It was on the boat that I discovered my new favorite Chinese snack: hats. Well, I don't really know what they are called but they are shaped like the round, pointed hats that you can get here and taste like a mix between Teddy Grahams and fortune cookies. Delish.We paddled past the many halls, temples, and gardens as well as some bridges-- my favorite was the Mirrored Bridge, which is pretty steep and unique, very unlike any bridge I had ever seen/walked across before. I would definitely be okay with spending my summers hanging out here, that is for sure. I think it'd make Camp David seem a little lame, if you ask me.
One thing about the Chinese historical locations, they really get creative with the names. And by really I mean not at all. For example, the 17-Arch Bridge and the Eaves That Play Host to Clouds. And don't forget the Garden of Harmonious Interests. Gotta love literal translations haha.
Speaking of that, some of the t-shirts we've seen have been absolutely hilarious. My favorite so far is 'Put your hands up and walk slowly towards the moustache' and had a picture of a '70s police officer. These type of things are everywhere! And not just with the younger crowd but older people as well; I love it!
Something of note about the people here: they carry around Nalgene bottles full of tea instead of water. I saw a guy earlier in the week carrying a bottle full of water with something strange floating in the top and I got a little grossed out. I had no idea what it was. Now I realize what it is, and it's everywhere! I really don't understand ho w these people stay fully hydrated in the heat but I guess it works. Wonder if they drink tea while working out...?
Our run yesterday morning went well-- it was actually one of the clearest days since we'd been here. My lungs definitely felt a little strange, though. We felt like champs after that when we climbed the Great Wall at Badaling. I would have liked to visit one of the less crowded parts of the wall, but it was still an amazing experience. Some parts were so steep that my nose almost touched the steps above as I was climbing.For those of you who have access to CCTV, check it out because our group was the one featured on today's visit (last tour day by BOCOG) and Phil and me got interviewed. It was kind of fun, but a little hard to understand some of the questions the reporter asked. They ranged from 'What is your favorite part of China?' to 'How do you feel about the French burning down these sites?' I tried to give my best, positive answers about how hospitable the Chinese had been, etc. I did make the mistake of saying that the food was one of my favorite parts (which is true-- I don't think I'll want to go back to Chinese American-style once I return!) and so they came up to my table during dinner tonight and informed me that they'd be taping me eating. Great. Thank goodness I am getting the chopsticks thing down. I can just imagine the people watching TV and laughing at my crude skills. I didn't drop a thing! Success.
Tonight was capped off by a night at the opera. We had front row seats to a show that was, well, I hate to keep saying interesting but that is the best word. At first I was afraid I would have nightmares about the people with their scarily made-up faces. I couldn't understand a thing that was going on except that they had English subtitles on screens. I could only see the top row of words, so that didn't help much. Basically, the princess got married, somebody lived and somebody died. And there was a lot of family history and three brothers. For six minutes, the princess (in the most high-pitched, loudest shriek-sing I have ever heard) said "I will marry my man". I am not exaggerating. There were a few acrobatics at the end with some fighting thrown in which was by far my favorite part.
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