Our second day began with a trip to the Great Wall. This trip was sidetracked early, as our tour was directed to the Jade Factory.  I don't travel all that much, so these factory tours were a new experience for me.  If you are interested, a factory tour is where your tour group is corralled into a store that sells the local items (such as pearls or jade here in China).  Every member of the staff acts like a used car salesman, and everything is overpriced by at least a factor of five.  Actually, this factory tour was exceptional; because it opened our eyes to the situation.  After this happened, we realized that this is our time in China, and we don't need to spend it except how we want.  More on that later.

After the factory tour, we arrived at the Great Wall (near the outskirts of Beijing).  Despite what we are told in the west, Chinese national monuments are not well maintained.  The area surrounding the wall was highly commercialized and looks like it was designed soley as a tourist trap. It is sad how the Chinese have sold-out their history to sell ''I climbed the Great Wall" t-shirts. The wall itself was amazing, especially because it was constructed in difficult mountainous terrain. I got some great pictures from high on the wall. Supposedly, the section of the wall in Beijing is one of the most restored sections. However, I found it quite sad how the wall is in such poor shape. The people seem not to respect their own culture, as many people had carved their initials into the bricks of the wall. It seems that the motivation behind the restoration is tourist and Olympic business. Shockingly, even high on the wall, the street vendors were still trying to sell their items.  Although downtrodden and commercialized the wall is still a remarkable creation. If you would like to see it on a satellite map, the coordinates are N040 21.013 E116 00.179.  Google Maps Link.


We decided that we needed additional time to explore the wall and also wished to visit a site that was not on the tour. Fortunately, two wonderful new friends also wished to do this. We acquired both directions and a driver. Although our driver spoke no English, he was a very nice fellow and was quite helpful. He first tools as to the Ming Tombs.  The tombs were rediscovered by accident and are in excellent condition. We took several pictures, both in the tombs themselves and in the surrounding grounds.  If you would like to see the tombs on a satellite map, the coordinates are N040 17.612 E116 13.159.  Google Maps Link.


We also stopped for some refreshments on the grounds.  This would be unremarkable except for the fact that I learned something new.  It is socially acceptable to wander around a national monument while drinking a beer.  If you are interested, Beijing style beer costs less than a Diet Coke.  I paid 5 Yuan; which is about $0.60 US.  From the tombs, we went to the real highlight of the trip, the Sacred Way.

The Sacred Way is an incredible sculpture garden. It is a long corridor with wonderful animal sculptures on both sides of the way. The statues were incredible. And it was the most tranquil place that I have ever encountered. This was unlike any of the other destinations. No one was selling junk. No one was harassing us. It was serene and wonderful. I feel that the pictures I took were wonderful, even though I have not yet reviewed them. If you would like to see the Sacred Way on a satellite map, the coordinates are N040 15.485 E116 13.181.  Google Maps Link.


After we explored the Sacred Way, our kind driver returned us to our hotel. Our small group (Jessa, Jen, Allison, and me) decided to find a local restaurant that was actually frequented by locals, rather than by tourists. The one that we found was quite wonderful. No one there spoke English, but it didn't matter. They put up with my poor Chinese, and we ate their excellent food. Dinner and drinks for four cost only about eight dollars.  Best of all, we were the only white folk for quite a distance.  We did notice that most of the chicken in China is cooked with the bone in.  This makes eating it more of a challenge than you think, as it is often cubed or shredded.

In our time here, a large chemical spill has been announced.  It appears to have happened prior to our arrival, but was covered up by the government until recently.  I do not know all the details, but here is what I have learned from CNN International:

There is some type of a petroleum refinery near the town of Harbin (north of Beijing).  This refinery caused an extremely large benzene leak into the local waterways and rivers.  This has basically destroyed the local water, and the pollution is moving into other areas quickly.  I had never realized how polluted the water is in China.  To give you an idea, you cannot even drink the water in Beijing.  I'm not talking about being a careful foreigner either; not even the locals touch it.  The government denied, then downplayed.  Now they are 'investigating'.  I think the next stage is 'scapegoating'.

This concluded our second full day in country.  Next we are scheduled to visit the Temple of Heaven (the building on the back of the Chinese Panda coin).