dash that flashed red and blue - yup - that's right our taxi driver was impersonating a police car while driving us to the great wall so people would let him pass.  He also let me play with the siren.  Once I get some time I'll talk a bit about Chinese Laws and their Legal System and share some more anecdotes I've learned about in class, but that will take a while and I know you guys just really want to see more pictures.  So yeah stay tuned for the movies, whenever I get them done.  

Here is a picture of us at the end of our first of many long days happy to finally be at the wall.  Also, it was cold, like probably barely above freezing and way different from Hong Kong heat.  

We Made It - Jinshaling Great Wall

So, when I'm in charge of the vacation the hotel picks can be a little sketchier than when Cami chooses. This hotel is the only hotel in this little village and no one speaks English and we had to rely upon one of our friends, Gary Lew, to book the hotel for us. So when we got there, these nice mongolian girls started tittering away when I pulled out my ipad and showed them my chinese receipt digitally rather than on a piece of paper. They called their mom or grandma over and I showed her a game on the ipad and showed her how she could try and touch it. It must have been the first touch screen she ever tried because she jabbed and pulled the screen way too hard thinking that if she pushed harder it would work better.  It was pretty cool showing her something like that and you could see the amazed expression on her face.   

Our hotel room was in a little chinese courtyard and it was let's say quaint... Cami might have called it something else. The bathroom stank of sulphur, the paint was flaking off of the wall and there were two beds when there was supposed to be one. There was also a gentleman next door that must have had sleep apnea because he snored louder than anyone I've ever heard. Cami will make the sound for you if you ask her.  She'll remember for a long time after this trip.  

I've explained my theory on adventures to lots of people, but for those of you who haven't heard it- if adventures work out and go perfectly to plan and you stay in normal places and normal things happen then you have nothing to talk about.  On the other hand if you stay in sketchy, stinky or other less than perfect places there is a story to go along with it and you can enjoy telling people about the place you stayed and the things you did for the rest of your life.  So given a choice wouldn't your rather choose the adventure???  Typically when I plan anything it is an adventure!!! - Woo Hoo for adventures!!!

 

Crepe Paper toilet paper in our Sulphury Bathroom/shower

Fried Rice at Jin Shan Restaurant

Cold Cami Ready for Bed

Breakfast was included and we went for the Chinese Breakfast rather than the American Breakfast just for fun. We were initially brought out three little dishes, which we thought was the whole meal, consisting of noodles, greens and cucumber. After about five minutes this was then supplemented with a huge bowl of Congee - Soupy rice, and a stack of steamed buns and I mean like 15 buns. This was a ton of food. Needless to say we ate a small portion of the breakfast and pocketed the rest of the buns for our lunch on the wall. 

 

Cold Morning with my Mountain of Steamed Buns and Snuggling my Warm Egg

Our Courtyard at Jinshan Hotel

Getting all artsy

After checking out of the hotel, we were off to the wall. The wall was my favourite part of China. It is huge and winding and scales mountains, rivers, lakes and deserts. Super cool. This section of the wall specifically is one of the most photographed sections and you can see why. Just google Jinshanling Great Wall and you'll see why, if you can't already see why from our pictures.

As the caption explains this was our route.  

Start out at Jinshan Hotel, go all the way to the right, then all the way to the left then, come back!

 

Our first picture at the Great Wall

We climbed through forts, and tunnels. We polkaed to local music, we scaled steep sections and hopped down others. All in all the Wall was amazing and again it was my favourite part of China.

 

Lighting the Canons with Cami's Banana 

Yup that's the Wall we're on!!!

As far as the eye can see!!!

Chimneying the Great Wall 

Cami and the Wall were FRAMED!!! 

Looking East 

All of the mountains looking East and West are covered by the Great Wall, If you looked really close you could see it continue on forever and ever!

Looking West

It Got Pretty Steep In Sections

There were big steps and little steps, steep sections and not so steep sections, sometimes lots of people and sometimes we were by ourselves.  It was pretty awesome!!!

Someone took a pic for us 

and another together Pic

Yup More wall 

Almost Done 

Parting Wall Shot!!!

After coming back from the wall, we negotiated a taxi ride back to Miyun, then a Bus ride back to Beijing and then about an hour walk to get to our next Hotel, i.e. Hostel called the Hai Inn.

Back In Beijing 

The Hai Inn in a Hutong