Simatai Great Wall, and such

We're already a quarter done with the program. How ridiculous is that?

Anyway... One of the awesome things about DSICP is that the teachers take us on a trip every weekend to explore the sights of Beijing/China. It's a great way to alleviate the stress of having to study one lesson per day during the week, not to mention take cool photos and get to know my fellow students better. This weekend, we went to Simatai Great Wall to spend the night and then "watch the sunset" from the wall in the morning. I know it's more interesting to view photos from the experience than to read about it, but just to mention some highlights...

• Sleeping for the entire three-hour-long bus ride to Simatai
• Going on a mini hike after dinner on Friday
• Almost stepping on a centipede while showering (obviously, I use the word "highlight" loosely)
• Starting the trek up the wall at 3:00 am
• Struggling up what felt like a million steps, though in reality it was probably only a few hundred
• Finding a quiet rest stop ahead of everyone else and being able to listen to the sounds of nature for a while
• Millipedes... everywhere
• Crazy Chinese children's TV show about colors, numbers, and nonsensical English
• Five hour nap after returning to our rooms
  

Well, that's enough of that. Please enjoy the photos. I made sure to upload the correct ones this time.


Our hotel looked really ancient, but I don't think it actually was.


My two roommates. So sensitive and in tune with nature.


Water droplets on the table at the restaurant we went to. The food was mediocre, unfortunately.


This one is particularly intense. I'm going to try to document all the different faces he makes in pictures.


I like how everyone is looking in a different direction. Sai Laoshi wins for looking at my camera.


Scenic view.


Behold, the reason why "watch the sunset" is in quotes. The fog made for some pretty photos though.

The internet is not being my friend today, so I'll have to cut this entry short. Before I go, I just want to mention two China-related articles (by the same author) that I find particularly interesting. One, which my friend Ricky mentioned in his latest blog post, is about the legendary "Great Firewall of China," how easy it is to bypass, and why it's effective anyway. The other looks at the opportunity for improvement inherent within the environmental crisis in China, without being naively optimistic. They're a little long, but definitely worth the read if you have some free time.

Bedtime for me. 晚安！