China Day 5

                Well, yet again this morning started out rocky. I’m not really sure what happened but our alarm did not go off so none of us woke up until 7:20am and we had to leave by 7:30. Well, of course we all pulled through and rushed to get ready. Then Brittany, Ada, a new friend from the ship Grace, and I got into a cab and traveled the two hours to The Great Wall of China. Brittany, Ada, and I were exhausted so we took a nap while Grace stayed awake.

                Before we knew it we could see some of the lower portions of the wall. This got all of us excited for what we were about to do. Our taxi driver parked the car, took us to the ticket booth, and then showed us where he would be waiting for us when we were finished. So, we bought our tickets and began our journey to the Great Wall.

                To get to the top of the wall we took a ski lift. This was a cool way to get to the top for many reasons. First, we didn’t have to walk which was nice especially at 9am. Second, it took almost 1/8 the time it would have taken had we walked up to the wall. Third and most importantly, I was able to slowly watch all civilization as I knew it disappear into nothing but a small ant hill and see the wall gradually turn from a dream of mine into a reality.

                As we got off the ski lift I could not believe where I actually was. I’m still processing everything that happened. I mean this was my second Seven Wonders of the World in a matter of weeks. How many people outside of Semester at Sea can really say they have achieved that?

                We spent the next two hours exploring the Great Wall. I had no idea how incredible it was! I could not imagine how anyone could build such an incredible monument. There some strange things about the wall though. The spacing of the shelters was very sporadic from what I could see. The three we went to where not placed by space, but instead placed by the tops of the mountains. As I write this I guess that makes sense, but at the tie I thought it was really interesting especially because there was not a shelter on each mountain top. So how did they decide which mountain tops got shelters? Another strange detail is that the stairs are all uneven. Some of the steps were so small that an infant could walk up the stairs, while others were so large I had to use my hands to help push myself up to the next step. In general though, this place was beautiful. I think my favorite part of the mountain was the parts we were not allowed to go to because they were so deteriorated. I think I liked these areas so much because it shows the long history the wall has. Each section of erosion tells a different story of the wall fulfilling its purpose. I just loved the wall even though it was really windy and a little chilly.

                On the way back down to the bottom of the wall we got to toboggan! It was so fun. We honestly went on a curvy water slide like trip down from the Great Wall. While this can be very confusing because what kind of historical land mark is the Great Wall if you have to add something fun like tobogganing down, but at the same time it is a way to keep money coming in to keep up with repairs.

                On the way out we stopped at some of the local markets and bought fresh dried fruit. My favorite was the dried cherries. Then we took the two hour car ride back to Beijing. The taxi driver dropped us off at a local market where we spent the afternoon shopping. This seven story market was full of literally anything you could imagine! It was a fun day that is for sure!

                That evening we ate dinner at our hostel which was delicious. When dinner was finished Ada and I decided to go explore night life in the area. I just enjoyed spending time with Ada getting to talk and enjoy life in China.

                I wish that I had more to say about the Great Wall of China. I’m just still processing everything. Know that it was the only thing I wanted to do in China, and it was my favorite thing in China by far. Pictures and words could never describe what I saw, felt, and experienced.