The Great Wall of China

Actually posted on Tuesday, September 11th at 10:45PM

Wow! What a day! We left fairly early this AM and our first stop was the pearl factory. Here they show you how a fresh water pearl is harvested and of course, you are lead through the massive gift shop. All necessary pearls were purchased hastily... thank goodness I had a list. I never would have made the bus otherwise!

Next stop, the Great Wall of China. Cara-Li has been talking about this for quite some time most especially since she has watched Mulan a thousand times. She kept asking us if the Huns were coming! It is amazing to see this wall that is app. 6000 km long and can be seen from space. We all thought that Cara-Li would have to be carried up (she sometimes doesn't know she has feet!) so I carried Alexia up in my baby sling. Now remember, it is extremely hot at high noon, the smog was incredible (so much so we couldn't really see all that much), the steps are extremely uneven and Alexia weighs 17 lbs. All was going well until we reached the point where certicates can be purchased (this is where I wanted to stop), I sat down to catch my breath and ooops.... I almost passed out. I really had to struggle to keep my wits about me. Baby was removed from my chest and water poured on my head and within 5 minutes, I was back. Problem now is we had to make our way down. Cara-Li did such a fabulous job climbing the wall... Mommy well, not so bad!

After this grueling climb, we had lunch at a nearby restaurant followed by a shopping spree in a cloisonnée factory. While mommy was shopping with auntie Loula, Cara-Li made sure that her little sister was getting her lunch. She really enjoys being mommy's little helper!

Remember how Cara-Li was missing her Barbies? Well, we had to go to the mall to get her a new Barbie to tide her over. This, of course, is exactly what I wanted to do after an 9-hour day and almost passing out at the Great Wall!