Another Brick In The...

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So I have arrived in Beijing, and first impressions are that I’m really going to like this city. Yes there are lots of people and it’s a bit polluted but nonetheless it has a lot of character. I had a few days to settle in and then I went to visit the Great Wall. It’s actually a myth that the Great Wall can be seen from space – US astronauts have been saying this for years but it took the first Chinese astronaut to admit it before Chinese people believed it.

Nevertheless, the wall was AMAZING. We had to walk for a few hours before we reached the top but it wasn’t as tiring as I thought it was going to be. Still pretty exhausitng, but it’s a great motivator to watch your guide (some little old woman who looks about 90 years old) happily climbing away while you’re struggling and huffing and puffing! The hostel I’m staying at had organised a “secret wall” tour so we were the only tourists which made us all feel very special. This part of the wall is still in it’s original state and hasn’t been reconstructed for tourism. Apparently at other places you can get a tobaggan ride (ha ha ha!) down the wall and I’m convinced that the Stannar people are trying to get a chair lift installed for full whell chair access to the wall in time for the olympics…!

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At our section, the wall itself was only 5 ½ ft high, but it stretched on for miles and miles over the very steep roilling hills. The sheer drop down to the bottom was enough to give everyone vertigo. It’s strange to think that the orignal purpose behind building the wall was not to protect China from invading aggressors but purely to deter foreigners from coming into China. Ironic then that it has attracted more tourists to China than any other site.

Love to you all and in the words of Pink Floyd...