Day 5 & 6

We didn't have class this morning so that we could prepare for our trip to the Great Wall. Then we went, by bus. The ride was somewhat long, but it was made better by sleep, music, and an on-board lunch. we got to the wall and it was still cold. I wore two t-shirts, a long sleeved shirt, sweat pants, cargo pants over them, three pairs of socks, a balacalava, the nuclear winter hat, a sweater, my ski jacket, mittens, and shoes. Parts of me still managed to become cold. There were two portions of the wall which we could choose to climb, I went with the group that chose the steeper, more manly route. It was steep. It was the most tiring hike I have ever made, and going back down was an even more difficult task. The entire time we were being followed by "tour guides" who would forcibly help you down the slope, then try to guilt you into buying overpriced souvenirs. While it was tiring, and the vulturous salespeople were annoying, the views were spectacular. I really hadn't realized how freaking long the great wall was until I saw it. You could see the wall towers on nearly every visible mountain. The music I had stuck in my head was "The Lighting of the Beacons" from Lord of the Rings.
Some of those mountains with towers were really tall.



We walked back down the wall a different way from which we came to get to a small farming village with an excellent view of the wall. The village was extremely non-high-tech (see chicken for details) and had the single most classy restroom facilities I have ever seen, you'll have to wait for the elaboration on that until the end of the post though. Anyways, we were made a dinner which was very good. The sleeping accommodations were something of a nightmare. We were told that there would be heated beds. We were told the truth, but were not informed that these "beds" were pretty much just raised sections of floor covered in blankets. The "beds" were large enough to accommodate about four people without being too cramped. We slept with six people to our bed. In summary, I got to sleep on a gigantic warm brick with five other guys. It was not the best night's sleep I have ever had.
The high-tech toiled was a pretty impressive device.

Inside of this eloquent structure was a gap in the floorboards which opened to the small ravine below. There was also a bucket in which to put your used toilet paper. by the way, the streetlights on the road leading to this village and to the wall are all solar powered. There is something wrong with this government's priorities.
We took the bus back to the dorms and I now sit here typing. I leave for Japan tomorrow. I look forward to being in a country where I can drink the water.