I wish I could say that we took the time & camera to take amazing, breathtaking photos of The Great Wall while we visited but we didn't. We just enjoyed our walk along the wall, relatively people free. We hiked, climbed into windows, scurried up and down stairs, and laughed. We just enjoyed our time. It was good.
We spent a weekend in Beijing exploring the Hutongs, Lotus Lake & took a day trip out to the Great Wall. I made sure to do my research & picked a section of the wall that was less popular with Chinese tourists, therefore way less crowded. We chose to go to the Mutianyu section of the wall which is still one of the most popular sections among foreign tourists but if planned right, you can go at a time of year & day where you'll still have a lovely, crowd free time. I don't think this will be true for long, though. When we pulled up to the parking lots, where you start your hike to catch the lift, they were in the process of building a big tourist trap outdoor mall with a Pizza Hut and Burger King included. Thankfully, it was still in the process of being built, so we could enjoy our time w/ only a small crowd.
If you've seen the pictures of the more popular spots, filled with people, you'll understand why it's worth doing your research & finding a less popular section or waking up super early to go.
Below are the shots we did manage to capture. Enjoy! :)
The Great Wall stretches an amazing 13,170.7 miles long, is more than 2,300 years old & crosses over 9 Chinese provinces and municipalities. In December 1987, just a year after my birth, it was named by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.
We packed some snacks for our hike & enjoyed climbing in to the huge "window sills" to sit & enjoy our snacks. I couldn't help but think back to all of those years ago when they were first built & about all the years that have passed & feet that have trod over it since.
Have you been to the Great Wall? What did you think? Let me know below!
Okay, we don't really. But we wish. We wish we could just whisk him away to America. Okay, and his mom & dad, too. We love them, too. I'm always trying to bribe them into coming for a visit. I try to talk up fun tourist sites they've heard of to get them here! We got to FaceTime with Justin, aka Little Justin, so you don't get confused with Big Justin, & Jenny (his mom) the other day & it was so great. We miss China, you guys. We miss our people there, like Jenny & Justin. And all our other "family" there.
We are loving our time back in the States & loving being so close to our actual family. We're building memories, cherishing moments & getting to be apart of the day to day of our families lives, which is amazing and a gift. But part of our hearts are in China, too. Face Time & We Chat are keeping us connected when we miss over there the most. I can't believe we've been here for over a year now. It's crazy. Anyways, I guess this is a reverse home sick post to say China, we love you. And miss you.
And we're just wishing we could gather all of our people & just live in one big neighborhood and never miss anyone! Also, don't you love how very Chinese-y he looks here? He's got his Chairman Mao shirt on & everything. Love it.
It's no secret that in China you can't buy things that are "normal" & easy for us to buy in the States, especially items that have to do with cooking, eating & holidays. A huge "unicorn" product, that you can barely find in China, are costumes. There are a few costume pieces that you can always find, but mostly you have to get creative.This made Halloween season super fun & quite interesting to see all the make shift costumes the kids came up with with items from home & by adding to those few pieces you can find. Here's some of the costumes you may find in a Chinese classroom. :)
Paper Masks
As is the case anywhere, paper masks are all the rage.
Ghosts
White clothing is an obvious choice for ghost-wear. If you have a white jacket, you have a ghost costume. Obviously.
The gold polyester witch hat.
Though costumes are hard to find in China, this costume is in abundance at all major grocery stores.
The Cape
The cape is also readily available at all major grocery stores.
The Invisible Costume.
Some kids just come in their normal clothes & act like whatever their "costume" that you can't actually see is. Below, CiCi was a kitty cat. Obviously.
The Puppet.
Puppets are great, aren't they. Great costumes.
The Face Paint.
It's an easy go to & transforms you into any animal print clothing you have.
The Princess
You can find these occasionally at the grocery store.
The Hat
Hats transform everything.
The Plastic, Glitter Mask.
Again, another grocery store common. Why did I say there weren't Halloween costumes in China?!
Then you'll also see lots of Combo costumes.
mask & capes
hats & masks
hats, masks & capes
masks & wands
see lots of capes, masks, princesses
Tao Bao Costumes
Every now & then, you'll get a student who ordered off line, from Tao Bao, which is like the Amazon of China. These costumes are more like our costumes at home & a little more elaborate.
It's always an adventure on dress up days to see what they come up with! And super cute. :)
China peeps. any other costumes I left out?
