Today we headed to the Great Wall of China. The wall is located in Beijing but about 1 1/2-2 hours from the city. The British family we met at our hotel, recommended a great driver that they had used earlier in the week. Having our own driver was a great way to get to the wall. Not only could we use the car seat (and be able to leave it in the car while we were on the wall) but we could be on our own schedule (instead of following a tour group/bus schedule). The driver picked us up right at the hotel about 9:00 and we headed out. He actually spoke very good English, which he told us he learned working in a bar!
When we arrived at the Great Wall, we parked at the bottom of the mountain and walk up a slightly toward the gondola station. Along the way there are people selling fresh fruits and vegetables as well as other "souvenir" type goodies...all for a "good price"! There is even a Subway on the side of the mountain.
While driving, I had asked our driver about a particular fruit tree we had seen in several places throughout the city. If I understood him correctly, it is called a persimmon. The best way to describe it is that it looks like an orange tomato growing on a tree. When we arrived at the bottom of the wall, there was a fruit market. He stopped and had one of the sellers let us try a piece. Its taste and texture are similar to a pumpkin or squash. Chris and I each took a small bite and passed it on, Savannah on the other hand gobbled the rest right up. The women asked our driver (she only spoke Chinese) if Savannah liked fruit. When I said yes, she handed Savannah half of a Chinese pear, which she also devoured without a problem. (A Chinese or Asian Pear is white color and high in water content with a crispy, grainy texture.) After this snack break, we headed to the gondola station to begin our climb up to the Great Wall.
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