Truly Amazing.

Wow. There are those “first glimpses” you always remember. This morning was one… The Great Wall is really just amazing. In varying states of renovation or disrepair, there are many “formal” entry points near Beijing. We began at Badaling. Often criticized as the most commercialized but recognized as the easiest access from a low impact perspective… so I wanted to start my experience there.

Phwewww… good graaaaaavy! Low impact?! What are they feedin’ these Chinese advertisers? :-) First, the elements were not in my favor. I’d guess the temperature at less than 10 degrees (no snow… I read incorrectly somewhere). And thank goodness there was an optional cable car ride to the top… (I never would have made it if there hadn’t been this “lift.”) And then there were steps… and more steps… tall steps, small steps, skinny steps, sloping steps, slippery steps, crowded steps. After this, I’m considering withdrawing my application for American Gladiator! Of course, I had to wear too much clothing to complete my Gladiator application – I looked like the Michelin (wo)man and my guide laughed that all she could see were my eyes.

But the view “from the top”… (or as far as TJL could climb) was sublime. Despite an early morning fog hanging over the surrounding valleys, it was a sight to behold. It took over a million men to build it – many of whom are buried within its walls. The construction lasted 2,000 years – nearly 10x longer than the U.S. has been “United”… Of course I called Mom and Dad from one of the towers… this 13hr time difference kinda works in your favor in some ways. (Oh, and one side note on “commercialized”… if you consider four tables selling trinkets and a coffee booth to be “commercialized”… then you’ve been living pretty low key!)


After Badaling, we drove to the Juyonguan Pass. This area is much less commercialized and the wall has not been restored as recently. If I couldn’t take full advantage of the “low impact” Wall, then I knew better than to full-throttle attack the high endurance version. Nonetheless, I got some great snaps from the ground and overall just really enjoyed walking around on solid (sloping) ground enjoying the end of a nice morning.