We noticed a definite temperature drop as we journeyed down the wall to dinner that was served family style. The beer at dinner, along with my many layers, helped to keep me warm as we trekked back up the wall to find our camp for the night. After a wrong turn, we made it to our spot with our sleeping bags.
But it turns out you're not really supposed to sleep on the wall. So back down we went, leaving the locals to bargain with the guards. Once everything was settled, we went back up to our spot for the night. Looking back, we were silly to think the beds in Beijing were hard but luckily our multiple trips up and down tired us out a bit.
The next morning we drove back to the heart of Beijing to begin our city tour. We started by walking through Tienanmen Square and then the Forbidden City.
The complex was huge and everything seemed oversized. A short bus ride away was my personal favorite portion of the day, the rickshaw rides.
We road along the streets and stopped at a local woman's home for tea. We bused past some of the Olympic facilities, including the nest and the water cube, before sampling even more tea at Dr. Tea's. That night I went out with friends to enjoy some local spots and see the street food (scorpion being a main feature).
The next morning Serena gave us our high-speed (308 km/hr!) train passes and we boarded the five hour train to Shanghai. We only had one full day in Shanghai so we tried to make the most of it by getting a map and setting out through the Bund on foot.
We walked along busy city streets, bargained for all kinds of things at the mall and enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Blue Frog in the park.
It was an eventful day that ended back on my traveling home, the MV Explorer. Luckily, my mom was able to call it home too because my SAS bosses helped get her a room on the ship as we journeyed to our next port in Japan.
