We finally settled in- sort of, and Sanay is slowly getting out of jetlag. So we decided to start the day with Beijing's biggest attraction- the Great Wall! Sunil took the day off, and Ritu packed a picnic. I was all patronizing in the beginning, about how lovely the roads were here, and how nice the cars were, etc., etc. But this place truly rocks! After a smooth and picturesque drive, we arrive at the base of Badaling, one of three points in Shanghai where we can see the Great Wall. As soon as we arrive, Sanay gives us a little "work" to do. Oh Sanay- what lovely timing! We head up in a cable car. Sanay is securely strapped in Manish's Bjorn, since we'll be doing a little climbing. The ride offers sweeping views of the mountains and parts of the wall. When we reach up, we're mostly awed by this creation, our open jaws shut from time to time by jostling tourists, and people who think Sanay is related to Jackie Chan- how else can he be so popular! I have to sanitize his hands every time someone wants to offer their finger to him, so that they can take a picture. People think nothing of stopping dead in their tracks and staring at us with baby. So amusing! Back to the wall...the climb up the wall is VERY steep, and Ritu and I lose orientation on one steep portion. But if this is all we came to China for, it would be worth the trip...miles and miles of walls and forts dating back to 100s of years...simply wow!
Next on our list is the little safari at Badaling. Sanay is totally wired by now, and is jumping up and down in my lap as I show him the animals. Mostly we see the cat family up close. They are majestic. We also see bears of a few kinds. But my favorite part of the safari is towards the end, where they have a display of peacocks. There's a whole bunch of them gathered at their afternoon club, when suddenly they all decided to put on a show for us. We see TEN peacocks open up their feathers, jiggle them and then do the circular dance. I don't know about the peahens, but I'm floored. I've never seen something as beautiful as this.
Ritu and I are big foodies, and she's been raving about this hot pot place, so we end the day with dinner in town at his awesome restaurant that serves the most amazing hotpot. Think of it as Chinese fondue. Each person gets his or her personalized broth brewing in a hot pot. You can then order different meats and vegetables that come in on your table raw. Put it in the hot water for a couple minutes, and dinner is ready! Superb! If I remember right we had- lamb, chicken, shrimp, spinach leaves, chinese cabbage, tofu, enoki mushroom, lotus root, raddish, noodles...the list is endless. I drink up the entire leftover broth in my drunk tired state, only to come home and realize I feel like a water balloon! But the food was chumma! What a lovely end to the Great Wall.
Hot Pot
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