The Great Wall

Yesterday, we walked the Great Wall of china. We went to a section of the wall that a lot less touristy. Although we didn't get to spend the night like originally planned it was still quite the day. Actually I think "walked" isn't the right verb. It's more like I hiked, climbed, struggled and and nearly passed out on the Great Wall. The combination of rolling hills and loose stones make it quite the trek. Luckily I had a lot of support from some friends and Silvan gave me a bottle some sort of Chinese gatorade. I must be really out of shape though because I was exhausted by the end. I think we walked for about 4 hours but it was an amazing thing to do. At times I would find myself stopping and looking back in awe and just thinking WOW! I'm on the Great Wall. We zip-lined down to the bottom of the last hill we stopped at and took a little boat across back to the bus. What a surreal experience!

We passed  by the Nest and the Water Arena on the way back just as the ParaOlympics were beginning. Both stadiums were beautifully lit and when we got back to the hostel I could hear the fireworks from the opening ceremonies. What a great time to be in Beijing!