and closer............

Saturday, August 4^th started with a trip to the breakfast buffet at the Beijing Holiday Inn.  They serve the biggest breakfast ever.  Sushi, fruit, veggies, eggs, bacon, won tons!!  You name it.    When were were done,  we were immediately on the road again.  Our first stop was a tour at a jade factory where they made beautiful had carved jade items. 

Our tour guide told us that jade comes in many colors, but green is the most sought after as it represents longevity.  I bought a bracelet to share with Emma Grace when she is bigger.  They told me it will darken with age to a deeper green. 

After a walk around the show room we boarded the tour bus for The Great Wall of China. 

STEEP!!

 

 

 Beautiful to see.  Steep to climb.  But we did it!  Got the t-shirt to prove it!!   Got the sore muscles to prove it!!  Now we lost some team members during the hike, but Zhou rewarded those who made it to his end point with a cream filled popsicle!  It is funny – the popsicle stand is just there out of nowhere along the Great Wall.  Are these people climbing the wall every morning to go to work?  Cars are not allowed…..You know, Zhou should have told us that in the beginning.  Maybe we would have raced to the top!!  We must have hiked it for a good 2 hours in the hot hot sun.  It was humid.  OUr faces were all beet red.  But it felt good and was a great accomplishment.  We were all messy.  Our hands were dirty from the hand rail that you had to use at the steepest points.  Hair all out of wack.  Thought one lady was going to fall out - but she stayed strong.  Then.....we had to walk back down.  Where's the slide???  Or zipline??  All that went up - came back down.  Huffing and puffing.  Running to the tour bus and the poor working AC system.  So what did we do right after…..shower like we needed…..no…..we had ourselves a grand traditional Chinese dinner.  YUM YUM!!  Dude did not like this meal as well as the first.  But I am loving the food!!  After that we shopped the Friendship Store and the took a tour of it’s jewelry factory.  I got a few souveniers from there.  I think just about everyone did.  I even saw one Dude shopping. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Afterwards we took a long drive.  Zhou pointed out a lot of interesting landmarks and took us to look at the Birdnest Olympic Standium.  Then we called it a day.

 

 

Exhausted in disbelief............

Back at our hotel room we decided to go down to the hotel restaurant for a burger and fries..............so American of us.  AFterwrds we called it a night and watched some tv.....couldn't understand a word.....but sometimes......thats better!