2010 Asian odyssey: Shanghai World Expo, Kuala Lumpur, and more! (Part 2)

This entry is part 2 of 12 in the series 2010 Asian odyssey: Shanghai World Expo, Kuala Lumpur, and more!

June 12, 2010

2010 Asian odyssey: Shanghai World Expo, Kuala Lumpur, and more! (Part 2)

By Simon J. Lau

Yesterday, I visited the Great Wall and dined at the Donghuamen Lu night market. The Great Wall was truly amazing! We were taken to a secluded section of the Wall, so there were hardly any tourists. However, since it was secluded, most sections had not been renovated, making it a challenge to navigate. Despite this, it was a neat experience. Additionally, I met some really cool people, including two from BYU, whom I ended up joining at the night market. This market is known for its unique foods, including scorpions and snakes. I tried some of both, but I wouldn’t recommend either. The scorpion had a crunchy texture, whereas the snake meat didn’t have much taste.

My morning routine these past few days has included waking up at 5 AM to check emails and chat on the internet, then heading to one of the local restaurants for my XLBs, tea-boiled eggs, and occasionally one of those deep-fried bread sticks.

As you can see, it was quite misty/foggy when we arrived at the Wall. Fortunately, by evening, most of the mist had cleared, allowing us to see large portions of the Wall from a distance. It’s worth noting, this portion of the wall separates China from Mongolia. To the left is China, and to the right is Mongolia. The Chinese side of the border is much lower than the Mongolian side to facilitate easy access for Chinese troops to the top of the Wall if necessary.

Here’s a picture of me with my UCLA gear at the top of the Great Wall! Go Bruins!!!!

This photo was taken towards the end of our trip. By then, there were hardly any steps left, and everyone was slipping. I even fell and lightly scraped myself.

These next two pictures are from the night market. The first one is from a stall that offered scorpions. There were two scorpion options available: A set of three small ones or one large one. My friends decided to go big, and each of us took a piece from one of those large black scorpions. I can’t say it had much of a taste, but it was super crunchy. Also, at other stalls, the small scorpions were still alive and moving! Gross.

I loved this photo! This picture shows a guy working at a pot sticker stall. I thought it had a very documentary-esque look and I wanted to share it!