Day Two – Ming Tombs & The Wall!

Day started for us at 7 when we were greeted by a variety of strange and wonderful foods… including popcorn chicken, noodles, spicy chicken, Chinese pancakes and samosas on a Lazy Susan (or as we like to call it Sloppy Susan).

We left at 8:15 for our day out where we were taught basic mandarin reading and pronunciation.

After a two hour journey we finally arrived at the Ming Tombs where our tour guide Gary (Gazza) gave us various pieces of information about it. As we walked through the gateway to heaven boys were instructed to walk through with their left leg first, girls with their right leg. On our exit we had to say “I am coming back”. This signifies we have exited heaven and returned to earth. Once inside ‘heaven’ we were surrounded by beautiful architecture vastly different from what is located in the UK. This was things such as dragon sculptures and vibrant colours creating extravagant patterns on every building. This created an atmosphere of amazement and peace among us. Then we were taught about the many emperors who ruled over China and made it what it was today. We looked and read about their lives which is surprisingly different from modern life, for example having over 80 wives plus mistresses.

After lunch, we headed up to the Great Wall via cable car. Once there, we started to free roam, exploring one of the most breath-taking sights in the world.
Although, it was more difficult than it looked due to the uneven surfaces and we got hot from the sun which was rather unexpected. But it was most definitely worth it!
We then queued in anticipation, awaiting the chance to toboggan down the mountain in which the wall was situated, it was exhilarating and a once in a lifetime opportunity.

• The journey back was filled with heavy constant traffic due to the weekend car allowance but we eventually arrived at our dinner reservation where we were served with chicken feet, noodles and vegetables. Once everyone was full and the food was gone, we shopped in a local supermarket, stocking up on treats for tomorrow’s train journey. At the end of the night, everyone has gone to bed from a fun filled day!