Feb 14th- The Great wall-updated

Feb 14th- We started out bright and early for the Great Wall. It has been cold here in Beijing as you can see from the pictures-in the 40's so we have had to be bundled up. It is amazing to see just a small piece of this marvel. It stretches for 4,000 miles and in terrain that seems impossible to walk on, let alone build a structure. Our guide told us many peasant-slave laborers lost their lives building it & were buried in the wall itself. We wanted to climb a good chunk of it it but with Abbey, the cold and all of our asthmas flaring up we settled for just a samll section. Even from there the view was breathtaking (literally & figuritively! :) The Badaling section we were on wa sconstructe din the MIng dynasty in 1500's and restored with guardrails in 1950 & 1980. Even with them we found it very steep and somewhat treacherous.

We later had a meal in a small local restaurant where the chicken dish came with parts I didn't know people ate. Abbey said she would try a foot since a missionary kid here was gonna eat one- but really just took a nibble & said she was full. I admired the fact she even offered because even in America she can be extremely picky!

I forgot to include we went to the Olympic arena- got to see the Bird's Nest, Water cube & Olympic park up close. We opted not to go inside to see either empty stadium- at $9 US dollars /person it seemed a little high for us just to walk in & say we had seen it. Abbey of course was the center of attention again- many pictures taken of her by total strangers!

The afternoon we went to an amazing acrobatic show- much like a Cirque du Soleil exhibition. Only here the show was done by children aged 7-20ish. It would be more amzing if I wasn't saddened by how much the government controlled their lives to make them perform, Much like olympic athletes-skilled children are selected at a young age & trained hard for 4 + hours EVERY day! What they can do is amazing but at what sacrifice to their childhood?

MOst of us were exhausted so the Peking duck dinner was canceled. We had our worse meal in the hotel itself. No one wanted to go out again- but the waiters screwed up every order. It was recognizable but just off the mark for taste/quality we would expect in America.


Abbey & I have a new appreciation for American plumbing. They have the infamous squat potty here. Literally it is a porcelain hole in the floor with pads on either side where you squat to go. ( Above is a miniature version from the orphan school) In a clinical sense I see how it is more sanitary but I for one can't bend as well as I used to. So far we have been lucky enough to find at least 1 western style the group can take turn using or hold it till we can. The attendants in the baths act offended when we will not use the squat toilets. They also do not place ANY paper products in the toilet itself. All paper products are disposed of in a wastebasket next to the toilet. Do you know how hard it is to do that? It's just habit to want to dispose of it in the toilet! It is also rather...aromatic if you catch my drift! I have a new appreciation for even the worst rest stop bathroom now!

Today we have a short excursion to a Chinese mall / pearl center. Sheila hopes to get matching necklaces for her and all the girls. We also hope to see the "Temple of Heaven". It may be the oldest Temple in China, and our guide told us that in the oldest section (not accessable to the public), there are refences to "The God who has no name, and has no graven image"...

Tonight we have a late flight (leave at 9:00 PM local time) and get into Nanning around Midnight. TOMORROW IS GOTCHA DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!