Some would say it was an audacious plan to have teenagers ready to leave at 7am but it was impressive to see that all were able to achieve it! The students have worked really well over the last ten days and continue to do so.
It is a two hour journey to the Great Wall but our guides had plenty of knowledge (and jokes) to share along the way and keep (some of) the students alert. We can now say with certainty that the purpose of the wall was not to keep the Mongolian rabbits out of China.
After a short cable car ride and walk up the mountain you are greeted by this magnificent structure that is the Great Wall of China. The sheer scale and undulating pathway leaves you wondering in amazement how something such as this was created. To walk the wall it can take hours so we did what we could in the time trying to take in the natural beauty of the mountains along with the craftsmanship of the guard towers and stone paving. Simply awesome. Our visit ended with a race down the mountain on Tabogons before we headed off to our next stop.
Following our amazing, yet exhausting time on The Great Wall, we were back on our coach and on our way to lunch which was provided in a restaurant attached to a government owned jade factory. Following our lunch, we were taken on a short tour, to provide us with a background on jade and to gain an understanding of the manufacturing process. We were then shown through to the showroom, where many of our group made various purchases.
After the Jade Factory, we were off to the Ice Cube and the Birdsnest, the Olympic sites from the 2008 Beijing Games. We were taken on a short tour of both sites, marvelling at the spectacular architecture of these structures.
We were then off to the Summer Palace, the summer residence of various emperors, particularly the Empress Dowager, also known as the Dragon Lady. Some of the features of the Summer Palace were: the man made lake, which compares in size to Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin; the worlds longest corridor (in the form of an outdoor covered walkway) which included incredibly detailed artwork; and, the marble boat with a similar design to a paddle wheeler, built to impress visitors to the Palace, though does not float because it is made from marble!
What a day! Quick dinner and then back to the hotel for a shower and bed!
I have included below an email received today from the team at Crossroads in response to our visit to them in Hong Kong:
Hi Peter,
Just wanted to say a HUGE “Thank You” to you and the team. We were so blessed by your time here, and I continue to hear great things about the team, their work, and your visit in general.
Greene, Abel and Julie were saying that Saturday was a record for finishing early with the container loading, which was a real blessing for them. They were so impressed by how hard everyone worked despite the heat.
Your team pitched in whole-heartedly, served with humility, engaged with sincerity and were a real blessing to the team here, as well as those we serve! The way the students acted was also a testament to the leadership of your team, so be blessed and encouraged. We’ll be “chatting” that the rest of your time away goes smoothly, particularly as tiredness sets in, and that you are able to finish up well.
Looking forward to seeing you next time!
We have also included below a couple more student reflections on their time at Crossroads.
Student Reflections:
Ben: Something that has really stood out for me over the last couple of days has been the love, enthusiasm and encouraging attitude that has been shown by both the team and the Crossroads staff. It has been so awesome to work with such a fantastic group of people who are so passionate about changing the issue that is poverty.
Kathryn: People in Africa become blind from insects in the river, girls get kidnapped into sex slavery, and AIDS kills off mothers, fathers, sons or wives just because of faulty or contaminated blood transfusions. This trip has showed how many flaws there are in our world, but until we learn to work together and be generous, grateful, and compassionate, we will never be able to see a world without these flaws.
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