Beijing Day #3 Zoo, Great Wall, Sleeper Train

I wanted to experience a "private" and "group" tour so this day was our private tour. Just us and our guide in a van. We started out by going to the Beijing Zoo, mostly just to see the panda bears. Our guide told us it was not open to the public when it was built in the early 1900's and only the emperor's family could visit the zoo. It was later opened to the public in the 1950's.

We also saw some beautiful tigers and leopards, cute monkeys and even roosters and chickens!

We were also taken to a Pearl Market and watched a demonstration of cutting open an oyster and 16 pearls lined each side of this oyster! We were taught that to tell if a pearl is real, you rub 2 pearls together (or gently scrape them with a knife) and it will emit a white residue. Then you know it's a real pearl. I couldn't resist, and bought a pretty pearl bracelet.

After lunch we were off to the the Great Wall of China! I was really looking forward to this because if you would have asked me 3 years ago if I ever thought I would be on the Great Wall during my lifetime, I would very easily say NO.
But we did it! It was incredibly steep in some areas and it was amazing to see the Wall snake over the rough mountains. The sign behind us says "One World One Dream."

At the entrance to the tourist area, you could choose to climb to the right or left. Most people choose to climb to the right because that is where Chairman Mao went (in the 1950's) and declared that anyone who hikes the wall is a hero! So most Chinese tourists like to stand where he stood. We decided to hike to the left. Nicholas and me:

This is the closest to a blue sky we saw the whole time. Probably because it's quite a ways from the city. Here's my brother, Luke, before the ascent:

This was as far as we were allowed to hike. Beyond this point the wall was crumbling in some places.

I even bought a "Great Wall" magnet from a guy selling them there at the wall. I talked him down from $7 to $3.
Interesting fact: it took 7,000 men 1 whole year to build 200 meters of the wall!

We were incredibly hot and thirsty and dripping with sweat!

Nicholas, Ben, Becca, Eva, Spencer, and Luke:

After this we drove to The Ming Tombs to see where each emperor was buried. I only took video (not pictures) of that so when I figure out how to post video, I'll share that.

We all really enjoyed seeing Beijing and experiencing the culture. It was just fascinating to me to be in China!

That night we said goodbye to Beijing and took an 11-hour "soft sleeper" train ride to Xi'an where my parents lived. Our sleeping quarters were quite compact, yet comfy and we slept well with 4 people per room. Here's Becca trying to sleep-in (Nicholas' foot dangling down from his bunk):

My big suitcase could barely fit between the 2 bunks.

Nicholas and Spencer on the top bunk and the continual game of "Scum":

I was surprised, in Beijing, to see many signs written in Chinese characters and also in English. I was surprised that many of the other tourists were Chinese and not foreigners. I was also saddened to know that many of the ancient Chinese statues and monuments were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution in the 1950's. The idea was "out with the old China, in with the new." I was pleased with the smiles and kindness we saw from many strangers.