Started day with huge breakfast buffet, both Western and Eastern food to try which made it a easy transition. Fun item of the morning is I learned all the desk girls at Marriott have made up name tags. Best part they lean toward stripper names Tiffany, Candy, Mercedes.. the one that gave it away Rapunzel.
Headed out with our guide Tracy first stop a jade factory run by the Chinese government. Learned all about jade and how to spot fakes and made for a good stop, we latter in week realize prices here were pretty decent. We purchase Ella a small tiger as they tell us folks here buy zodiac symbols for little girls.
Next stop The Great Wall. It is about hour out from city and up near mountains. We hiked a section near mountain pass. Very steep heart pounding climb for about 45 min up. Felt good to get blood flowing after long flight. Beautiful smog free day and quickly learned this wall goes on forever. Pictures won't capture this place at all, was very meaningful hike drenched in history.
Lunch buffet at a Cloisonné factory, (Cloisonné- very intricate painted vase ).
Summer palace - it was getting cold so we moved fairly quick through here but this place must be beautiful in summer. Near lake and lot of architecture to look at, history. The long hall is very long which the emperor built for his mother so she can stroll in rain. Our travel companion joked how he must have been a mamma's boy. I say over achiever as the walk was so intricately detailed and at I think 700M amazing walk along the lake.
We decided to do early dinner off somewhere away from hotel. Our guide said the peeking duck is a must do in Beijing. She was right. First time during trip where we were the only Caucasians in room and pretty much only English speaking. We ordered a 10 course event having no idea what that was. Turned out to be every part of the duck plus more, a dinner feast. Most of us ate the strange curled thing which after we did found out they were duck feet. Score one strange food on travel bingo. Pretty sure we ate some duck hearts as well. Lot of food but not a huge fan of duck. Glad we did it though.
It was on us to navigate our way back to hotel. This turned out a challenge as no one in this section of town spoke any English and hailing a taxi became an event. All worked out fine eventually but huge reminder that we are off the grid in big way in a place were you can't read or communicate much of anything. Note to others- be sure to get a taxi card from the hotel front desk, Marriott does not translate well to cab drivers. I imagine the frustration I felt tonight getting a taxi is how Ella will feel communicating to us near term.
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