The Great Wall...

What an amazing day. on the way to the great wall, our guide took us to a jade factory and we were able to learn all about jade. we had been warned to be careful where we buy jade as it is very difficult to tell the difference between real and fake. even after being at the factory we still probably couldnt tell the difference but we are confident in our guide and the fact that our driver brought a jade bracelet for his sister while we were there made us feel better about it as well.

Of course the highlight of the day was the great wall. the weather was almost perfect for climbing. When you get onto the wall you can go either to the left or right. Ming, our guide, had told us the right is easier but more crowded- the left is harder but less people. We went left. The wall is steeper than it appears in photos although there are lots of steps to help you climb the steepest spots. X. kept trying to climb alone but just wasnt able to get himself up the grade in places so he had an easy climb on B.'s shoulders most of the trip. A. was a trooper, although the height and steepness made him very nervous. He made it up to the top tower with us and by the end was running down the wall. I was amazing to see the wall for real. I think someday when we come back we will try to get a little further away from the tourist area and really explore- it wouldn't take going that far. I think even if we had just walked another 2 towers we would have gotten away from almost everyone, but the kids were pretty well spent, since they had been awake almost 10 hours at that point, and we still had to get back to where we starte.

we had lunch above a friendship store (government run store with no haggling) our meal was served family style, with big bowls of each food placed on a lazy susan in the middle of the table. you just turn the wheel to get what you want. The kids thought that was big fun- so you had to be careful they didnt turn it while you were serving yourself. The meals have been good but X.'s eyes lit up when he recognized a plate of french fries on the lazy susan. He also made our guide laugh by pointing out every McDonalds that we drove past There was a cloisoinne workshop at the same location so we were able to buy some beautiful things after lunch. (of course- i am no longer sure how we are going to get everything we bought into our already very full luggage to get it to Xian tomorrow).

We ended the day on a rickshaw tour of an Hutong lane. This is a residential area in old beijing. We were able to actually stop in one of the houses and talk to the owners about the area. It was so quiet and peaceful. Although the homes had moden amenities it was like stepping back in time. Everyone was talking with their neighbors, there was a real sense of community and despite being in the middle of the city, there were no traffic sounds. It was totally quiet. our guide said he would love to live in this neighborhood, rather than a high rise apartment, but that it was very expensive to get property in the area.

We dragged (almost literally) the kids to the mall near the hotel for dinner. we were trying hard to keep them awake (as they are still not on china time) and they had been up almost 19 hours at that point. The mall is huge and when it is finished it will be the largest mall in Asia. No matter where you go though, malls all look about the same. We ended up having a quick dinner at pizza hut, and even that was a little more than the kids could handle. I am sure we were quite a spectacle- 2 little american kids each sitting in the mall crying. But we did survive and the kids stayed up until almost 8 so hopefully- one more night and they will be totally adjusted.

Today is our agency orientation so the adoption part of our trip is finally beginning.