August 12
Today was a physically exhausting day. After breakfast we headed to The Great Wall. Once again the vastness is something words can not explain. The never ending stairs, winding up the mountain side is remarkable. We were determined to make it as high as we could. We had two hours to climb. Steve, Katie and I made it to the first tower. Steve and I forged on higher while Katie stayed with others in the travel group who decided the first tower was enough. Steve and I made it to the second tower (you can see the second tower in the picture above) and two other guys in the group made it to the third. This was an experience. Some steps are very steep and others are not. There were many people also trying to make it up which made it very difficult at times. We were all proud of ourselves for making it as far as we did. Katie called her mom from the first tower of The Great Wall. (see photo)
After The Great Wall we headed over to the Jade Factory. This explained the process of how jade is carved and how to identify the real stuff from the fake stuff. We bought a few items there.
We then had a great lunch in the restaurant attached to the Jade Factory. The food was good and plentiful. I snuck in what may be one of my last naps for a while before we headed out to the Chinese acrobat show and then to an absolutely delicious dinner at a very fancy restaurant.
Laura (another mom in our travel group,) Katie and I then ventured out on our own in search of a stroller for Laura’s older daughter. We bought one for Sophia seeing we don’t know how easy it will be to find in Chongqing. Beijing is so safe. We felt totally comfortable on the streets. Our guide wrote down the address for us and after asking about three people we found were we needed to be.
Well, it has been a very long day and I am falling asleep as I type this. Time to get to sleep.
