beijing vol. II

Ok, I'm sorry for the long delay between this and the previous installment. Our days have been really busy, but the weekend is here and maybe I can wrap this series up pretty quickly. This could be the most action packed blog entry in the series, so buckle up.

Heavens-To-Betsy

Ok so our next day in Beijing was full to bursting. We got up very early in the morning and headed over to the Temple of Heaven. Probably the most remarkable thing about the Temple was the contrast that was so evident between Christianity and other religions. It still amazes me that the God of the universe is a God who is truly inimitable. (You like that word? I just found it.) But it truly is amazing how all of our vain attempts add not a baby's breath of power or majesty to Him. We can only hope to, in our best moments, reflect some small glimmer of what is His by nature. On a different note, the other thing that struck me about the Temple of Heaven is all the elderly people who gather there every morning to do exercises. China has a rapidly aging society and I sometimes wonder if people my age don't look with horror upon the masses of elderly people doing all they can to extend their life. I don't mean to sound morbid, but if you think America's social security issue is concerning, just wait a decade and look at China.
Wall Flowers

So our next adventure was the Great Wall. But we weren't just going to tease the beast. We were going to tame the beast. We were going to spend the night on the Great Wall. Getting to the Great Wall was surprisingly easy, and other than an annoying driver who insisted on taking us back that evening, our adventure was smooth sailing. Climbing onto the wall was quite a hike, although nothing to write home about. (perhaps blog about) The section of the wall we chose is called Mutianyu. It is a wonderfully restored section of the wall surrounded by forested mountains. The views were amazing. Our night on the wall was pretty uneventful. Some of us (not me) had less than stellar sleeping bags so they (not me) got very cold at night. Before dawn, Finn and I climbed to the very last (and highest) guard tower and took some photos. The fog was heavy but it gave the wall a mysteriousness that, while terrible for photos, felt appropriate. We also sang on the wall and Jessica puked on the wall. We all express our feelings about the wall in our own way. Ok I'll stop here and tell you about coming down from the wall and the madness that ensued in the next blog entry.
Don't be greedy. If you are, then you may find yourself alone at the base of Mutianyu at 5:00 with an empty minivan and shattered dreams.

John

P.S. So there is something I didn't include in this post. The reason I didn't include it was because I couldn't remember when it happened. But after much thought I think I pinned down the day, and of my own volition, I decided to edit this entry so as to maintain the chronological integrity of my blog.

On our way to the Great Wall we were getting subway tickets. While taking a head count we had and oh-poor-stupid-foreigner encounter with a random Chinese guy who was watching us buy passes. He decided he would do us a favor by pushing the cancel button on the touchscreen. What this boy didn't know was that his hand was being tracked from the moment it started toward the screen. He soon became yet another victim of Quick-Draw Sides. Lesson learned? I sure hope so.