I have been to the Great Wall of China

Tourism continued yesterday with a stop by the Chang Ling tombs who was the 3rd emperor of the Ming Dynasty (which came after the Yuan Dynasty (the Mongols) and the Qing Dynasty (the Manchu)). For a country over 95% of Han ethnicity, it is surprising how little of their history they were ruled by Han emperors. We then went to the Great Wall. We went to a newly restored part that was not swarming with tourist. A couple of guys and I on the tour climbed to the top... roughly 3-4000 (very steep) feet. Absolutely breath taking. The views were of lucious greenery and far in the distance you could downtown Beijing. Quite a blend of old and new.

We then drove by Olympic Stadium (sadly I will not have a chance to explore further) and onto our Peking Duck dinner. In general they like the meats a little fattier over here, but in general I find myself pretty familiar with the food. Living in San Francisco, I seem to have good access to Chinese Chinese food and not just Chinese American food!

A little later we leave for Xian... one of the old capitals of Dynastic China and the beginning/end of the Silk Road. While it is interesting to see the history of China, I am looking forward to the latter part of the trip in some more modern cities where you can see China as it is and as it will be. Beijing is teaming with activity and energy and I can not wait to have a chance to put my "feet on the street".

My Mandarin mis-adventures continue. I can now have a 90-second conversation with a taxi driver before his English and my Mandarin run out. My ability to hear the language (if not fully grasp what is being said) has improved!

Last night I also had the occasion to visit with my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Gilbert. Coincidently they are in Beijing at the same time and with the same tour company (but a different overall tour). We had run into each other in the Forbidden City and between the Ming Tombs and Great Wall, but this was our first occasion to really chat. There trip is going well... their next part is a cruise down the Yangtze River.