today was saturday and thus a day off. we started our adventures being picked up at our hotel at 7am, and were driven to the badaling section of the great wall, where we arrived by 8 before the crowds but to a bitter cold gusty wind. there were hints of snow on the ground, but the sky was bright blue. our walk, which was amazing, started with a badly needed purchase of a hat and two scarves. luckily mike and i had melissa there, our local friend and coworker, to do the haggling, and we got all three for 30 yuan. four dollars well spent.
the gondola, which we took down after a long uphill walk along the wall, had a sign upon boarding that read "don't scratch." don't scratch what, you might ask? we didn't, but i assume they meant the glass on the gondola covers. the gondola, which had a bit of graffiti despite the warning, swayed sharply from side to side during the whole trip down the side of the mountain. as it missed the pole supporting the cable car system by inches, i thought boarding this in the wind in china wasn't such a good idea.
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