The first full day we were there we went to the Great Wall. We went to a popular area, so it was crowded. However, the views were spectacular. I always thought of the wall as being flat and easy to walk, even though I had seen how mountainous it was through photos and television. It was a work out to climb and see what I wanted to, but it was my favorite experience in China. I loved being able to see far out and see how huge the wall is. I have always wanted to go to the Great Wall, and I am extremely glad I got to do it.
While there were things in Beijing that I liked and was glad I did, there were things that made me appreciate Seoul more and more. The smog affected me greatly. I found it a lot harder, and I had to use my inhaler everyday. I also had a problem with allergies, and my sinuses clogges up pretty quickly. I felt like I was wheezing with every step I took. It made me wish for lots of trees and fresh air. Also, the visibility around the city was very poor due to the smog. A lot of my photos of things have this grayish haze around them. I couldn't get a good shot of the city and buildings at all because all you could practically see was smog. I definitely think that there needs to be something done in all cities with smog because it is so tough to deal with when there is as much of it as there was in Beijing.
I also did not like the bathrooms at all in China. I always had to think twice about whether or not I really had to go. All of the bathrooms in public and in the restaurants were these little porcelain holes in the ground. They also never had any toilet paper, so I always had to remember to bring some with me wherever I went.
Another thing that got on my nerves a little bit was the water. You could not drink the water from the tap because it was not clean. I had to drink only from bottled water or drink a soda or beer. I also had to remember to brush my teeth with bottled water. It was a bit frustrating because I like to drink water out of my personal water bottle so I don't waste plastic bottles, but that wasn't an option in China. We also could not get any soda or drinks with ice in it because the ice could make us sick also. However, the more we were there, the more I got used to using bottled water and not drinking anything from the tap.
The most bizarre experience I had was when I went to the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall. We got there early, and there was a very long line. The people in the line were pushy and cut in front of others. It seemed like they had no concept of an orderly line. Going through the line did not take that long, but they did not allow cameras, and we had cameras with us, so we got kicked out of the line. They seemed very strict about that rule. Not only could you not take photos, which should be the case, but you could not even have a camera on you. We went back a second time around without our cameras, and they let us through. I was surprised that they let me through with my cell phone because it has a camera on it.
We went in, and all of the people were shoving their way to see Mao's body. I thought it was creepy that they keep his body preserved and put it on display. It was interesting to see how the people reacted when they saw him. They were very in awe of him, and it seemed that he was almost like a god to them. It's different coming from the U.S. where we are taught that communism is bad and Chairman Mao was not a good man. It was interesting to see communism and someone I studied in history in high school through a different lens. I also thought it was somewhat ironic that people were selling all sorts of Mao products outside and around Tiananmen Square. We also went and saw the Great Hall of the People afterwards, and it was really neat to see a government building in China.
I liked being in Beijing, but it made me miss and appreciate Seoul and South Korea even more. I was really happy to be back after five days and not have to worry about brushing my teeth with bottled water.
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