Day 6

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This day was packed with cultural tours. The class boarded the bus at 8:15 to head out to the Great Wall. The Great Wall was originally built in 200 BC, rebuilt in 100 BC, and rebuilt again in the 1400’s. It opened to the public in 1949 when the military stopped using it to protect the Chinese border.



We visited a rebuilt section of the wall, and it is a popular (crowded) section because it is easy to get to. It is very steep in places and reminded me of Dead Woman’s pass on the Inca Trail when we hiked to Machu Picchu.



We were stopped several times for photos by Chinese locals. The tour guide said people travel from rural villages to these sites, and this is probably the first time they have seen a foreigner.



We didn’t have enough time at the Great Wall – it was only 2 hours. One girl sprained her ankle on the way down, unfortunately. She is one of the few undergrads on the trip, and is only 19. Someone on the bus gave her Aleve to help with the pain and swelling, but she immediately had an allergic reaction to it. Her face started swelling and her nose completely closed up. Instead of taking her to the hospital, the bus pulled over at a taxi stand, and her friend (also 19) went with her to the hospital. We were all furious with this – the bus should have dropped her off at the hospital, and someone from the school should have gone with her to the hospital. Here, you’re not admitted until you pay upfront – they will watch you die in the lobby if they don’t have your money yet. She had to pay 4000 RMB ($650) to be admitted and receive care. I was on the second bus and didn’t get the full story until later. Note to self – do not get sick or injured in China.



We made our way to lunch, where they had amazing dumplings. We then boarded the bus again and went to the Summer Palace, which was built in the 1700’s, but burned down by the Anglo-French army in the late 1800’s. It was rebuilt later. The palace was built on a large lake and it was where the emperor lived during the summer.



When we came back to the hotel, we met up with a few people for dinner and ventured out to a recommended hot pot place. When we got there, you could tell it was a local favorite. It was a small place, but lots of people were in there. The menu had no pictures, and it was only in Chinese. To order, we pointed at other people’s food and said ‘jyega, jyega, jyega,’ and showed them a number on our hands (this, this, this). Everyone in the place was laughing at us, but we ended up with a great meal.

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