Day 2 - A GREAT day!

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A great day for turning another year older but still as clueless about the world.



We woke up early and I let my roommate Brooke have the shower first so I can sneak a little bit of sleep. It wasn't freezing as I dreaded rather the heater can cook you with the hot water. Good thing she also changed her mind about not taking the cable car. Or else I wouldn't have lasted as long. You do not take the cable car for the scenery but for saving yourself some energy in the climbing part. It was a little past 8 and the wall was already crowded with tourist. The Chinese are having a 3-day holiday. I would say the people there were over 90% locals.

The great thing about the wall is that it goes on forever. That sometimes you can't help but ask how much further to go. Unfortunately, there really is no end goal at sight. It's just a matter of you committing yourself to a certain tower to be your ultimate end or else it goes on and on except for the part closed for restoration. The history of how it came to being is also really interesting.

Since Brooke with her blonde hair like neon lights she gets approached a lot by Chinese and Korean mostly students to pose for a picture with them. I have read a lot about that in blogs. So far, they were merely curious people and no scammer would like to take the effort to climb that far. I just joked to her that maybe they get extra points in school if they can show their teacher that they have a picture with a foreigner. Then we stop somewhere on the steps to have some snacks me with my chocolates and her with her fruits. See who is the healthier one. It should have been an average hike if it weren't for the cold and a few steep steps.

I just grabbed some late brunch on the street and went to the museum which was surprisingly warm. Then at almost 3 I went back to the hostel as I am afraid of the public toilets. I started feeling a bit off and during dinner I cannot taste my dumplings and our hostess give me a complimentary beer for my bday. I have to call it a day as I'm really starting to feel the cold.

On my list: 1. Step on the Great Wall - check

Oh by the way, I have a lot of pictures of the coolest and cutest kids. Everyone has rosy cheeks from the cold. If I were bolder I would have loved to pinch those cheeks. Cuteness overload.

Thank you Lord, for all the blessings and love in the past 26 years and for the gift of another year.

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