"Not a Lucky Hero Until One Reaches the Great Wall"

Chinese Saying: Want to be a hero? Climb the Great Wall! Here's a direct translation


Day 2
We went to the Great Wall today. Journey there was quite smooth. We got a cab driver to "bao" (slang for booked) the whole day trip that includes 3 places - Great Wall, "shisiling" (Ming's Thirteen Tombs), and Forbidden City. We were glad we went at this part of the year, there were not many tourists. Heard from cabbie that it is usually so packed that you see people only, not the great wall.
The Great Wall was only a 1half hour drive from Beijing. On the way there, we saw other parts of the Great Wall. We went to the Badaling Pass (the renovated portion) but next time, if I have the chance, I would like to go to Simatai section, which is still in its actual state of ruins. And I advise that if you really want to see one of the marvels of the world, do go when you are still young cos I realise, even at my age, I have problems climbing the Great Wall! It was tedious! But it was so amazing to see history right in front of you.

I don't know much about Chinese History but this trip opened my eyes.

TS at the memorial of the 'Ming Thirteen Tombs"

At the Ming's Thirteen Tombs, I was equally in awe. The 13 tombs are actually the burial ground for the 11 emperors of the Ming Dynasty, including their Empresses, and I think 9 concubines and 1 eunuch. Each has their own "kingdom" in that large piece of land. Only one has been evacuated, that of Emperor Wanli and his two empresses. We had to walk through his "kingdom" and at his tomb, we had to descend about 6 storeys below. The coffins (replicas) were kind of errie. The King's coffin (those Chinese red ones) was placed in between his two empresses surrounded by their treasures and all.












The Forbidden City is huge. We covered in 3 hours what their locals would cover in 1 week to study every part of the city.


Come to Beijing, you must try their famous "Peking Duck". This restaurant is recommended by our cabbie, it is at "qian meng" (Chinese for Front Door) which is actually one of the last 3 existing Guard Tower of the past to enter the City of Beijing.
This restuarant has been opened since the late 1800s. But what they are serving now is "fast food Peking Duck", characterised by the plastic plates, cutlery, paste, soup...It is greasy, oily, and fatty, but it is shiok!

But I still think I have eaten better elsewhere, even in Singapore.

Done with the day, my feet are killing me!