China

Our first day we ported in Shanghai and wandered around the city. It was incredibly big, I think it may be one of the biggest cities in the world. The city was a contradiction, there were all these massive new beautiful buildings and there was also poverty and broken down abandoned city blocks. The best part was when my friends and I went shopping in the black market. It was a bit scary when this three ladies were following us while we were led down flight after flight of stairs to their shop fronts. We were ushered inside then instantly locked the door behind us. My friend Emily was our designated bargainer, she was incredible and got us such good deals. The whole experience was tense but so worth it. 

Our second day a group of around forty left to go on a three day hike of the Great Wall.  We took a plane to Beijing to where our hike would start. I didn't think going into the hike that it would be to strenuous, I mean I did the StairMaster a couple of times in preparation, but man was I wrong. We started our hike just getting up to the wall in the mountains. We hiked on a more eroded part of the wall where there was not a tourist to be found. Once we got up to the wall there were snow dusted mountains as far as the eye could see. The view got more and more beautiful the higher on the wall we hiked. Our group was full of such fun and athletic people and everyone was helping each other keep going to get to our lunch point. After about three hours we were given lunch in one of the watch towers. Now, our tour guides name was Raymond and he kept joking us that he was going to give us Big Mac's on the Great Wall. We all thought that he was kidding, but as we walked into the watch tower we find three huge coolers full of Big Mac's. So I had my first Big Mac on the Great Wall of China and I hate to say it but it was pretty good! In our two days of hiking we walked about fourteen miles. Even though the hike was hard all I had to do was take a second a look where I was. Unbelievable 

VIETNAM TOMORROW!!