DAY 64 - XINLANG, CHINA - (BEIJING) - APRIL 1, 2010

THIS MORNING OUR MEETING TIME WAS SCHEDULED FOR 8:15 FOR ALMOST EVERY TOUR, HOWEVER THE IMMIGRATION PROCESS GOT BOGGED DOWN AND WE DIDN’T GET ONTO THE BUS UNTIL 9:15. OF THE 600+ PEOPLE ON THE SHIP OVER 400 WERE OUT AND ABOUT ON AN ORGANIZED TOUR. MORE THAN 250 WERE ON THE OVERNIGHT TRIP TO BEIJING AND THE REMAINDER WERE SPLIT BETWEEN BEIJING, TIANJIN CITY AND THE GREAT WALL.

WE HAVE CHOSEN TO TRAVEL TO THE GREAT WALL, THE SECTION AT HUANGYAGUAN. OUR GROUP WAS SPLIT INTO TWO GROUPS, WE HAPPENED TO BE ASSIGNED TO THE SMALL BUS, ONLY 12 PEOPLE. IT WAS COZY BUT WE FELT EVERY BUMP IN THE ROAD, BOTH GOOD AND BAD ROADS. WE TRAVELED FOR WELL OVER 90 MINUTES BEFORE TAKING A REST STOP, WITH NO WESTERN STYLE TOILETS.

TRAVELING IN CHINA IS AN EXPERIENCE THAT I DON’T REALLY FEEL CAN BE PUT INTO WORDS WITH ANY JUSTICE. GEORGIA AND I HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO DRIVE ACROSS THE U.S SEVERAL TIMES. DRIVING THROUGH THE MIDWEST CAN ONLY BE SUMMED UP AS BORING. MILES AND MILES OF CORN AND WHEAT FIELDS FLY BY, WITH AN OCCASIONAL INTERCHANGE LEADING TO SOME SMALL TOWN...SOMEWHERE...AND VERY LITTLE SIGNS OF LIFE.

THE PORTION OF CHINA FROM XINGANG, WHICH MEANS NEW PORT, IS MUCH LIKE THE MIDWEST, EXCEPT FIELDS STRETCH FOR MILES ON EITHER SIDE AND NOTHING CAN BE SEEN ON THE HORIZON. BUILDINGS AND FACTORIES POP UP OUT OF NOWHERE AND THEY LAST FOR MILES AND MILES. LARGE AREAS OF WHAT I WILL CALL RECLAIMED LAND, SOME BARREN AND SOME UNDER REDEVELOPMENT, WITH LARGE CRANES HIGH ABOVE THE STRUCTURES, REACHING HIGHER AND HIGHER INTO THE SKY. AS THE DISTANT SKYLINE BECOMES MORE VISIBLE, TALL BUILDINGS DOT THE HORIZON AND SIGNS OF LIFE ABOUND EVERYWHERE. RICKSHAWS, BICYCLES, AUTOS, SCOOTERS AND TRUCKS, SOME PILED HIGH WITH EVERYTHING FROM FRUIT TO STEEL CABLE, FILL THE STREETS. PEOPLE, PEOPLE ALL AROUND, STREET VENDORS, SOME PREPARING FOOD, OTHERS SELLING FLOWERS AND SOME JUST STUFF, PEPPERING EVERY SQUARE INCH OF SPACE.

AS I SAID, NINETY MINUTES AFTER LEAVING THE DOCK WE ARRIVED AT THE REST STOP, IN A BARREN FIELD. ANOTHER 30 MINUTES LATE, AND NOTHING IN BETWEEN, WE ENTERED A BUSTLING, THRIVING CITY. DOWN SEVERAL SIDE STREETS, AND A FEW LARGE CROWDED AVENUES, WE SOON PULLED INTO THE HOTEL PARKING LOT. WE WERE HUSTLED IN THE SIDE ENTRANCE AND UP TO THE THIRD FLOOR AND INTO THE BANQUET ROOM FOR OUR SUMPTUOUS CHINESE LUNCH.

AS HAS BEEN OUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES IN CHINESE GROUP DINING, THE TABLES ARE LARGE, ROUND AND ALL HAVE ENORMOUS LAZY-SUSAN’S. LUNCH AND DINNERS ALWAYS BEGIN WITH SOUP AND ARE FOLLOWED WITH AT LEAST SEVEN OTHER OFFERINGS CONSISTING OF CHICKEN, PORK, BEEF, VEGETABLES, RICE, AND NOODLES. WE HAVE COME TO REALIZE FEEDING TIME IS OVER WHEN THE WATERMELON ARRIVES. TODAY WAS NO EXCEPTION AND THERE WAS PLENTY OF FOOD FOR EVERYONE.

THERE WERE TEN SEATED AT THE TABLE, FOUR FROM GERMANY, TWO FROM TENNESSEE, 2 FROM NEW YORK AND US. CONVERSATION WAS PLENTIFUL AND FILLED WITH STORIES OF TRAVEL ADVENTURES AND TAILS OF THE HOMELAND.

BEFORE BOARDING THE BUS WE MAKE ONE LAST POTTY STOP AS THERE IS STILL AN HOUR OF TRAVEL BEFORE REACHING THE GREAT WALL. THE NARROW TWO LANE COUNTRY SIDE ROADS LEAD THROUGH SEVERAL SMALL VILLAGES, MANY OF WHICH ARE RUNDOWN, NO PAVED ROADS AND GARBAGE EVERYWHERE. OTHER AREAS HAD EVEN LESS AND WERE WORSE IN APPEARANCE. EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE YOU CATCH SIGHT OF A TV DISH, EVEN IN THE MOST SHABBY PLACES.

THE LONG HARD BUMPY TRIP WAS WELL WORTH THE TIME IT TOOK TO GET TO THIS FABULOUS SIGHT. HAVING VISITED THE XXXXXX SECTION IN OCTOBER 2009, WE WERE GLAD TO SEE AND COMPARE THE TWO SITES. WE WERE PLEASED TO SEE THIS AREA WAS LESS COMMERCIALIZED, ALTHOUGH THERE WERE SEVERAL STORE FRONTS AND VENDORS.

IT WOULD BE WRONG TO COMPARE THE TWO SECTIONS OTHER THAN TO SAY THEY SHOULD BE JUDGED ON THEIR OWN MERIT. BASICALLY, THIS SECTION IS MORE RUSTIC AND LESS STEEP, PARTICULARLY ON THE SIDE WE CHOOSE, THAN THAT OF XXXXX. A LONG FLAT SECTION CURVES IN THE SHAPE OF A HORSE SHOE LEADING TO A SET OF STAIRS AND A WATCHTOWER CONTAINING A SMALL BUDDHIST TEMPLE. AROUND THE TEMPLE AND DOWN THE STAIRS ONE CONTINUES TO THE MAIN SECTION OF THE WALL. THE CLIMB BECOMES MORE STRENUOUS, THE STAIRS MORE NUMEROUS AND THE VIEW MORE SPECTACULAR. WE CONTINUED THROUGH THE SECOND WATCHTOWER AND PROCEEDED TOWARD THE THIRD WATCHTOWER.

THE INCLINE ALSO BECAME STEEPER AND THE NEXT SET OF STAIRS PPRESENTED NEW CHALLENGES. THE RISE IN THE STEPS WERE ANYWHERE BETWEEN 12 AND 15 INCHES, ALTHOUGH SOME WERE LESS, AND THE TREAD WAS ALSO OF PROPORTIONS, NEVER WITH ANY CONSISTENCY. WE TRUDGED ALONG UNTIL OUR BODIES COULDN’T TAKE THE STRAIN ANYMORE. WE FELL SHORT OF THE GOAL, THE THRID TOWER, BUT OUR EFFORTS WERE STILL WORTHY OF A CERTIFICATE ACCOMPLISHMENT FROM THE TOUR COMPANY. IT SHOULD BE NOTED, EVERYONE DID NOT RECEIVE A CERTIFICATE.

WE RESTED FOR A SHORT TIME, TOOK DOZENS OF PICTURES AND BEGAN THE TREK BACK TO THE STARTING POINT. IT HAS BEEN AGREED UPON BY EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER CLIMBED THE WALL, WHEREVER, THE JOURNEY DOWN IS MORE DEMANDING AND TREACHEROUS THAN THE ASCENT TO THE TOP. WE ALSO HOLD THAT OPINION.

WE ALL GATHERED FOR THE RETURN TO THE SHIP 90 MINUTES AFTER OUR ARRIVAL. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS SOME CHATTER ON THE WAY BACK, MOST OF US DOZED. WE STOPPED AT THE SAME REST STOP AND MUCH TO OUR SURPRISE WESTERN TOILETS HAD NOT BEEN INSTALLED SINCE OUR LAST VISIT. WE ENTERED THE PIER AREA SHORTLY AFTER 6:00

OUR PLAN WAS TO DROP OUR THINGS BACK ON THE SHIP AND RETURN TO THE TERMINAL TO CALL BACK HOME. MUCH TO OUR SURPRISE THE TERMINAL WAS CLOSED ALREADY, THERE WERE NO PUBLIC PHONES TO BE FOUND, THE SHUTTLE STOPPED RUNNING INTO THE SHOPPING AREA AND GETTING A CAB BACK TO THE CITY WAS THE LEAST OF OUR CHOICES. AS WE FOUND OUT THE NEXT MORNING, THERE ARE NO PUBLIC PHONES IN THE TERMINAL.

THE CONCEPT OF PUBLIC PHONES WAS NOT QUITE UNDERSTOOD. EVERYONE HAS CELL PHONES THEREFORE WHY WOULD ANYONE NEED THE USE OF A PUBLIC PHONE. EVEN THE POLICE STATION HAD NO IDEA WHAT WE WERE ASKING, ALTHOUGH THE POLICE OFFICER WAS WILLING TO LET US USE THE PHONE IN THE POLICE STATION OFFICE. (EVEN THOUGH SHE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND A WORD OF ENGLISH)

OUR PLANS WENT DOWN THE TOILET, WESTERN OR ASIAN STYLE REALLY DOESN’T MATTER, SO WE HEADED FOR THE BUFFET AND DINNER. AS WE ENTERED WE DECIDED TO LOOK AT THE MENU FOR THE MAIN DINING ROOM. WE SAW A FEW THINGS THAT SEEMED APPETIZING, MADE ONE LAST LOOK AT THE OFFERINGS ON THE BUFFET, AND HEADED FOR THE MAIN DINING ROOM. BECAUSE THE SCHEDULED RETURN OF ALL THE TOURS, AND THE FACT THAT OVER 250 PEOPLE WERE STAYING IN BEIJING OVERNIGHT, THE SEATING WAS OPENED AND YOU SAT WHERE THERE WERE SEATS. WE HAD ANOTHER COUPLE JOIN US, WHOM WE HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE, AND HAD A GREAT TIME TALKING ABOUT A WHOLE RANGE OF THINGS.

ALTHOUGH THERE WAS ENTERTAINMENT WE CHOSE NOT TO ATTEND AND SHOT BACK TO THE CABIN. WE HAD ANOTHER LONG DAY AHEAD OF US. WE SETTLED IN TWICE AND WERE JOSTLED WITH TWO PHONE CALLS TELLING US OF A TIME CHANGE FOR THE NEXT DAY TOUR. WE FINALLY MANAGED TO TURN OUT THE LIGHTS FOR GOOD AND HAD A PEACEFUL SLEEP.