Walking the Great Wall

Robin called at 0445. Thanks, Robin! With my free day, I took a taxi to the China Cultural Center for a tour to the Great Wall. I printed out a page from the CCC website to give to the taxi driver. The page said, "please take me here ...." in English and Chinese. The bus ride to the Great Wall was 1.5 hours. I decided to take the Tram up to the top rather than walk for a variety of reasons, including the fact that it was so hot, and I know I need to be careful of my back. At the top, I walked a good distance until I reached a place to walk down (you can walk, tram, or bobsled down) and since I had 90 minutes before the bus departed, I decided to walk back up to the tram and take it down. MISTAKE! It was all up hill, and a rather hard climb. I was exhausted and the steps were sometimes very high, and it was so hot and smoggy, but I didn't have trouble other than my legs were very tired and I was drenched, just like all the others who walked. After the Great Wall visit, the tour included lunch at the Great Wall Hotel. We had trout, Kungpao Chicken, several green bean dishes, and a bunch more. Couldn't eat it all. Then we departed for another 90-minute ride to the tomb of the Emperors of the Ming dynasty. A lot more walking and a lot more steps. Whew!! At the Great Wall and at the Tomb, they have booths of people selling shirts and souvenirs, and they are annoying and very aggressive.

Labor is obviously a great resource in China, and there are so many people whose jobs seems to be sitting and observing – not at Olympic venues, but everywhere, even at the apartment. Then there are security guards, people washing the walls and floors, standing at doors to open them for you, and all the landscaping seems to be hand watered with a hose and huge lawns are also watered with a hose and mowed by a push mower. I even saw several people hosing down the leaves of a huge tree. I’m sure labor is cheap, and it keeps the masses employed. People seem content and I understand that crime is low.