Beijing and the Great Wall of China: Modern Wonders of the World

by Gerald Hansen

Get set for Jet Lag Jerry! Join me as I take you on a whirlwind tour of the seven modern wonders of our wonderful world and beyond. Don’t worry, I’ll do all the hard work (the standing in line for visas and security, the shriek-inducing vaccinations, the twelve hour flights, the shoving of three days’ clothing for two types of weather into the confines of a carry on, the conversion of yuan or reals into dollars and back, the dysentery). You just need to sit back in the comfort of your sofa or bed or subway seat, wherever you happen to be reading this (though in the case of the subway seat, maybe ‘comfort’ isn’t the right word), and travel with me. First stop, Beijing, China, and one of the truly incredible modern wonders, the Great Wall. What delights of the Mysterious Orient did I discover there? What shocks lurk beyond public restroom doors? What flavors of potato chips startle the Western palate? How can you find somebody who speaks English? (It's easier than you think.) And, once you’ve hauled yourself up to the heights of the Great Wall, how on earth do you get back down? Read and find out! This is the first in an exciting series of travelogues, Around The World With Jet Lag Jerry. With photos! Newly updated after 2019 trip!

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, History, Adventure

136 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 30, 2017

About the author

Member of the Mystery Writers of America and the Crime Writers Association, best-selling author Gerald Hansen was a Navy brat. He started school in Thailand, graduated high school in Iceland, with Germany, California and his mother's hometown of Derry, Northern Ireland in between. He attended Dublin City University, and also lived in London and Berlin. The first of his Derry Women Series, An Embarrassment of Riches, was an ABNA semifinalist in 2011. His Derry Murder Mysteries series has been a great success. He also has a travelogue series, Around the World with Jet Lag Jerry. He loves spicy food, wearing Ben Sherman and traveling around the world (still). He lives in NYC.
Author pic by Marcin Kaliski

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Reviews

[♏ Gina☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a tongue-in-cheek look at "Jet Lag Jerry"'s trips to see the sights of China, especially the one he terms a "Modern Wonder", the Great Wall.

However, there are more than a few surprises along the way: the surprises behind a bathroom door, the possibility that the portion of the Wall he visited wasn't really THAT wall, food, finding people who can speak English, the surprise of the modern subway, the old mixing with the new, the Olympic Nest, and on it goes. He is lucky to be able to stay with friends so that part is a huge plus for him financially.

Mr. Hansen has written quite a few travel memoirs, and if the rest are as good as this one, I'll be writing many more reviews on his adventures!

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

TELL ALL TRAVELER

If I had to describe this author's style in one word, that word would be "refreshing". He doesn't just tell you the toilets are sketchy....he shows them! He gives free reign to his enthusiasm, and I love that. If he includes an observation that is less than flattering, he does so in a bemused rather than angry manner. I would enjoy traveling with this guy. I look forward to his other books. Happy travels, Jerry!

[Cynthia Cordell]

This was a very entertaining travelogue from Gerald Hansen. He takes you through what life is like in Beijing, China. He visits the Great Wall of China and hilariously describes his experiences dealing with the rickshaw driver when he goes to sight-see the Hutang area. This is a wonderful read.

[Joyce A. Wendeln · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Commentary About The Great Wall

As we may never get to China or if we do we might not get out without a huge tariff on our person, the SMART way to see China is thru Mr. Hansen 's book.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks for a quick review of China

Perfect length to whet your appetite for your own visit. Good sense of humor and adventure. Looking forward to reading his other books.

[Zhelana · Rating 1 out of 5]

OK first of all, I paid for this book and it cost the price of a book, and yet it was only 71 pages long! That's not even a week's worth of entertainment out of my money, and I am not happy. Second of all, while I think Jerry was trying to be funny, the entire first chapter and part of the last comes off as him making fun of Asian bathrooms and bathroom habits. I get that it's a bit challenging, as I, too, have been to Asia, but I hardly think the challenges of using an Asian toilet needs to be an entire chapter of a 71 page book! How would you feel if someone came to your house, wrote a book about it (or I guess a short story?) and the entire first chapter was about how weird your bathroom was? It's just rude. After that it gets somewhat better, but it's just too brief. He says he never spends more than 3 days in a place, so I guess he didn't gather much information about it, but if you're going to make a profession out of traveling, maybe you need to spend more than 3 days in each location. Maybe this book would have been more than 71 pages if that had been done.

[Gerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woo hoo!! The first in my new travelogue series, Around The World With Jet Lag jerry!

[Suzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great quick read, hilarious in spots. Only three stars because of a serious lack of editing. I’d try to reread it thinking I’d read too quickly but nope. Lots of errors diminished the reading.