The Wall that is Great.

So on Friday morning, while my dad was still here, we got up early and met our driver downstairs at 7 am. Btw, when I say 'our driver' I mean a man that we hired for the day - Alex and I definitely don't have a driver...yet. :) The university was super nice and they got us the car for the day. He drove us up to the Mutianyu section of the wall - and it was fantastic.

The Great Wall of China is actually in sections that vary in length, location, and years since restoration. Some sections have been restored as recently as the 1980's, and other sections are still original. The restored sections have definite value in terms of photography and hiking, and the un-restored sections are awesome for their historical significance and natural...state. Alex and I have been to Simatai, Badaling, and went to Mutianyu with my parents (and Huangyu last weekend with our Branch). Each of the sections are special for different reasons, and Mutianyu was no exception.

It was only about a 1 hour drive to the wall from our apartment. Once we got out of the city we continued through miles of farmland and small villages/cities/communities that were really cool to see. One interesting thing that we saw on this trip, as well as others, is cobs of corn drying everywhere you look. There was corn on people's roofs, sidewalk, storefronts, streets, carts, windows, etc.

The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is also really well known for their cable cars, ski lift, and alpine slide which you can use to get up to/down from the wall. One small piece of trivia for you...Last year, when Beyonce was taking a year off to center her life and find herself she came to China to climb the Great Wall. If you watch her video on Youtube, "The Year of 4" you'll see her riding an alpine slide down from the Great Wall. That's because. She went. To the same section. Of the Great Wall. As we did. Do you know what that means! I walked, where she walked. The views I saw, she saw. When I was pulling on the alpine slide breaks, so was she. It was almost like we were there together - it was a really special experience.

It was a perfect day. In China you really learn to deal with disappointment well. Nothing ever looks like the pictures, scam artists pose as salesman, and it's easy to fall into one of countless tourist traps. But the Great Wall, it does not disappoint. It totally lives up to its reputation in every way and is absolutely breathtaking.

When Alex and I came to China before we both loved our experiences on the wall. However, we both remember feeling like it was something that we wanted to experience with family and share with those we love. It was such a neat opportunity to be there together as a family and climb the wall together. I think that's kind of the theme of my parents' trip here - the things we did were neat on their own, but they were incredible because we were there together.

Next: Beijing Zoo, Aquarium, Silk Market, Church, and Dad's send-off.