I am excited to have the opportunity to see one of the "wonders" of the world first hand and check it off of my list of things to see while on this planet. After we're ready, we head downstairs and are greeted by Joanna's sister and driver who are already there. Joanna's sister suggests we get some breakfast. We head down the street on foot to the same strip mall where the McDonald's is but decide to do a Chinese breakfast instead. We order some Chinese Doughnuts and some soy milk (I order the sweet instead of the savory milk) and finish our meal. It is considerably cheaper than our McDonald's experience the day before but I'm still a bit hungry afterwards. While I'm not one to complain, I figure we'll eat more later and we depart.
Joanna's sister's driver has an old beat up white car. While it's not as old or beat up as my classic 67 VW bug it does serve its function and will get us to "point B". We pile in and start our hour journey towards Mutianyu. I'm very happy we are with a known driver. The day before Joanna and I were approached by various "vendors" who promised a cheap trip to the Great Wall at a fraction of the tour book prices. My only worry with these vendors is that they would drive you somewhere else completely and demand even more money to get you back to Beijing. I am comfortable knowing the driver is a reliable source, especially after being "shanghai'd" in that location. He is pleasant and Joanna and her sister chat even more in the car on the long ride. We make a pit stop just 10 minutes before getting to Mutianyu as I understand there are no bathrooms at the great wall. We use the facilities and pile back into the car and head on our way. Eventually we arrive at a big parking lot with a few tour buses, taxis and cars all here for the same reason as we are. I can see it up on the hill and it looks magnificent! Just before the official entrance are a long row of vendors hawking their cheap souvenirs and wares. I am most definitely their target audience as everyone is calling to me. "Hi hi! Welcome. Look at these great hats! You need some artwork. How about a t-shirt? 1 Dollar!" I try my best to smile politely as we make our way to the entrance. I see a few silk table runners that look very nice and I stop to oogle over these. Joanna says, "We'll do our shopping on our way back. But it's too late and the vendor is busy trying to push a price out of us." I tell Joanna that she'll need to negotiate for me. She laughs and tells me that she'll charge a fee to do that for me. I laugh and smile and we head up the hill towards the entrance. Joanna's sister buys us our entrance tickets (thank you!) and we make our way up another set of stairs past more vendors. My bad knee isn't dealing with these steps too well. It's cold and I'm starting to feel the shortcomings of all the walking I did in Shanghai again. "How many steps it is?" I ask. "Over a thousand." remarks Joanna. Good grief Charlie Brown! I don't think my knee is up for THAT challenge. I have a change of heart and not willing to compromise seeing the wall I opt for buying a round trip gondola ride up to the top. "We'll see you at the top." says Joanna. "Sounds good!" I say and hit the gondola to the top.
Picture Tahoe without the snow and you've got the setup for the gondola. It takes me up the mountain side rapidly and I depart the cab and start to wander around on the top of the wall. There's only one real path you can take to see the wall as it's been closed in one direction so I head for the other side of the wall where I can see another gondola at the very very far end and start to hike the wall. It's not quite as BIG or as long as I had envisioned but it is certainly amazing being here.
The great wall may be one of the world's wonders and while I'm walking it, I must admit I can't believe that it can be seen from space. I mean, we can't even see Highway 280 from space. What makes the human populous think that something more narrow than a highway can be seen from space. Let's get real. It's like saying that El Camino (which is one of the longest road in America) can be seen from space. I can't imagine that the great wall, however great has this inherent ability. Regardless, it is VERY impressive. I saunter on...
It's steep and narrow in places and there are a lot of steps to traverse - both up and down. I struggle with the inclines and declines with my bad knee and I find a rhythm using my right knee as the bending knee to travel the steep terrain. About half way along the wall I run into a group of four Americans with cans in their hands. "That guy's got a pretty good business going up here!" one exclaims. I look a bit closer. Is that BEER they are drinking? Why yes, it is! I walk up to the gentleman with a donkey on the side of the wall and say.. "Peeju?" He quickly responses.. "30 Yuan." Wow. 30 yuan is the most expensive beer I've had so far in China. That's like 5 bucks! Well, I suppose it's still cheaper than buying a beer at a ball game back in the states, and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be drinking a beer on the Great Wall. What the heck... "Hey, nice idea!" another American yells at me. "Can you take our picture of us drinking a beer up here?" he asks. "Sure can! As long as you take one of me." I respond. We snap our shots and share a moment basking in the moment and relishing our tall cold ones. I flash back to a moment from the Shawshank Redemption where the convicted prisoners are sitting on the roof and drinking a beer after a hard day's work and make some parallels to their moment of glory as I sip my Tsing Tao. The view up here is spectacular as the wall winds it's way along the horizon. Another memory is triggered. The game Crash Bandicoot comes to mind in regards to the level where you run on top of the great wall.
I keep walking along the wall and there is a narrow and steep stairway between one of the towers and sectional components that gives me the willies. I have to really psych myself up to actually head down this section. Really, I almost consider turning around and heading back the way I came in. My shoes' traction are limited (I knew I should have worn those new shoes I bought) and the hand rails (made of stone) leave something to be desired. Finally I muster enough courage to make it down the irregular height steps and continue on.
Eventually, I meet up with Joanna and her sister who are walking the opposite direction than I am. We snap a few shots and I got a really great picture of Joanna and her sister. It was so good, I'm actually thinking I wished I had as many pictures on this trip quite this good. It's a highlight of the trip -- to see Joanna and her sister smiling and together. It was precious, and a damn good photo too! The colors are so perfect and their expressions are pricelessly touching. They continue on their journey and me on mine. Eventually, I make my way to the other end of the wall. Side note for all you sucker tourists, what they don't tell you, about that round trip gondola ticket, is that that ticket is only good for one side of this wall. I'm at the other end and there's a smaller gondola but apparently my ticket's no good here. I have to buy another ticket to get down and instead of walking along the wall to the other end, I opt for picking up another $15 ticket. My knee is killing me.I make my way down on the chair lift. I figure I have at least an hour before Joanna and her sister walk down so I start to do some shopping without them. All the vendors have the same products so it's not like I have to look hard to find something that I'm looking for and I instantly start looking for something similar to that table runner I saw before. "I remember you sir!" yells just about every vendor I pass. It must be an effective sales pitch because everyone is using it. "Come look! t-shirt! one dollar!" And yes, all the shirts are trashy.
Eventually I find a vendor with some nice silk table runners that I think would make a fine addition to my dining room table or perhaps coffee table and I start to negotiate half way jokingly. Our driver appears out of the corner of my eye. I think Joanna asked him to keep an eye on me but he does not interrupt my negotiations. "I give it to you for 140Yuan", the vendor says in very bad English. "Actually I was thinking more like 20 yuan." I responded. She seems flustered which I've been told means I'm doing a good job. "No no no. No good. No good. I can't take less than 100 yuan." she cries. But reiterate. "20 Yuan." She's frowning now. "25 Yuan." "No good. Make serious offer!" "40 Yuan" I say as this is my final price. She's still upset and I begin to walk away. "Wait wait wait.. 40 Yuan is ok." Not bad I think. 40 yuan is like 7 US bucks. "How about a hat or t-shirt?" she asks after we make our transaction. Wow she is relentless. I decide to buy a black shirt with a red communist star on it. I have plans to give it to my buddy for his birthday. It reminds me of a certain smiley face shirt he has worn through where the smiley face has long since fallen off but the memory of what the decal was still remains. I negotiate a pretty good price for it and now I have two items. I'm done shopping for a while and I wait for Joanna and her sister to return. Eventually Joanna and her sister make their way back down the hill and I see them. "We found a good deal for your silk table runner!" Joanna exclaims. "I've already got one." "Really? How much did you pay?" "40 yaun." "Ha ha! We had arrange for two for 40yuan." Boy did I feel pretty silly at that point. What the heck, I could always use an extra in another color. "Lets go get them anyway." I say. We show up at the vendor and now that I'm with Joanna the vendor seems upset that Joanna was negotiating with a foreigner. Joanna translates a bit of the vendor's plight. "If I would have know you were bringing HIM I wouldn't have given you such a good deal!" I suppose it all averages out in the long run. Rip those tourists off why don't you...
We head back tot he car and Joanna wants to pick up some dried fruits and nuts on the way. I was astonished with her negotiation tactics! She's standing at the fruit and nut vendor negotiating a price while snacking constantly on their food. I would think at some point the vendor would say, "You've already eaten all of my profits away! Fine! I'll take your price, just leave and stop eating my goods!" But the conversation goes on for some time in Chinese and I'm not privy to the entire interaction. I wouldn't dare snack on a vendor's food at a farmers market in the US like this and I am surprised they aren't throwing a fit by now. Eventually Joanna grabs a bag of almonds, dried plums, dried ginger, dried coconut and a few other dried berry like items and we head back into the city while snacking on the way.
On the way back to Beijing, it is negotiated that we would return to the same restaurant for dinner again tonight. I'm cool with that but I really want to hit the silk market before dinner. Everyone agrees but we get a little lost trying to find it. I suppose while it is a tourist trap and the locals don't frequent it often, it is a bit of a hassle trying to find it. We drive through a section of town that looks like Beijing's Little Moscow loaded with hundreds of Russian shops and restaurants. It was quite an experience seeing another foreign epicenter in the middle of another foreign country. I wonder where "American-town" is? Finally we locate the silk market and Joanna's sister drop us off and they depart. I can't say I blame the driver for not wanting to wait any longer. It's been a long day for him.
We enter the building that I had expected to be bigger and longer but it's merely stacked on itself and four or five stories high. This place is jam packed with all sorts of products and I start to go into shopping overload. Wow! This is THE "Sham-Glam" mecca! I see Nike, Coach, Armani, Polo and all sorts of other name brands on display. We wander around for a while but I'm really hunting for a few items. 1) Men's Suits. 2) Rolex watches. We find a vendor who is selling suits who welcomes (read practically dragging) us into her booth to look at men's suits. Some of them aren't so nice but I'm struck by a Grey Armani suit pants combo and we instant start to negotiate a price. Quite a change from Mutianyu as these people waste no time in getting to the bottom line. 300 Yuan is the best price we can get from this vendor for that suit. Joanna pulls me out and we continue on down the aisle. I don't think the vendor is pleased we are leaving. I just got here and I want to look around a bit before making a purchase. Wouldn't you know, just 20 vendors away we find the same exact suit and we know we can already get 300 yuan for it so Joanna starts much lower. "The person down there already offered us 300 yuan for this suit." she says immediately. I like her intelligent tactic. "Ai Ya!" yells the vendor who immediately gets upset. It's my understanding that if the vendor isn't upset that you're getting a bad deal. On the flip side, perhaps even the vendors know this reverse psychology tactic as well and play this card all the time no matter what. Ah, the dynamics and subtleties of foreign trade and negotiations. Eventually we're working on 270 yuan for the suit and I say I'll only take that price if the vendor throws in free pant hemming. Finally after 15 minutes of back and forth, arguing and almost walking away three times, the shopkeeper strikes the deal. Instantly the vendor's demeanor returns to normal after the exchange of money has taken place that reconfirms my previous thoughts on this entire reverse psychological process. This suit is Nice! It's a Paul Smith from London suit. I could care less about the brand as it looks really sharp as I'm not a brand junkie anyway. We make our way to the fourth floor. I want my Rolex.
We arrive and start looking around for some Rolexes on display but find none in plain sight. Joanna knows what I am searching for and immediately asks each vendor if they have any Rolex watches. After her inquiry and a few moments of looking us over suspiciously, each vendor pulls out a suitcase full of Rolexes for us to peruse. I'm not seeing any that are striking my style and so we move to another vendor and reiterate the same drill at each stop. Eventually we find a watch I am interested in. And we start to negotiate. "600 Yuan" says the vendor. Wow that's really cheap. I decided to shut up and let Joanna do her thing. "80 Yuan" she offers. "Ma'am, you must be joking. We can't let this watch go for less than 300 yuan." the vendor exclaims. "We'll just go to another vendor then." Joanna blurts out in English to help me understand what's going on. "Ma'am, ever vendor has the same products and the same price point." the vendor responds. I suppose it's true. Everyone is selling the same thing, heck, they probably all work for the same bigger organization anyway. What this place really comes down to is who is a better negotiator, sales person, and customer support specialist that closes the deal. "Fine. How much for this one?" Joanna asks. "That one is "250 yuan." Joanna immediately says. "We will give you no more than 80 Yuan for it." Again I see a reserved flair in emotion from the vendor. "We can't take less than 120." I suppose it's my watch so I decide to chime in. "My final offer is 100 yuan with band adjustment." It's nice to be the one to make the hard and fast decision with my own money. Finally they agree and I am the proud new owner of my very own modern day Sham-Glam Rolex (or as they say back home. "Rorex")
I am satisfied. I've purchased everything I want and we decide to head up to the 5th floor for dinner at the Peeking Duck restaurant. I imagine that this restaurant's prices are a bit inflated as it's in the mecca of tourist traps, but what the heck, we're here and I haven't had any Peeking Duck yet. We walk into the restaurant and are immediately greeted by a young lady. I ask to see the menu (to see if we'll fall prey to highly elevated prices before sitting down and Joanna and I both agree it looks reasonable in price, in quality and in selection so we ask for a table. The receptionist wants to put us close to a table close to the stage of entertainment. Apparently, there is a musical and magic act that happens on a nightly basis here. I make a motion to the server that I don't want to be in the thick of things and I'd rather have a quite evening with Joanna elsewhere. I think this may be a rare occurrence not to want to be close to the action and everyone who works there seems a bit perplexed by this. I have Joanna translate. "We want a quite place for dinner." and they seat us further down the room away from the glam and entertainment.We order a half duck and a few side dishes. The food is surprisingly good and I can't help but eye the chef's knife they used to cut the duck at our table side. "Why don't you ask them where I can get a knife like that?" I ask Joanna. She inquires and tells me the Chinese company name, but I have since forgotten the brand. Oh well. We have a great meal and of course the company is also great. I have to say that is restaurant turned out better than I had imagined. On the way back to the hotel, I have my Rolex on my wrist and I am content and happy with my purchase. What time is it, you ask? "Rolex Time, Baby!" The Silk Road is actually quite close to our hotel. It costs about 14 yuan which is the equivalent of $2 US.
We make it back to our hotel just in time (Rolex time, baby...yawn) to retire happy and tired from a long productive day.
