Today was tour day in Beijing. We met the other Great Wall families that we had bonded with online (except for one who was taking a Hong Kong tour instead) and loaded onto a nice air-conditioned bus. It was bright and sunny and we were all still a mite worn from the travel but so anxious to absorb what we could of our children's heritage. Now I'm not going to try to give you a history lesson for these - I certainly could not do them justice. I'll just give you our take and please go to the vast number of websites to view the richness of the culture.

First we went to Tiananmen Square...

I was amazed by the vastness of it as well as the people and vendors wanting to sell you things. They had every trick and as soon as one would finally realize you were not buying, another would swoop in. It got to be a little overwhelming. I had really wanted to buy a set of postcards for both Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, but was reluctant to do so knowing that it would invite another swarm of people.

We did get a parasol for Mary (the sun was beginning its seige). She's funny though, because she called it Julia's umbrella. I later learned that it must be Julia's umbrella as it was red, and Mary's umbrella (unpurchased) was PINK!

Forbidden City was - wow! HUGE! It it directly behind Tiananmen Square and there is such detail to every nuance from the carvings and intricate painting and stones and how the drainage works. It was very crowded, though, and hard to stay concentrated on what Rui was telling us - as well as deal with the beggers and vendors. It was also now officially HOT. I completely sweated through my fanny pack and we had not been huge water drinkers before - and are now. Mary continued to have her picture made. We also noted our first instance of a child being held over the rail of the gardens to relieve herself. It's just simply a different culture - we are shocked and amused but have to have some latitude in thinking.

We then headed to the bus for lunch. Did I say air-conditioned bus? LOVELY! Before eating, we toured a cloisonné factory and I was more than fascinated at the detail and process taken to make this art. We watched the artisans at work from placing the copper wires to painting the enamel and then firing it. I have a new appreciation.

Then on to lunch with such a vast variety of foods! We were divided into two huge round tables with a lazy Susan, and there was plenty to choose from and ample amounts. I did have to visit the restroom, though, and am afraid that my olfactory nerves reacted quite badly to the experience and I ended up getting quite sick.

We then had a bit of time in the Friendship Store attached to the restaurant. I could have bought so much, but we had our intracountry flights to contend with - and that 44 lb weight limit for baggage as well as all the gifts we had to pack were my first thought.

Then on to the Great Wall. Now, honestly, I thought... yes I know it is vast and immense and such and I'll be glad to say I've seen it... yada, yada, yada. We were driving on pretty flat land and suddenly you see a mountain that you almost have to duck your head to see the top out the bus window. These mountains are what separate Beijing from the Gobi desert. There was a wicked sandstorm in the past and you can still see the effects of the winds and sand in that the trees seem to be in rows.

And the Wall? I cannot describe the feeling of seeing it. And seeing the incline going up! Now those who know me know that I am terrified of heights. The scariest ride at an amusement park is the ferris wheel (roller coasters go fast and the ferris wheel may stop at the top for loading/unloading). I did not attempt to ascend as I got dizzy just looking up.

But Mary, Marty, and Mary did. Mary Romer with the two titanium rods in her back and wasn't supposed to walk again and a four-year-old who was nap-deprived and jet-lagged.

And Marty? Everything is a challenge to him. He went further than everyone.

And I prayed as I watched them descend.

We got back on that lovely AIR-CONDITIONED bus and several had to buy t-shirts touting their feats of success but also because they were soaked through. More than one wife banished her husband to the back of the bus to sit alone. The air-conditioning soon worked to supercool those so inspired to perspire.

Many giggles on the way home from a set of sisters who kept us entertained. We were exhausted and Mary went comatose and was once again placed in her bed without realizing we were there.

Marty and I returned to our room where we showered and went to bed - no supper; it had caught up to us and we had learned we needed to be packed and ready to head to the airport at 5:30 in the lobby the next morning.

Marty's take -

As we pulled into the parking lot of the Great Wall, we looked up at the immenseness of this ancient structure. We all went to the first platform and Carole decided that this was definitely not for her. She waited with several other (smart) people. To my surprise, both Marys wanted to make the ascent. I looked at it as a challenge and held Mary's hand as we climbed the well-worn, uneven stairs. It was steeper than I thought, but I held on to Mary's hand... sometimes pulling as some of the steps were quite big for her little legs. Mary Romer, the trooper that she is, stayed right with us. We got to the second watch tower and Mary Phillipson decided she had enough and wanted to turn back. Mary Romer accommodated her gratefully, and they made their careful descent - holding on to the rail as Carole prayed below.

I continued on, going past heavy-breathing climbers, sweat dripping from their brows while they rested. I saw some of the group we were with climbing as well, and joined them to the next tower. We made the decision to attempt the NEXT tower, which once we made it seemed almost like a fatal decision as we were quite tired. I thought about going on the next level but none of our group thought we would have enough time as we were to meet back at the bus at 5:15 p.m. I took pictures that showed that we were quite high and it was quite elating how far we had come. I looked up and saw several people on the steps above, but decided I needed to start down. I found that a lot of people had just as hard a time going down as going up, as the stairs were uneven and there were huge differences in the heights of the steps. I stopped at a little shop that was on the second tower (I think) and bought commemorative plaques that I had engraved for the Marys and myself to celebrate our climb. By the time I got down, I was completely drenched - but not as bad as Bo, a member of our adoptive group.

We met our awaiting families and walked back to the bus. We decided at that point that it would be too cold with the air-conditioning and sweat-drenched shirts to sit on the bus for two hours, so we decided to purchase a dry t-shirt. When we went to the shops, they were all closed. We told Rui and she, having worked at these shops previously, knew of a place that stayed open later. We went to purchase our shirts. It was then we realized that Chinese people are much smaller than Americans, judging by the size of the shirts. What few shirts were large enough for us, we grabbed and paid for, after Rui translated the symbols that adorned the shirts - before I bought it I wanted to make sure it didn't say anything that may offend someone! We were met with cheers as we reboarded the bus, not sure if it was our climb or the fact that we had changed shirts that inspired the applause. Bo was still relegated by his wife, Dana, to the back of the bus - yet Carole allowed me to sit next to her. It was a good day.