Mississippi River
Marquette, Iowa
July 14, 2015
Friday, July 31, 2015
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
The Great Wall
The last week of May I finally made it to the Great Wall! I've tried to get there all year, but any chance I had to travel, I traveled in other cities around China rather than visiting sites near my home. We had a culture week at the university and took the students on a field trip to climb the wall. Although it was only May, we've had summer weather for quite some time now. The day of our visit was nearly 100 degrees. It was really hot, especially climbing all of those steps, but worth it!
There are many sections of the Great Wall around northern China that are restored for tourists. We visited the Mutianyu section. It is a little further away from Beijing, so it doesn't get as much traffic as the Badaling gate. Without a crowd of tourists, this section was more enjoyable to walk. Once I got away from the main entry points to the wall, I had a lot of it to myself.
There are two entry points to the wall. One of them is by cable car (highly recommended) or you can climb the 1,000+ steps to the top. I walked up the stairs and it was really hot considering the temperature that day. Next time I visit this section I'll definitely pay extra for the sky lift.
There are two entry points to the wall. One of them is by cable car (highly recommended) or you can climb the 1,000+ steps to the top. I walked up the stairs and it was really hot considering the temperature that day. Next time I visit this section I'll definitely pay extra for the sky lift.
The wall was built over the mountains so it isn't flat. It curves up and down across the landscape and can be quite a workout to cross. I was so excited to finally experience it that I practically ran from one end to the other.
After crossing the wall, I didn't feel like walking all the way back down again. There are two other options to get down, the sky-lift and the toboggan run. I elected the toboggan. It took less than 5 minutes to make it down to the bottom and was a lot more fun than climbing down 1,000+ steps!
Have you visited the Great Wall? Which section did you see?
Friday, July 24, 2015
Friday, July 17, 2015
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Sunday Reads: Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet
By: Jamie Ford
Set in Seattle during WWII, Ford details the life of a young Chinese-American school boy as he witnesses the Japanese interment through a relationship with one of his classmates. This historical fiction novel is told through two different time periods: the 1940s and 1980s. The focus is on Henry, a Chinese American boy living in Seattle around the time of the Japanese interment. He develops a relationship with Keiko, a Japanese American girl who is eventually sent to one of the internment camps. Along with the relationship that develops between Henry and Keiko, Ford details the relationships Henry has with an up and coming jazz musician, his parents, his classmates and later his own son. Weaved into the story is a description of the jazz music scene in Seattle, race relations and the effects of the Japanese internment camps during the war.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone.
*This was a gift from Wendy at A Day In The Life, through the Chaotic Goddess Book Swap.
**This post contains Amazon Affiliate links
