Sweating on The Great Wall

We had an amazing day yesterday. In the morning I woke up early for a run in the park near our hotel. It is so tranquil in there in the morning, despite being located in the middle of one of the largest cities in history. Again, as every day, all the elderly people were out doing their morning exercises and walking their dogs. I stopped my run to listen to a man playing a traditional Chinese string instrument. I should find out what it is called. I also finally saw the men, “walking their birds.” As it turns out, I was taking the phrase a bit too literally. I really was picturing either some sort of leash-devise or men walking around with parrots on their shoulders. That's not what they do. Instead, they carry their birds out in these gorgeous round cages, and hang them in the trees where the birds sing their hearts out. The park has been such a fun place to spend time in the morning. I love the way they gather together to start their day with some peaceful movement.

After breakfast we got on the bus and drove out to The Great Wall! Our guide told us that after we visit The Wall and eat Peking Duck, we can return to the States as heroes. I guess I'm half-way there after our trip. The Great Wall is incredible and hard to describe. It's just like in the movies, and a hundred times more than in the movies. It was blazing hot up there, and yesterday, unlike our first days in Beijing, the pollution had rolled in, so it was very hazy out. There are lots of steps and parts were the path angles steeply uphill. We were all sweating buckets. I bought a hat from a vender named Jang, so now I have this sort of weird Chinese cowboy hat. Turns out I look pretty dorky in pictures, but it did the trick! No sunburn!

The section of the wall that we visited is in the mountains, so not only is there this unbelievable man-made structure, there are also these jagged high peaks in every direction. It's hard to know what to say about The Great Wall. Mostly, I feel overwhelmingly fortunate to have had the opportunity to go there.

There it is!

The surrounding peaks were beautiful! 

Fellow Fulbrighter, Caitlin and me with my new hat!

In the afternoon we visited a Hutong. These are the old Beijing neighborhoods. They used to be family compounds that covered most of the city. Between the revolution and new development, most of the Hutongs have been demolished to make room for newer buildings. There is a debate about what to do with the remaining Hutongs. On one hand, they are historically important and beautiful old designs. On the other hand, space is precious in the city, and these old complexes are inefficient in terms of space and plumbing and modern utilities, for example. We took a bicycle rickshaw tour around the neighborhood, and then we actually got to eat dinner inside one family's home! The cook was a friendly older man who served up a feast from within a kitchen about half the size of my bathroom. (I'm lucky to have a pretty big bathroom, but still!!)

Our Hutong Chef!

By the time dinner was over, we were WIPED OUT! But, we had one more stop. We drove to a really modern part of the city to attend an acrobatic performance. It was great, and the acrobats showed incredible strength and balance. I was so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open though!

Today we are visiting the Forbidden City and the Olympic Complex. It will be another hot day of sightseeing!!