The Great Wall

We finally went to The Great Wall!  Father rented a 15 passenger van for a week so we could access outer limits of Beijing not easily accessible without a vehicle.  For the seven days we have the van, we are trying to jam as much things into our days as we can.  Father thought starting out the seven days with the Great Wall was smart, but he forgot that yesterday was a holiday, so it was pretty crowded but the traffic wasn't too bad.

It was an hour drive there and we got there around eleven thirty.  Father decided that we would go to the North Side of the wall, since it's longer supposedly more fun.  We saw that 99% of the people were on the North Side.  At the beginning it was very crowded, but as we continued the crowd thinned out.  Surprisingly enough, it wasn't that hot since it was so windy.

Panoramic view

The ground was a very uneven at some parts and slippery, but the view was pretty terrific!  There were so many slopes and steps.  Not for the out of shape, that's for sure! We took frequent breaks, and sometimes got  a little spread out since there were so many people.  Around the middle of the walk, we stopped for some corn for Mother, and ice cream for me and my brothers.  Mother likes the corn in Asia more than back in the States, and always treats herself to some when in Korea, and now apparently China.

Brother #1 makes an appearance!

We made it to the end of the wall at around four in the afternoon.  We took a long time since there were so many of us, and Mother and Father were slowed down since they were either carrying the Baby or a backpack filled with drinks.  At the end, we took a very long break before beginning to walk back, leaving through one of the side exits.

As we walked back to the parking lot where our car was waiting, we passed many vendors and tried out some food.  Mother really liked the corn, so she got another one, and I got another ice cream.  We also passed by some black bears who were eyeing our hot-dogs and looked a little pathetic.  The Baby spotted a spiderman mask for $1.60 so Father easily agreed to purchase it.

Poor Black Bear...

During the hour drive home, we got to enjoy the outside scenery as the AC was blasting our sweat away.