Greetings!

Wednesday began very early as we needed to travel to a hotel in the northwestern part of the city to catch up with the tour group consisting of family and friends of the women’s field hockey Olympians leaving at 6:45 am for a day at The Great Wall and other sites. Travel time depends upon traffic which is unpredictable. Perhaps it may be of interest to learn that taxis are usually Volkswagen Jettas, always manual transmissions and more than likely diesel driven. There are any number of bicycles, motor bikes [sometimes converted bicycles] and homemade covered motor bikes. We usually take a taxi to most places and with the help of the hotel staff, the Chinese address is written on a card that also has lots of other Chinese phrases, like “take me to the hotel so and so,” “take me to this shopping center,” etc.

The travel time to The Great Wall was about an hour and a half. By the time we were out of the bus, it was getting warm. The mode of dress, by the way, has been shorts and t-shirts along with a wash cloth from the hotel. This has become essential equipment.

The climb up to the “cable cars” that got us to the wall was rather steep. There is no such thing as railings or assistance for those less able in China. By the time we reached the cable car platform, the wash cloth was in use. As you will see in some of the photos, the weather had already become very warm. Along the hill leading to the cable car platform was a long line of shops with all types of items and offers of good prices. Sharon stopped at one of the last ones and said she would be back. The saleswoman asked her for her name and she said “Linda.” More on this later.

Into the cable cars and off to the top of the mountain to look at this part of the wall. Once at the top, we were on our own to wander as far as we could. A short distance from the platform was the first and last place to buy water or soda. Sharon struck up a conversation with the salesman who asked 40 Yuan [about $6+] for a bottle of Coke. Seeing as a bottle of Coke costs about 5 Yuan throughout most of the city, this did seem like a bit of a mark up. His explanation was that it had to be hauled up the mountain. He was the only place for refreshment so I guess he has the right to name his price. The means of getting the product up the hill was by donkey that spent the day tied to the wall. The price of water was 20 Yuan. Sharon became the example for all who wanted to barter over the high prices. She explained that it also supported the donkey’s food.

An hour and a half was about as long as it needed to be in terms of the heat and soon to follow crowds of people at The Wall. When you consider that this was built by hand using lots of poor folks, prisoners and soldiers, it has a very different significance. It truly is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and it is referred to by the Chinese as the longest cemetery in the world.

Back onto the cable car for the ride down to the meeting place with the bus. As we exited the cable car, the long, long line of shops was waiting for us. I am not certain how all of the merchandise got to this location. As Sharon approached, the woman remembered “Linda” and she was prepared to offer her a good price on all that she had for sale.

Back onto the bus to cool off in the air-conditioning and head to a special luncheon that was held at the Bank of America sponsored America House. The families of the women’s field hockey team were having lunch and meeting the Olympians to spend about an hour or so with them. This also was an opportunity for the media to interview team members and family members. Team members get very little time off and almost no face time with family members.

It may be interesting to note that there are lots of sponsors at Olympic events, just like Bank of America. I know that the Aramark Corporation actually had to purchase a Chinese company in order to provide food service to the media at the Olympics. Security was very tight at the America House. We had to show photo id and had a day pass made complete with photo. The card was then destroyed upon our departure.

The food was great and the company wonderful. The team had two ties with higher ranked challengers which was a pretty surprising outcome. Spirits were high and families were most appreciative of the time spent with their daughter, spouse, etc. Lots of noise makers to help bring some excitement to the event. There was even a western style bathroom, a welcomed facility.

Lunch came to an end and we were back on the tour bus for yet more sites in Beijing. Off to The Forbidden City, another very large facility built during the Ming and Qing dynasties. They were very inventive and have left the world tremendous examples art and culture. The wash cloth was back in use as the sun was trying to make an appearance.

Off to Tiananmen Square for a ten minute walk about. By this time, the tour group was ready to take two photos and get on the bus. A short walk to the bus and it was off to a traditional Chinese dinner at a restaurant that specialized in Peking duck and was called The Roast Duck Restaurant. Two chefs came to the table to show off their carving abilities. Lots of different dishes were provided, including vegetables and different types of meats. All share whatever they like from a large lazy susan type apparatus in the middle of the table. Soup is the last part of the meal. Dessert is typically fruit [watermelon is popular right now]. Almost everything is prepared with fresh ingredients and is cooked to order. For those who might have been challenged by chop sticks, forks were provided.

We left the tour group at this point and got into a cab. Not knowing where we were, didn’t matter much as we have been amazed at the knowledge taxi cab drivers have of the city. There are five ring roads that get traffic around the city. It is growing rapidly and a 6th one is being planned.

A long, hot and tiring day came to an end at about 9.

Until tomorrow...