Before the sun was up sickness had hit our group again. Two girls woke Mr. Sievert up early in the early morning hours letting him know they had gotten sick. Their stomachs were not well but they did not want that to deter them from seeing the Great Wall. Before our flight they took some Dramamine and Tums. This helped them rest most of the flight and bus ride to the Great Wall and all were able to make the climb up this amazing site.
We spent over an hour and a half hiking on the Great Wall and were thankful for the sunny, clear day and the breezes that came through the mountains. The wall is pretty steep and all of us got a good work out while we were there.
Next we headed back to Beijing for a tea ceremony where we learned the about this important drink in Chinese culture. We tried many different types and learned the different ways to make the different types of tea.
The evening itinerary had called for a trip to the Olympic Park to see the Bird’s Nest and then enjoy our final evening meal in at the hotel. However, it was getting late and everyone wanted to head back to the Silk Market for one last round of souvenir shopping. So after the Olympic Park visit we returned to our hotel to unpack our bags from Xi’an and then made our way to the subway for a half hour ride to the Silk Market.
By the time we got there we had about an hour to shop. Everyone made the most of it, buying last second souvenirs. This time most of us were more adept at bartering and were able to get better prices. After a quick supper we were on the subway back to the hotel again. About a third of us returned directly to the hotel with Mrs. Leyrer while the rest of us went to the Wanfujing night market with Mr. Sievert. The night market is a mixture of food vendors and trinket merchants. The big draw last time St. Croix students were there was the deep fried scorpions. They are still living when you purchase them and then the vendor cuts of the stinger and deep fries them. Kara, Karissa, and Ben had to try them since their older siblings had done so three years earlier. The fried treat seemed to go down OK, but I don’t know if the students would want a steady diet of them.
We spent a little time looking for more souvenirs and then quickly headed to the subway before it closed for the evening. When we arrived the automated ticket machines were down for the evening, so we had to rely on Jeremy’s Mandarin to ask for help. Thankfully he was able to communicate with the workers to help us purchase the tickets and we made it back to the hotel safe and sound.
It would be a short last night since our wake up call was coming at 5:00 AM, but we were all happy to have a good final night in Beijing.
Before the sun was up sickness had hit our group again. Two girls woke Mr. Sievert up early in the early morning hours letting him know they had gotten sick. Their stomachs were not well but they did not want that to deter them from seeing the Great Wall. Before our flight they took some Dramamine and Tums. This helped them rest most of the flight and bus ride to the Great Wall and all were able to make the climb up this amazing site.
We spent over an hour and a half hiking on the Great Wall and were thankful for the sunny, clear day and the breezes that came through the mountains. The wall is pretty steep and all of us got a good work out while we were there.
Next we headed back to Beijing for a tea ceremony where we learned the about this important drink in Chinese culture. We tried many different types and learned the different ways to make the different types of tea.
The evening itinerary had called for a trip to the Olympic Park to see the Bird’s Nest and then enjoy our final evening meal in at the hotel. However, it was getting late and everyone wanted to head back to the Silk Market for one last round of souvenir shopping. So after the Olympic Park visit we returned to our hotel to unpack our bags from Xi’an and then made our way to the subway for a half hour ride to the Silk Market.
By the time we got there we had about an hour to shop. Everyone made the most of it, buying last second souvenirs. This time most of us were more adept at bartering and were able to get better prices. After a quick supper we were on the subway back to the hotel again. About a third of us returned directly to the hotel with Mrs. Leyrer while the rest of us went to the Wanfujing night market with Mr. Sievert. The night market is a mixture of food vendors and trinket merchants. The big draw last time St. Croix students were there was the deep fried scorpions. They are still living when you purchase them and then the vendor cuts of the stinger and deep fries them. Kara, Karissa, and Ben had to try them since their older siblings had done so three years earlier. The fried treat seemed to go down OK, but I don’t know if the students would want a steady diet of them.
We spent a little time looking for more souvenirs and then quickly headed to the subway before it closed for the evening. When we arrived the automated ticket machines were down for the evening, so we had to rely on Jeremy’s Mandarin to ask for help. Thankfully he was able to communicate with the workers to help us purchase the tickets and we made it back to the hotel safe and sound.
It would be a short last night since our wake up call was coming at 5:00 AM, but we were all happy to have a good final night in Beijing.
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Next: Wrap up