We flew in to Beijing on a Friday afternoon. For 2 of the 4 days we were there, they had the worst pollution in 30 years. It was also freezing cold.
We saw the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. I was so cold in my feet that they were numb. My hands could have been warmer too. We did see the sky that day, at least we did in the morning. In the afternoon the fog/smog/pollution came back.
One really random thing was this group of Chinese people wanted to get their picture taken with us. They took 30 or so pictures. We asked Jennifer the guide to take a picture too.
The next day we saw the Great Wall of China. It was a foggy, smoggy day, so, unfortunately, you could only see about 10 feet in front of you. But, the Great Wall was, nevertheless, super awesome. Did you know it took them 2000 years to finish the Wall?
It looks like it was made yesterday.
Some of the steps are so steep, they are like a ladder.
Aside from seeing these things, I did not really like Beijing very much. It is mainly because of all the pollution there. Now, I have a sore throat and a stuffy head which is not pleasant.
I did go to Winser’s house to learn calligraphy. Winser has been studying Chinese calligraphy for 20 years and he is very good at it.
I got a Chinese name – Kong Pe. It mostly means big ego. I want a new name.
Did you know that you can only have one child in China? If you have another one, you get fined thousands of dollars. Also, did you know you can only have a dog who is less than 18 inches tall? The government will fine you if you have a bigger dog.
Also, I noticed that lots people in China don’t use tissues to blow their nose. Do you know what a farmer blow is? Now I know too. There is also a lot of spit. Men and women spit on the ground all over the place. These things make me not happy to be walking around outside. Also, we went into a mall to buy a big, down jacket for me, and, they kept on playing the same 3 songs over and over and over again. One of them was that song, “Oh My Darling, Clementine.” Walking around inside wasn’t so great either.