And it was incredible! It was definitely the best part of our trip to China, and so it deserves its own post.
I never thought I'd ever see the Great Wall. I remember when I was little, seeing pictures of a family friend's visit to the Wall, and I remember thinking at the time how awesome it would be to go there but also that I would probably never see it.
And now I have been there myself!
I don't think I can even begin to describe how amazing it was to be there.
The Wall is over 6,000 kilometres long! And no, contrary to popular opinion, it cannot be seen from space.
The section we went to was actually an old fortress site, so the wall encircled us. In this picture you can see where it splits into three parts (top left). So, we could have potentially walked around the whole thing, although I think my legs would have given out before we ever made it.
It was very steep where we were. And there were a lot more steps than I expected! I pictured it as more sloping up and down, like you'd think a wall would be. But no, this was all steps! Talk about a workout for your butt!
So this is me trying to look like I'm not out of breath!
And, as you can see, the steps are not exactly perfectly even. Some steps are nearly two feet high while others are only about six inches. And they are also very worn down, I assume from all the people on the wall everyday. So it makes it very awkward to climb!
The railing usually wasn't much help either, unless you were only about 4 feet tall!
This picture was taken when we were about three quarters of the way to the highest point, so you can see how high up we climbed! There was also a little souvenir shop right about there. I wonder what they pay those guys!
3 comments:
That is awesome! I can't believe how worn those steps are! Isn't it incredible to think of how many people over so many years it would take to wear out stone steps! Very nice! What a fun experience for you guys to have together!
That's great Ruth! I felt the same way about Graceland :P
Hopefully we'll all get to hang like it's 2003 when you guys get back!
How do we know that you guys were actually THERE? I suspect there are lots of places which have the Great Wall of China and other scenes painted on a background so people like yourselves can take a picture and send to your friends. If that is the case, they did a good job because it LOOKS quite real. The next time you go on a trip, we want to see REAL pictures. Bartering at the market, Jordan getting arrested for trying to take a forbidden picture of the Forbidden City, and a picture taken INSIDE the Kung-Fu building of a couple of guys beating the crap out of each other.
And since Jordan's parents were in some of the pictures, I have to ask the question...Are you guys actually living in Cape Breton and hanging out with a bunch of exchange students?
Oh, and finally, if you guys ever get to Hawaii, be sure to take a tour of the Dole pinapple processing plant. I hear it is awesome.
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