Last Day in China - The Great Wall

The scorpian dish - Yum.
"Climbing The Great Wall"
The Great Wall.

They say there are two things you can see on earth from outer space. One are the lights of Las Vegas and the other is the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall extends approximately 4,163 miles from the east to the west of China. The construction of the Great Wall began in 221 B.C. to ward off invasions and took approximately 10 years to complete over a period of time. Portions of the wall are now in ruin, but the area we visited around Beijing is the most well maintained and also the most commercialized. You can get great deals on “Rolex” watches but my favorite was the Chairman Mao watch with Mao on the face and his arms the hands of the watch. But the commercialization in no way diminished the magnificence of the Great Wall.

More than 1 million people were involved with building the wall. Soldiers, local people, and prisoners were brought in to build the wall. Building the wall was so tortuous, that many died while building it. Our tour guide said that the Great Wall is also called the longest cemetery in the world because so many people died while working on the wall and were buried along the wall.

Our delegation walked a considerable portion of the wall. We chose to walk the steepest side. Most of the walking area is an incline with a few steps in various portions. The views were spectacular, not only of the mountainous area but of the various views of the actual wall you can see as you climb the wall. While you’ll see the picture of me climbing the wall, I can also proudly display a certificate we were given saying that we indeed completed this great feat.

We ended our incredible journey with a farewell banquet at the famous Peking Duck Restaurant. It was the most delicious and interesting food I had eaten the entire week. The Chinese restaurants serve family style. Various dishes are continually placed on a huge Lazy Susan in the middle of the table. Diners continue to swirl the Lazy Susan as they choose items from the various dishes. The farewell meal ended with a roasted duck. We were shown how to take the sliced pieces of duck and place it in the Chinese version of the round tortilla. You then add soy sauce and scallions and roll it up somewhat like a burrito. It was delicious. But the most exciting dish of the night was the dish of scorpions (see the picture). Yes, after much coaxing, I ate a scorpion! It tasted like a pork rind. It really wasn’t bad at all, and I was quite proud of myself for totally immersing myself in the Chinese culture.

My trip to Beijing was an incredible journey and opportunity. I look forward to sharing more interesting tidbits and many more photos when I return. See you soon!