Ok, so I guess technichally the tour started in Kaua’i, but other that was more like a break for the crew that had been on tour for a month and a half already.  So basically we did a little frolicking on the beach…nothing you haven’t done before that I need to bore you with.  As I am sure you can imagine, when i was preparing to leave the country my mind was absolutely all over the place and it really didn’t sink in as to what I was actually embarking on until I woke up in my hotel room in the city of Beijing, China.  We had arrived in Beijing late the night before and I could barely keep from falling asleep as I checked myself into the Intercontinental Hotel, Beijing.  The hotel was absolutely immaculate, but I still didn’t really have any concept of where I actually was.  In other words, immaculate hotels in Beijing are no different than immaculate hotels in America.  It wasn’t until I drew the curtains in the morning that I finally realized that I wasn’t in Kansas anymore, so to speak!  Beijing is a giant city that never seems to end.  There was a sea of concrete buildings as I scanned the city from my 23rd floor view.  There are so many people crowding the streets that it is WAY more efficient to ditch the rental car and opt for a bicycle instead.  You could see the Buddhist influence even in the structure of the skyscrapers.  The tops of some of the buildings seemed to resemble a Buddhist temple.  The buildings looked like something out of the future and were most likely built more for form rather than function. 

Our first stop in Beijing was the Great Wall of China.  No matter how many pictures of the Great Wall that you might see, there is absolutely nothing in the world that could prepare you for actually seeing it with your own eyes.  To actually walk on the wall and touch the ancient bricks that it is made of is something that I will never forget.  It was surreal to think that I was standing in the same exact spot and looking out at the same exact land that an ancient Chinese soldier was guarding over 2000 years ago.  At one point I found a way to sneak away from all of the filming "hoopla" and just be by myself to take it all in.  I stood there alone on the Great Wall of China, took in a deap breath of the crisp mountain air that surrounded me and a feeling came over me that I have never felt before.  I felt a sense of peace.  My usual 20,000 thoughts that are constantly cluttering my mind just went completely away.  For that moment in time, I felt at peace with myself and the world around me.  I have never experienced a more fantastic feeling or vision in my entire 24 years of life.  They say in China that when a man goes to the Great Wall of China that he can now be considered a brave man.  I can’t say for sure (since I am not a man), but at no point did I feel I was "taking a chance" or "being risky" when I was walking the wall.  I think that that might only apply if there are bullets and cannons being shot at you.  For all of those who do not know…such is not the case anymore.  More than being considered brave, I think that the Wall made me understand the need to be at peace with eachother.  This Wall that once stood as a defense mechanism to ward off nomadic tribes now stands as a symbol for the feats that we have overcome.  The fact that the Great Wall is now only in existence because of its splendor and not to keep cultures from merging, is a fantastic accomplishment and well-worth visiting for those of you who can.