We went to the Great Wall today. For those of you who do not know, the Great Wall is really, really long, and in China.

We visited the Mutianyu region of the Great Wall, about 90 minutes’ drive from our hotel. The Wall traces the ridges of of the mountains north of Beijing, and twists and turns to follow the mountain range. The state of preservation is miraculous, and it was not crowded. It helped that we also had the first blue sky we’d seen in a week. We were so disoriented that we went all Freeman’s Angels on that Wall.

Also, they built a toboggan chute going down it. No, seriously, some guys laid down a metal chute that winds its way down the side of one of the mountains. $4.40 a ride. They were also selling “I climbed the Great Wall” T-shirts.

We were taken around by Will’s dad’s friend and Will’s dad’s friend’s wife, who were nice enough to spend the whole day taking us around Beijing. They also took us to a Yanjing beer factory:

and the Bird’s Nest. We met the Fuwa and took pictures with them at the Bird’s Nest.

Best of the day:

ni chi le ma?

lit. Have you eaten yet?

Traditional greeting

ni li le ma?

lit. Are you divorced yet?

an innovation of Wang Ming, Will’s dad’s friend

zaijian!

-Ben