After a slight delay in the plane to Beijing we take 3 wheeled cab to our Moulin Rouge-esque hotel. Just picture a hot dog vendors stand at Fenway park, then put wheels on that. Yup that was our cab. The hotel is located in an older part of Beijing and still very rural. Many people who live in the area do not have bathrooms in their house and use the public restrooms nearby. Beijing people are always out and about, chatting, playing games and just being friendly out in the parks in the streets at all times of day. A very unique group of people, so intriguing. After quickly settling in we head to the city for the famous Da Dong Beijing Duck! The duck is presented to the table (head and all) and carved for us by the chef. We also tried purple sweet potatoes, walnut and mushroom stuffed tomatoes and tofu bean curd (yuck). The presentation of the food was beautiful and we didn’t even think twice about ordering the black fungus because it looked so nice. After duck sandwiches, duck in a tortilla and taking pictures with the duck head it was time to go home and get ready for the great wall.
9am sharp we start our adventure to the Great Wall! We somehow managed to get on an Asian tour-group bus. Kerry and I did not understand a damn word that bus driver was saying, but we could tell that she was annoying and no one seemed to like her too much. The trip seemed to be a scam and they wanted extra money for everything. We abandoned our group quickly, and the 4 brave soldiers venture off into the uncharted part of the great wall. The steps of the great wall are up to our mid-thigh and at a very steep angle. We had not been training for this and were not dressed appropriately. With the soundtrack of Mulan-Make a Man Our of You--in the background (yes, Kerry played it on repeat the ENTIRE time on her itouch) we made it to the "end" of the section of the Great Wall safely. Our goal was to climb as far as we could on the wall until the wall broke off and we could not go on any further. Despite the signs telling us: Danger Do Not Go Further, we obviously hopped the fence and went to the uncharted parts. Through thorny bushes, wobbly stones and climbing a rock wall, we conquered The Wall to its furthest part. The view was breathtaking—doubtful the pictures or even words will even give it justice. We “got down to business,” pretty much “Defeated the Huns” and the shots of rice wine we took at the end of The Wall CERTAINLY “made men out of us”…
After regrouping quickly back at our hotel, we headed out to Kro's Nest to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with pizza and beer (thank god). Our plan was to meet up with a few of JOhn's buddies from Beijing at an irish pub, until we got very specific instructions from his friend Danny: Take a left outside of the restaurant, head to the Hot Dog place, go downstairs all the way in the back and push a button on the wall. Confused, we follow his instructions and sure enough...a rock wall opens up and we are led into a dimly lit bar. We are officially in a speakeasy in Beijing! Over old fashions, tom Collins and whisky sour’s we met some of Johns friends from when he lived in that area. But this being St. Patrick’s Day in Beijing-we clearly could not go to an Irish bar like we were in Boston—instead we go to a nightclub. Lord help us. When we get into the club we are overwhelmed with the fact we are the only white people. We stick out pretty bad. But when Kerry and I hear American music it becomes our "official duty" to represent our country and show these Asians what we are made of. With no inkling of a warning, Kerry throws her jacket off and gives me her purse, then proceeds to jump on stage in the middle of the sea of Asian men. After a few songs and Kerry representing Americans everywhere, she is also introduced to the international sign of f**k off from a very jealous girlfriend. Shots of whiskey and ice tea chasers, lots of dancing, a creepy Asian tango-er and euro-trash Italians and its 5am again…
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