Everything...and The Great Wall of China

Hello everyone!
Christian and I have arrived in Beijing and we have taken in so many sights just in the past few days! We arrived the 1st and took a bus through heavy traffic of buses, cars and bikes to make our way to downtown Beijing. It is HUGE!!! Compared to little ol' Jeju I'm feeling so lost!!! And the language...I was so happy knowing a bit of Korean and being able to read it and get around...here it is back to square one. Though we still use our Korean vocab of ney, aino, Kam samnida and anyoung, people just look at us funny! So we now know the basics in Chinese - nee how (hi), sure (yes) boo sure (no) shey-shey (thanks), and thats it!

We found a great hostel that looks out over a busy main road...like all big roads here! We went to Tiananmen square and the forbidden city the first day. The weather was freezing, a shock from Jeju where we said our last goodbyes on the beach...ahhhh we miss those days already! Anyways, I'm bundled up in longjohns, thick ski socks, 3 sweaters (no joke), scarf, tuque, mitts and jacket. Absolutely bundled!!! I can't wait till sandals!!! Anyways, both the sights were really vast. The square was huge, with Gen. Mao mausoleum in the middle. There was also a long snaking line-up...we vettoed that little trip. From the norht end of the square we looked upon the Forbidden City. Still the unforgettable picture of Tao right above the entrance way. I had already lost feeling in my fingers and my nose was red, so I was a tad jaded, but the inside was also huge. Nothing here seems small. There were red and gold buildings lining the city. It was so vast, and it almost had a lonely and cold feeling. Very serious. But with a bright blue sky we loooked onto the golden rooves and tried to image how live was WAY back when...an impossible thought! My favorite place at the back was the garden, where the emperor would keep his concubins...sneeky emperor! It was beautiful with large stones that looked like coral, and mounds of volcanic rocks that created a holey mountain. Between the rocks were trees whithered and twisted by time. Definitely the garden was my fav place in the city.

We ventured later to a pack with a look out over the entire forbidden city. Though most of the main structures in the city are under construction ( as is most of beijing for the 2008 olympics) it was wonderful to see the grandeur and the glowing rooves among the high rises and neon lights!

For our second day we explored the silk street market. One word. CHAOS! So many venders, so many people, so much haggling! We really just couldn't deal! We got a few things like sunglasses and a much desired France soccer jersey, and I'm proud to say I finagled and weasled my way to good prices (I hope!) But really it was stressful, with too many people yelling "HEY lady, Hey MAN! Where you from? Canada? Ohhh, Canada most beautiful!" (Then we would start talking French) and they would say "Ohh no Franch more beautiful...JOLIE!" Madness. Another experience. We then dined on loads of food for about 8 bucks...I'm still trying to figure out the money. I'm converting from dollars to won to yuan...I'm so CONFUSED!!!

We then visited the Lama temple. Insense was burned by the fist full as people were offering to Buddha on Sunday. There was also the largest Budah statue 18m tall out of one peice of white sandal wood that was imported all the way from Nepal ( we snuck into a French tour and caught all this info...we are so sneaky!) Very serene and smokey, but relaxing compared to the hussle bussle of the city.

However, today was the best! With an early morning we hoped onto a tour bus and weaved up to the Great Wall.And what a great wall it is! Christian kept on sighing it was so amazing! A huge feat of engineering and a beautiful scene. We walked 10 km from Jinshanling to Simatai. We covered 2 sections of the wall, walking up and down the wall, through the watch towers, surrounded by breathtaking views or rolling mountians layered one upon the other in the distance. It was a stunning day of blue skies and we enjoyed the weather. Still bundled, but taking in fresh(er) air and clean surroundings. We were met every tower by locals trying to sell hot coco, coke, water, post cards, books... Just trying to make a buck in such a gigantic country. We wanded the wall and really enjoyed it! I would go back right now! We took so many pictures, it was incredible to see theis huge wall span as far as the eye could see, following the mountain ridge forever.Christian, along with a French man named Benoit who has biked from France and his visiting father, tried to figure out how it was built. Def a fab thing for Christian to see, since he loves architecture amd structures. We had lunch atop the Great Wall of China. What a wonderful life!

We still have many things to do here, throughout China, and this side of the world. Promise to keep you all posted! We miss you all and wish we could share this experience with you. We'll be back home June 207 so be ready to see a KABILLION photos!

All our love, Karina and Christian