Beijing Day 2 Continued- The Great Wall

Our guide and driver took us to the Great Wall around Noon today. It was a little chilly in Beijing today, but fairly comfortable with a jacket. But then we got out of the car at the Great Wall and it was freezing cold. The wind was unbelievable which made it so much colder and we were not even at the top. We decided to take the cable car up the mountain to avoid the cold. We should have worn another layer of clothes, but we just didn't know. Anyway, the cable car was fun even though a little scary too. We were way up off the ground and I began to wonder if China has safety regulations like the U.S. But by that time it was too late, we were on our way. We were not prepared for how steep the Great Wall is and I felt in was improperly named. It should have been the steep wall. It was physically demanding and these Americans were huffing and puffing climbing the very high and uneven steps. It was an amazing sight as we looked around the mountains at the various parts of the wall. I ended up putting my hood over my head from my sweater to protect me from the cold a little and it quickly served as a concealer of my white face and blonde hair which the Chinese people were enamored with yet again. People were staring at me and one group even came and stood by us and got there friend to video them with us in the shot while they laughed and laughed. She was saying all kinds of stuff to us, but we had not idea what she was saying. I heard another lady along the way look at her friend and say "Oh Fair." I am assuming she was referring to my skin too. We bought a small pack of postcard of the Great Wall that will be perfect for our scrapbook even though we were stalked to buy tons of other things. We of course took pictures of our own and even got a Chinese person to take our picture together. A lot of the young people speak enough English that you can ask them things. We ended with our cable car ride down the mountain and even more insight into the culture and people of CHINA. It is just wild how different cultures do things and we don't give it a thought. It is very different here that is for sure and it is obvious that we are the tourists in the crowd.