So. Day 2 of Tibet went a little something like this…
I SAW THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA!!!!!
Here's another picture that I just received... this Chinese family asked me to take their picture on the Great Wall, and then after I did so, they asked if I could be in the next picture with their kids. Haha!
The day actually began by us making a quick visit to the Lama Temple in Beijing. This temple was once an emperor’s house, but after he grew up, he restored it and donated it to Buddhist monks (he was a Buddhist himself) back in the 1600’s. At this particular temple, we all got the rare opportunity to see an 80-foot statue of the future Buddha Maitreya (Buddhists believe in 3 Buddhas—the past Buddha, the present Buddha, and the future Buddha. The future Buddha is worshiped now even though he hasn’t technically been born yet because Buddhists believe in reincarnation. Basically, they figure it can’t hurt to worship the future Buddha before he comes around because eventually they’ll be reborn when he is around and they’ll already have a head start on the good karma they attain from worshipping him!) Said 80 foot statue was carved out of a single sandalwood tree from Nepal (I can NOT imagine how long it took to get that tree there, as it’s a pretty old statue… NEVERMIND how long it took to carve it!) It was pretty neat. Pictures of said statue would be forthcoming if we had been allowed to take pictures of it—this is sort of the story for the rest of the temples and monasteries we went to, as in all cases we either weren’t allowed to take pictures because the objects or statues were too sacred, or we had to pay a small fee to take pictures. So I have some pictures of some of the artwork, statues, and other items in the monasteries, but not a ton.
Here’s an artsy photograph from Bud of the Lama Temple. I think I failed to mention in my last entry that at one point in our journeys, I somehow deleted 300 pictures from my memory card. Consequently, the first half of my blogging pictures will be those taken by some of the friends I made on the trip who have generously sent me the pictures they have that I want for both this blog and my own personal enjoyment. I don’t have all the pictures that I have requested as of yet—when I get them, though, I’ll upload them.
So. We spent some time at the Lama Temple and got our first real encounters with monks and Buddhists (such as those seen below offering incense to the three Buddhas).
After that, we ended up going to this nice restaurant for some delicious food (I don’t think I can emphasize enough how good the tofu was over there. I really need to look into how it is cooked—I wonder if they cook it differently in China than in America?)
And then, of course... The GREAT WALL! It was a long haul--one has to climb up it on its unevenly spaced and placed stones, which can get tricky at points. I'm not sure what part of the Great Wall we went to, but it was rather touristy, as there were many people trying to sell postcards, shirts, and other souvenirs all over the place. This got a bit overwhelming at points, especially when trying to fight the forces of gravity to reach the next tower in the hot and sticky air. We survived, however, despite how dehydrated we felt by the end of it, and many people got some awesome pictures.
Here's a picture of about half of the group that went.
Here's a picture of Caitlyn, whom I got rather close with by the end of our travels. She's a ton of fun and I can't wait to catch up with her sometime during the school year! (She goes to Champlain, which is in Burlington... only about 1.5 hours away!)
And here's a picture of Bud on the Great Wall. What a traveler, that boy is. He's been all over the world already and he's only 20! Yikes.
Oh. And I forgot to mention one of the most interesting parts of our trip to the Great Wall. THERE IS A ROLLER COASTER ON IT! Many of my friends don't believe me on this one (I think I was the only one of the group who actually took pictures of this, but as I mentioned, I lost them...) but it was totally there. One had to go down some stairs to this platform, which was an original part of the Great Wall. Then one boarded the roller coaster, which went down the steep hill the wall is on for a while, then looped back up and went under the wall at another place and then returned to its starting point. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to go on said roller coaster, as the line was HUGE and we only had two hours to climb up and back down. But still. A ROLLER COASTER? Part of me think it's kinda neat that one can ride a roller coaster on the Great Wall--the other part of me is curious as to why a country would make one of its most historical relics into a pure money making endeavor. I realize that there are parts of the Great Wall that are off limits to tourists and visitors and are consequently still in terrific shape... but still. I have mixed feelings on it.
Once I get the picture I'm waiting for (the one with me on the Great Wall) I'll upload that too. Until next time:
Peace!