Episode 2

Roxana Gomez & Rick Huang

After a long and tiresome flight, our Husky Presidential Ambassadors were quick to find peace in their air conditioned rooms. The next morning, jet lag woke us up early and led us to the dining room for our first authentic Chinese meal in Beijing.

Breakfast was very different from the pancakes and scrambled eggs that were used to. Instead we were welcomed with boiled eggs, pork buns and bok choy. As soon as we finished our breakfast, we were rounded in the lobby and sent into the bus for our first stop of our Beijing tour: The Great Wall!

The drive was shorter than expected but HPA managed to stay busy! We played a couple rounds of Heads Up and a "Super Mario" game suggested by Benjamin.

In no time at all we were at the Great Wall. We got off the bus and were immediately hit the humidity of the day. Luckily it was not too hot as we had to make the 6-mile journey across one of the world's ancient wonders. Yu Laoshi was not kidding when she said that we should get into shape. The Great Wall was VERY steep and long. The stairs were uneven, giving many people with fears of heights a run for their money.

After 6 incredibly difficult miles, the HPA team managed to survive the Great Wall! After our the descent, we were loaded onto the bus and driven to lunch.

At our lunch destination, we were given the tour of a Cloisonné factory. On this tour, we saw the various steps taken to accomplish a traditional Chinese masterpiece.

Lunch followed! It had been the first time we had shared food using the round tables. It was a lot of fun talking to everyone and enjoying a hard earned lunch.

After lunch, HPA had the first taste of bargaining, Benjamin successfully lowered the price of a marble tablet with the Great Wall carving from 120 yuan to 80 yuan!

After lunch, HPA went to The Ming Tombs, a site dedicated to all emperors of the Ming Dynasty.

HPA also had the opportunity of rubbing the Ming Dynasty's turtle; the back for longevity and the front for good luck.

It's safe to say that HPA had a GREAT first day! A lot of was seen and we can't wait to see what else is left for us in Beijing!