Great idea, I thought, until I stepped out of the bus and realized it was about 104 degrees. Oh, no problem, I survived marching band out in 110 degree heat for 4-5 hours, so I can do this. Alright, let's start the hike by winding our way through a mile of uphill pavement, surrounded by crazed old chinese ladies yelling (this works best if you scream it in the worst imaginable fob accent) "HELLO HELLO BEER WATER ICE DRINK" followed by a rousing chorus of "BUY SOH-VEEN-EE-RAY" (souvenir ... i think). Just what I wanted to hear before I'd even eaten breakfast.
Alright awesome, no more pavement, just a nice dusty tr --- oh what the @$#% are all these stairs.... alright, one at a time.... 600+ times.... alright, we're almost th ---- OMG WTF still not even halfway there. So, after about 70 minutes of climbing stairs (i had to stop a few times to prevent myself from falling over / throwing up), we finally made it to the top. Also, these were not standard size stairs. Some of the steps were taller than my knees, nearly 2 feet high, so it was more akin to rock climbing than stairs. Before I show you the benefits of enduring that ordeal, i need to say this:
whoever had this idea needs to have a large tarp wrapped around his/her face, and consequently subjected to crossing the largest street in the midst of Beijing traffic.However, Mao Zedong once said: "He who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true man." In fact, there is a stone at the top of some part of the Great Wall with this quote inscribed upon it, called the "Real Man's Stone." (lol) That only slightly makes me feel better...
Of course the Wall itself was amazingly awesome, but what I really enjoyed was the gorgeous landscapes into which the ancient Chinese interwove this massive structure. The mountains were so great, the forests so lush, that I found myself wondering how an enemy army could even navigate through the land, let alone a ridiculously large wall.
we went to the less-touristy Mutianyu portion of the Great Wall
the big characters in the right column say Mutianyu Great Wall
the landscape was gorgeous.
mountains extending in all directions,
as far as the eye can see
Characters written during Mao Zedong's rule
It reads: "Believe in Chairman Mao"
....they simply cannot stay away from the propaganda....
the Wall is beautifully intertwined with the mountains
special feature: randomly placed cannons
big tower at the top of the mountain
more stairs....
We ventured to and fro atop the Wall's stoney peaks, ate lunch (one popsicle, w00t), and then descended via an extremely sketchy-looking ski-lift-type chair. And right before the chair lift, lay this glorious little gem, just waiting to be mocked:
ENGRISH: #6, the second #3, #4 == lol
Later, I tried to explain to my teacher what pubic sanitation was.
great wall was a pain in the ass :(
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