DATELINE:BEIJING (day two)

oh okay, i got to write this one fast, as time is tight. we just got home from dinner and will be out for a night on the town, shortly.

So, today we rose and hopped on the our bus. They carted us out to a "jade factory," where they fashion jade into all manner of ornamentation and jewelry. It was very, very gaudy.. anyway they brought busloads of people into this giant factory/store, like... well, busloads of tourists (white people!) There were American high school trips coming here and stuff. Who do they think is gonna buy this stuff? It was packed with people from a good 10 different groups, maybe.. anyway we kind of avoided the sales folks and talked amongst ourselves. Then we piled back into the bus and headed over to check out the great wall.

Leaving the business section of Beijing was a trip - unless you've been under a rock in the past year, you are aware that Beijing will be hosting the Olympics here next month, and it's quite a big deal (1st time in China!!!) We drove by the main Olympic drag. I have never been by such a thing before, it is OH MY GOD huge. The main starting area (the "nest"), the Water Cube, a whole bunch of other areas - as we drove by, seeing these surreal building designs, coupled with the fact that they were so ginormous that they felt hard to comprehend in scale. Very bizarre, very interesting though!

The Great Wall was also interesting. I didn't know what to expect really - I knew it would be a spectacle of some sort. People always talked of "climbing the Great Wall," I wasn't sure what that would entail. Upon seeing it with my own eyes, I realized what they meant - HUGE STAIRS THAT ASCEND STRAIGHT UP INTO SPACE, and quite steeply, and forever. It was a daunting sight, just this huge steep hill that crawls endlessly upwards, peppered with all manner of people, and intermittent towers with little shops speckled along the way up. Screw it, I thought to try my best and just headed up at it with the best of them. Starting out, steep immediately, some steps were up to my kneecaps (and there's all manner of exhausted-looking people coming down towards you from all sides). I spent a good half hour or so just trudging up - it WAS exhausting - but determined to go the distance. I reached what seemed to be a pretty high point, rounded a corner, and then BAM another shop and another endless series of stairs winding further upwards. It was noon, and our bus was due to leave in 30min, so sadly I turned around and began to return. Next time!

Afterwards we went to another shop (....), A cloissone factory/restuarant. They had people making vases with very intricate patterns on them. There were miserable looking people painting detailed birds/flowers/crap on the sides of these things after they'd finished firing in a kiln. It seemed like a much lower-paying version of my job... Anyway we ate some subpar chinese food afterwards, this place was completely ful of tourists also, then back to the bus. We then headed far out for a plaee called the Summer Palace, where the Empress lived. Another packed public area, hemorraging with tourists and locals. It was cool though, very picturesque. I shot a lot of photos there, after all! The highlight of this place was a long, decorative corrider, with all sorts of Chinese Historical stories/fairy tales/etc depicted along its walls. The thing stretched a good half mile (yes, it was pretty long!) We ended the day with a short boat ride on a Dragon Boat, then back to our bus.

But not done, then we stopped by ANOTHER factory/restaurant - yes, this was three in one day!! Pearl factory, where they make necklaces and jewelry. They harangued us for a little while, then brought us upstairs to eat more (you guessed it) subpar chinese food. Ah well, nothing offensive, it's just getting to be enough already! Joked with our fellow group members as we ate, then bac to the hotel to call it a day. As I type this, May and I are getting ready to go out for a night on the town with her friend (one of her "fans") who is a local and can show us some of the good sights. In spite of all the pushing, Beijing seems like a very interesting place, very strange, I can see having a few good times here - I am psyched to go out for a wild night!

In spite of my tone, the trip is fun, I am getting some exercise, haven't got sick yet (yay!) and seeing some interesting things (and getting a TON of photo reference, as usual). Having fun with my girlfriend. The trip business bothers me, of course, but at least it exposes us to some cool things we'd not otherwise be privy to, so I can't bitch too much (yet).

Tomorrow we depart from Beijing, hop on a flight to the next area, Xi'an - a city I know nothing about. Stay tuned!