|
Footsteps in China Intro or Index
|
|
Sunday, November 27, 2000 Got up early to drive one hour north of Beijing to see the Great Wall. It was absolutely amazing. The morning sun was bright coming in at a low angle to cast a warm glow on the mountains and cold stone of the wall. Massive, 3600 steps to the top at this point, some steps were low, others one and a half feet steep.
The air was cold, very brisk but soon forgot it as sweat chilled then absorbed into my clothes as I climbed. Wished I had left my heavy, awkward coat in the bus.
The climb seemed impossible especially with how winded I was and how out of shape I still am. The threat of failure almost deterred me. Only through the encouragement of Caroline, Olivia, and Christy did I even decide to try. Christy and I made the climb slowly and at our own pace, stopping frequently to catch my breath and steady my wobbly legs. The walk back down was even harder than up. My legs shook, muscles spasmed.
At the beginning of the ascent, a slab raised upright block with Mao's calligraphy that says "If you do not climb the Great Wall, you are not good Chinese." The view was gorgeous, green layers and steppes of mountains. The wall was settled in its ancientness, great grooves in the stone from repeated use of the steps.
This was the most impressive beautiful, and profound site we visited. I wish we could have looked or visited more historically significant places. Apparently, according to Tony the Tour Guide, the Great Wall was started by individual towns that built a wall on their northern face to protect against raids. Then an emperor tried to link them all, building a continuous wall. Emperors after that continued to add on to the wall.
Unfortunately, the plane ride back didn't allow me to use or even stretch out my legs. Thus, they ached severely for almost a week. They showed the exact same movies on the return flight as they had on the way to China. :)
During the flight dinner, Mike Carr sat next to me, to dip and to chat. We wound up talking for almost an hour. Talked about love, sex, family break-ups, family problems, parents, etc. I think we really had a lot in common.
Tomorrow I must leave. The dawn knows no reprieve. God give me strength when I am leaving. End China Trip |