Great Wall of China

We have just had a long weekend (for Labour Day) so I decided that it might be my last chance to go to Beijing and see the Great Wall of China.

I was on a mini-bus tour for a day, with visits to the Ming Dynasty Tombs, a jade factory, a silk factory, and of course the Great Wall.  It was a long day but a great way to get around Beijing quickly and see the sights when you don't have much time.

 Ming Dynasty Tombs - all of the Emperors from the Ming Dynasty are buried in tombs near each other.  We just visited one.  The photo above was the main hall, with artifacts from the Ming Dynasty on display.  The photo below is taken from the entrance to the tomb.  The gate you can see at the end of the path is the gateway to the spirit world - you walk around it when going to the tomb, and through it when you are leaving the tomb and the spirit world.

 The jade factory - this carving was massive!!  I'm not a huge fan of jade, but it was so interesting seeing the pieces being carved and the shop was so impressive that I caved, and bought some lovely jade earrings.

The silk factory - this shop was so well set up for tourists like me.  You walk through all these rooms that show you exactly how you get the silk from the silkworms and turn it into something beautiful.  Then they have really big rooms full of bedding, fabric bolts, and clothes.  By the end you are so caught up in it all that you HAVE to buy some silk.  Did I really need another quilt cover?  No... but bought one anyway!  Sucker.

The Wall.  It was truly amazing to stand on it and try and imagine how on earth they built it all those years ago.  I was surprised at how high up it was, and how twisty and curvy it was.  I loved it!  I would have loved it even more if all the smog had disappeared, or if all the other people had disappeared, but I guess it is like that every day.

I think I might be in a lot of other people's photos, not just my own.  It was pretty funny.  I guess my hair stood out in the crowds and people kept asking to have their photo taken with me.  Even when I was having my own photo taken people would jump in with me.  It was the same shopping in Beijing, people gave me weird looks all the time like I was an alien, and then take a photo! 

 Back in Beijing I checked out the famous night markets.  Their stalls were so colourful and beautifully presented, but most of it was food I'd rather not try.  There were some gorgeous bowls of fruit, mounds of noodles, and dumplings that looked nice, but most was tons of various animals and animal parts on kebabs.

 What is that next to the centipedes and sheep penises?  Yes, snakes...

Anyway it was a flying trip but well worth it, and one I probably would not have done if I hadn't been living here so close.  Yet another bonus of this Hong Kong adventure!