The plan for today was to go to the Great Wall of China so we woke up early and eat breakfast at the hotel, all food we had bought the night before at the foreign foods store. We got dressed in about 6 layers of clothes since it was so cold and would be even colder up high on the Great Wall and left to catch the bus that would take us to the metro. While Jes and I were getting ready, Jenny went out and walked around to different bus stops to figure out what buses we could take to the metro stop so when we finally did leave, it didn't take long at all to get on a bus and arrive at the metro. We took the metro to where the buses were that would take us to the Great Wall and we knew it was bus 919 that we needed to look for. We walked to where we thought it was and the sign said 919 but the bus driver directed us to walk down farther and there would be another one (all in Chinese of course). So we kept walking and saw about 8 more stops that said bus 919... all of them kept saying to Jenny that we couldn't get on and to keep walking. Jenny got really mad at one of the drivers and they were yelling at each other so finally Jes ran to the end of the street to see if there was a reason that nobody would let us on their bus. She finally saw a sign that said buses 919 to the great wall, this way. We were so relieved to have finally found it, but when we got there it was still very confusing as we were waiting in the wrong line and luckily a lady told Jenny in Chinese that it was the wrong line and pointed to where we should be. This would have been absolutely impossible for Jes and I to figure out on our own without speaking any Chinese so we were very thankful for Jenny coming to Beijing with us. We boarded the bus and took about an hour ride out to the Great Wall at Badaling, a part of the wall that is suppose to be one of the best and very popular with tourists.
The ride was pretty scenic and once we got closer we could see other parts of the wall, most nobody could go on. It was really neat to see though and I tried to get some pictures from the windows of the bus. We finally got there and decided to take the sliding cars up to the starting point of the wall. They were like little sleds you sat in and they would put you up the hill slowly like a roller coaster starts off. They were actually way more fun on the way down since they went faster and I also took a video of it. Anyways, we made it to the top where you start the climb up the Great Wall, and started to take some pics. The view was absolutely breathtaking! After taking many pics and enjoying the fact that the sun was warming things up a bit, we took off toward the top. The climb was a bit difficult since the stones and steps were very uneven and slick in some spots. Luckily, it wasn't too crowded since it was so cold outside, but when the weather is nice this part of the wall supposedly gets so crowded you can't walk. We took our time and stopped almost every 50 steps to take pictures because everything just seemed more beautiful as you kept going. We finally made it to the top and took some victory pics, as all the other Chinese were doing (we have heard the peace sign means victory to them and everyone does it in photos so Jes and I have started doing it to fit in ha ha). Jenny took some really great photos as well, since her camera is way better than ours. After we relaxed in the sun and enjoyed being at the top where it was warm, we started the trek back down the Great Wall. This was actually a bit scarier than going up since it was slick and our shoes didn't have much grip and traction on them. Luckily, we all made it down safe and sound but unfortunately, it was much colder at the bottom so once again, we were freezing! We were brave enough and cold enough to try our first corn cob on a stick, which wasn't bad but always taste better with some butter and salt. Jes refused to use the facilities by the buses because they were so disgusting so we boarded the bus and headed back to Beijing. We were exhausted and cold so we napped some on the way back.
When we arrived back it was about 4pm so we decided we should say out and grab dinner since it would be a hike to go all the way back to our hotel and then try to go out again later, plus it was so cold we probably would have rather skipped dinner than go back out. We ended up going to Wangfujing again and went to a mall to get Jes some socks since it was much colder than expected. We learned how to say socks in Chinese but I'm not sure how to spell it (wadza?). We looked for dinner options after the store and ended up at the Pizza Hut in the mall. I know, I know, who goes to Beijing and eats Pizza Hut... we had good reasons. It was way to cold to go back outside so this was convenient, they are much nicer here than at home, and we knew what food they had. So we got to our table and enjoyed being warm and eating a warm meal. Also, you would be surprised at the amount of items they have on the menu. They practically have everything you could ever want! I was the only one to order pizza. After this lovely meal, we left for the metro and took a bus back to our hotel. We tried to get a cab but they are really hard to get here and most are occupied so you need to get lucky. We finally got back to our hotel and fell asleep fairly quickly. Climbing the Great Wall of China was by far my favorite thing I have done in China so far and I'm sure it will be one of the greatest moments of the trip!! :)
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