We are still getting settled and attempting to catch up on our jetleg. Since my superpower is the ability to sleep almost anywhere I feel like I am doing pretty good. I’m sure it helped that once we got off the plane and checked into the hotel, I took 2 Z-Quil and was out all night…and that for the first time ever I threw up on the airplane and wasn’t feeling too hot. Once again, my husband was wonderful and rolled up my vomit blanket and kindly stuffed it under our seats. Also, he isn’t getting over the jetleg near as quickly. He is being a trooper though. Last night I think he slept a while 5 hours so I think things are looking up.
Yesterday was our first full day here in cold, windy Beijing. It’s about 32 degrees plus at least a 10mph wind. When we go outside we literally have to put on every single piece of warm clothing we brought. For me that means 2 warm shirts, leggings, jeans, 2 pairs of socks, 2 hats, a down coat, and gloves. So that is less than ideal, but it’s also pretty awesome because it’s SUPER clear. We saw blue sky for the first time in several days and could see miles of the Great Wall.
This trip is our first time ever being on a guided tour, and I have to say I kind of like it. We got picked up at the airport and checked into our hotel. Then we got picked up yesterday and had guided tours, which means we actually learned the history of what we were seeing and the significance of it. We walked about 9 miles and saw so much. We went to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and a crazy night food market.
Probably my favorite was seeing the Great Wall. It’s spectacularly huge. Our guide said it took 200 years to build and goes over 5000 kilometers. Another couple on our trip did some converting and figured out that is farther than going from Boston to LA. I’m sure you can imagine the Donald Trump “wall” jokes I was making in my head. I managed to keep them all in except 1, which is pretty good for me.
Today we are on a our own until tonight when we go to an acrobatic show.
—–
One thing I want to do on this blog is keep some stats, mostly for my information, but also because we often get asked about the money we are spending, how we travel, and because there is always some oddity that stands out (I am not sure what that is yet for this trip). This section of our trip is going to be a little different because we are on a tour, which means we paid for almost everything before hand. We will pay for meals some days, but not everyday, and maybe some public transportation, but all our hotels, trains, planes, and entrance fees are paid. With that in mind, I have figured while we are in China we are paying about $147 per day. I will be only accounting for the extra in this section. Once we get out of China this stats section will change a little, but for now, here it is.
Money spent: $32 for dinner, snacks, water, and an expensive bottle of beer on the Great Wall.
Bathroom incidents: 0, well maybe 1. I broke my hotel key with my massive butt, while using an Eastern toilet. I knew working out wasn’t good!
Unknown foods eaten: 0
Miles Walked: A little over 8
The Real Gravy Train 