04 Nov. 2011: BEFORE AND AFTER THE WALL- #1 of 2 today

The other blog posting of today will cover the actual Great Wall of China. I wanted to separate out what happened before and after to put the day in context. First, we were again chauffered in
the university's Buick van and not allowed to pay for anything. That's a pretty good deal but it has felt stifling and too easy. I usually like some sense of challenge to get somewhere and figure things out myself. But I have to say the chauffering was critical --- driving in Beijing has no rules and many drivers who like it that way. Then we were constantly stalled by the overwhelming
amount of road and bridge construction everywhere. 2 hours to go 52 km. Approaching the Wall from the "heritage folklore village" brings you to the gauntlet of souvenirs, posing with Gheghis Khan, public toilets (!), and the ticket booth. You can walk or cable car up to the Wall. You can walk, cable, or toboggan down.

Local fruit is in season and a welcome change from eel and "pancake". After a couple of hours on the Wall, our driver takes a different route back to the city, but no shorter ---- his getting lost gives us great views of bok choy farms and decrepit creekside amusements. 2 hours to go 52 km.

Then the third dreaded Banquet of the week. At 3pm we just want to go home but as honoured guests we are taken to a sort of faux rainforest restaurant and served a dozen surprises on a 5-foot diameter spinning platter. Sort of like Wheel of Fortune but
we don't get to pick any letters. The dishes are challenging and mostly edible, but sometimes you just want a sandwich! SPECIAL OFFER: To thankyou for reading this far have we got a deal for you. Pat and I embedded a tiny Canadian flag pin in a niche of the Great Wall at Tower #14. First one to go there and return the pin gets an authentic Chinese Banquet you'll never forget!