I could barely sleep last night, the anticipation of seeing such an iconic marvel as the Great Wall of China was pinballing through my mind. We were able to secure the last two tickets on the bus to Jinshanling to see a more original section of the wall, not as rebuilt as many of the other sections closer to the city. We deliberated for an hour or so with a few other travellers staying at the hostel, but in the end decided to spring the few extra bucks and take the long road.
Our grasp of the Chinese language to this point consisted of "Thank you" and "beer", as you can imagine our diets were suffering for it; Not exactly in a quality way but more in the quantity department. We were surviving on a strict regiment of street vendor dumplings and fruit stand bananas and oranges when away from the ease of the hostel. Though the odd tube of Ritz crackers and Oreos had been known to shuffled through. Today was no different as we boarded the bus and slipped into our seats. Our cute little local guide gave us the lowdown smiling and chuckling from below her wide brim hat. We devoured our fruit and stowed our dumplings while admiring the sights through the windows.
It was a 3hr drive through the city and countryside. Miles of congestion, mountains of bamboo scaffolding and a horizon of cranes was the theme of the first hour. Then finally breaking out from the city we rambled through the greener pastures of the countryside. The roads were busy with coal trucks, motorbikes, tractors and construction of all types. Things were booming in every direction, many affected but few appeared to be benefitting, progress and the past all melting together in one pot.
Eventually the wall was upon us. We were herded from the bus and lead to the ticket booth at the base of the gondola. We conferred with one another for a moment and decided to, against the guides suggestion, follow the walking path up to the summit; It was a tip we'd received the night before. The path ahead was vertical to say the least but the trip felt quick under the beautiful blue sky. Unknown to us we'd arrived at the top before our friends on the gondola, still fresh on out feet and 200Y heavier in the pocketbook then they. The view was breathtaking!! the wall stretched to the horizon in both directions, snaking from peak to peak like a roller coaster of rock. I couldn't fathom the amount of man hours and stones laid to create such an enormous structure. Many had perished in the pursuit of such an incredible accomplishment and many names to this day can be seen etched into the bricks of the walls.
We walked along the crumbling stones and up through the towers that line the way. Guided by an impromptu Mongolian sherpa, we made it as far as was allowed and peered out across the vast valleys and mountain tops as the guards did centuries before us. The stones have stood the test of time, a testament to the ages as seen under foot and from outer space. The past and present now share those walls in the form of a man selling cold beer...... What a wonderful age we live in... it's time2giver!
