The Last Stop in China

 We stood on the edge of the Great Wall (Mutianyu Section) to admire this ancient artifact (dated to sixth century).  It stretched as far as we could see. The endless stairs and crumbling sentinel towers stretched up and down the mountain sides.  Gabe, Al and other tourists ignored warning signs at the unrepaired section. They wandered ahead into the closed section for 45 minutes.  Then, we raced down  the Beijing Shibide Toboggan to the bottom.  The ride on this modern stainless steel tube in the backcountry was typical of our time in China.  There were many unexpected turns during our Chinese adventure.

            At the bottom of the Wall, a friendly taxicab cab driver patiently waited.  He spoke only Chinese but we communicated with a phrase book and hand gestures.  The roads were ultramodern highways with a 90 minute return drive to Beijing.  Our first stop in the smoggy, capitol city was The Forbidden City.  Twenty-four emperors ruled from this imperial palace showplace.  Later, we watched in surprise at the Chaoyang Theatre.  During the acrobat show, 13 gymnasts on 3 bikes screamed suddenly.  Then, we watched in surprise as they went out of control and crashed into a nearby wall.   The famous show continued with several  more unexpected glitches. 

           Our plan was to do something different and travel to Xian on an overnight train  As one of a handful of foreigners, we got stares everywhere we went.  In Xian,  the Terra Cotta warriors were on display.  A local farmer had accidentally found these buried treasures while digging a well in 1974.  We wandered around the dig sites to view the warriors. They have been painstakenly restored.   Later, we breathed a sigh of  relief when the sleeper train pulled into Beijing.   Our train trip in a foreign country had went smoothly.
            Our final days in China were spent exploring Chinese culture.  We attended a Chinese Opera, wandered down old  narrow city strreets (called hutongs) and walked thru Tinnanmen Square.  All three of us used chopsticks.  Of course, Gabe caught on quickly. Beijing Duck was my favorite local dish.  Al was surprised to see a street person who had died shortly before we walked past. 

             China was a sensory experience with many smells, sites, and sounds from the centuries of traditions and crowded metropolis. Numerous factories, power plants, and traffic congestion contributed to the polluted air.  There were many surprises including modern highways, acrobatic accidents, smog, and few forgieners.  The final twist came on the last day with a sick teenager.   Gabe woke-up on the morning of our departure with traveller's flue.  It made for a difficult time with long airplane rides.  It was a relief  to see Emily waiting for us at O'Hare Airport.  The three of us were safely b ack in the USA with our family and friends.  It had been our unforgettable adventure with many places and many new faces.