I feel like I should first and foremost explain the title. This quote slipped from Courtney's mouth when watching my cousins and their friends try to fly a kite on the Great Wall of China. Nothing dirty was meant, but LOTS of people got a kick out of it. Best ever.
Which leads me to: my cousins are in CHINA!!! Uncle Mike, Aunt Eileen, Alex, Josh and Kelly are all in China right now visiting the Germains, a family that used to live in North Carolina, but who have been on assignment in Shanghai for over four years. The Germains have three boys, all around my kid-cousins' ages.
I was shocked when I found out (about a month ago) that the Clutes would be in Beijing while I was there. I made the comment to Josh, "It would be so cool to climb the Great Wall with you guys," but NEVER in a million years thought it would happen. But it did, and it was AWESOME!
They took a train into Beijing on Sunday, and we arranged to meet up first thing Monday morning. Courtney and Brian came along, which was great! We took a taxi to the Courtyard Marriott, and literally walked right up to the hotel at the same time that Mike and Eileen were walking back from breakfast at McDonalds! It took me a minute to gather in my head that I was seeing family in my summer city-home that I had just seen a week ago on the opposite side of the world!
We caved in and ate breakfast at McDonalds, where I got a "hamburger" (sausage and cheese biscuit) for 9 kuai. Then, after running into Josh wandering around outside of the hotel, we got on a tour bus, did all the proper introductions, and set off to the Temple of Heaven!
Susie, the tour guide that the Clutes and Germains hired, told us that The Temple of Heaven is a set of three beautiful buildings (see photos) where Chinese emperors came to pray to heaven and for other ceremonies during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The center building is the symbol of Beijing and is truly spectacular. We weren't allowed in, but apparently birds were, because they were flying in and around the temple like mad! I found it fascinating how every number had significance. 28 pillars, 12 here, 12 there, 4 here… they all had spiritual and cultural meaning. I doubt the number of windows on the Empire State Building means anything at all.
The best part about the ToH, though, was the park. It’s over 600 acres and is full of 500-year-old trees, all growing in perfect lines. Since it was the holiday, it was packed with locals (mostly elderly) playing cards, doing exercises, playing with kids, and singing the national anthem (I have a video of this - really cool!)! Courtney and Brian bought the Chinese equivalent of a hackey sack (a set of plastic and metal rings with feathers on top), and Mr. Germain bought a hand-made kite that looked like an all-black falcon.
We loaded up the van again and started North toward the Mutainyu section of the Great Wall of China. On the way, we stopped to get some bottled water, snacks, and beer. I definitely felt the most American I have while in Beijing so far by this point. Not to mention the Clutes and the UNC interns all wore UNC t-shirts (this was planned, by the way), and the Clutes and Germains all had cowboy hats (a slightly embarrassing, but ingenious way to keep an eye on six kids and four adults).
Once we got to the Great Wall, we passed by several hawkers and took a gondola to an entrance to the Wall. Mr. Germain and Uncle Mike toasted to a cold Chinese beer, and Brian and I followed suit shortly after. I must say - I didn't have any clear expectations coming to the Wall (or on this trip in general), but seeing this massive structure and actually hiking on it, was breathtaking. I'm getting chills just thinking about it. I won't write too much more, because it's something that you have to truly experience yourself to make it feel real. Some of the boys successfully flew the kite on the Wall, and we met many English-speakers along the way, many who enjoyed our UNC gear.
Some random observations:
-Kelly, my cousin, was asked twice to have her picture taken with Asian tourists because she's pretty, white and blonde.
-The vendors called Uncle Mike "farmer" for wearing the cowboy hat.
-We saw a cat and a dog on the Wall. There's no telling if they had owners, as I haven't seen a single animal with a collar in China.
-Once again, elderly people everywhere. So cool to see how active they are here.
-The Germains said it was the clearest day they had seen at the Great Wall, which was great to hear! The views were spectacular.
We took toboggans down the mountain, which was super fun. The Chinese people working there were yelling at us to slow down now, speed up here, don't stop there, but we pretty much did our own thing. Silly Americans.
I finally bargained with hawkers and bought a pipe and some postcards for 35 kuai. I'd call it a success. After a meal at Subway that was way too expensive, we loaded up the van again and headed toward the airport. Susie told several stories, including one about a female emperor who killed over 4,000 people to get to the top. I hugged my family goodbye as they set out to Xi'an.
Back at the apartment, I was tired, sweaty, and thankful for such an amazing day.
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