Beijing...Day Two

We got up early on Friday morning to meet our tour guide. She laid out the plans, "Great Wall, the Ming Tombs and then onto a jade facto." As if on cue all six of us woke from our morning slumber and cut her off. We had heard about tours forcing people into these places and none of us wanted to go near any jade. This threw her for a few minutes and after a phone call into the office one of us had to sign the paper saying he had ZERO interest in checking out anything made of Jade. This picture, the gang outside the entrance to the Great Wall in happier times.


This didn't last as Shelly had said in our E-mail to the tour company some of us wanted to hike the wall and others wanted to Cable car to the top. Unfortunately the tour guide missed this memo and we all had to cable car up. Joel and I wanted to walk but with temperatures near 30 degrees I was cool with the ride up. Joel on the other hand couldn't get to the top fast enough. He soon disappeared into the crowds leaving us five to fight the crowds alone (as he walked down and hit the better side of the tourist hill.)


Saejin and Tony.


Shelly the only blond in the frame.

Chan Young plopping down for his picture.




Lunch was at a horrible, horrible government run tourist restaurant. Think the worst Chinese food you've ordered at 3:30 am and times it by five and you are still seventeen times away from how bad this place was. Luckily with the sun beating down on us all day the cold beer felt twenty-three times colder than normal.

At lunch we had to wait for our tour guide (who probably ate the best food that we'd never know) as we were supposed to shop, shop, shop at overpriced stalls but instead we hung out in the sun and met a cool American lady. When she heard we were headed to the Ming Tombs she warned us it was a bore. I couldn't disagree with her more. I loved them.


Joel holding a pose as long as I could make him before the plant brigade made him move so they could water.


One of the only shots minus people.


Shelly and Tony.


The boys.


Saejin and the tour guide.



It was a great day. On the way home we made the driver stop for cherries and they made a special detour for us to shop. We asked for them to drop us off at the Silk road (not knowing where it was but it turned out to be a ten minute walk from our hotel.) This place was Seven floors of knockoff goods. When it comes to these places bartering is the only way to shop. I'm shit at bartering. Get me to 50% of the price and I get giddy. We headed down to the shoe floor and after an exhausting day of sightseeing I was a salesperson's wet dream. Luckily for me Joel was around. He had been here before and knew the "real" prices. The Chinese salesman saw rookies but we weren't playing and so shoes were thrown in disgust at our hard line stand (yet right stand). We ran away to get other (read same shoes at lower prices) but were chased down, apologized to and coxed into (in the end) paying a lot more for shoes. Hint to Olympic shoppers, six percent of the price asked.