It was a very busy day today! After being up for 25 hours yesterday, we were told to meet our group down in the lobby at 8:00 a.m. this morning. We went to bed, and Jennifer and I woke up with a knocking at our door. Our mom told us that it was time to be in the lobby and wondered why we weren't ready. It took me a minute to realize it was still dark outside. Jennifer told her that it wasn't 8:00 a.m. yet, but my mom was sure it was. Our clocks said it was 10:45. After checking the computer to see that it was indeed only 10:45 P.M., my mom went back to her room for a few more hours of sleep! Traveling across the world does something to your internal clock! It gave all of us a good laugh though, and my mom realized later that she had dreamed looking at the clock that said 8:00.
So when 8:00 a.m. actu
ally came, we went with our group to Tiananmen Square followed by The Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square went pretty quickly, but The Forbidden City took a long time! The hardest part of that tour were the waiting parts, where we had to wait for tickets, wait for our group members, etc. It's easier to be walking the entire time, but the buildings were beautiful and intricate.After those tours, we headed to The Great Wall of China. On the way there, we stopped for an authentic Chinese meal. There was quite a bit to choose from, but I stuck with dumplings and rice. They were both good and it gave us a chance to get to know our fellow travelers better.
Finally we made it to The Great Wall. We were told that people 
who make it to the top of the Great Wall are considered heroes. Jennifer and I hiked up. We don't know if we actually made it to what they considered the top, but we're just going to pretend were heroes anyway.
On the way back to the hotel, we drove through the Olympic Village from the Beijing Olympics. It was fun to see some of the buildings in person that we saw during the Olympics.
Tomorrow is the big day! We'll be leaving for the airport at 5:00 a.m. Then we'll have a 2 hour flight to Nanchang and meet Katie at 3:30 p.m.!
Okay- the clock thing is too funny! But I still think your mom is a hero! Enjoy every minute of your amazing adventure. :-)
ReplyDeleteJen, just don't start hugging the locals - Proud of you and your sister for making it to the top of the wall, jsut amazing. Hope you have time to visit some Panda's but I am sure you are exceited to see Katie. Michele and I miss you already!
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