Date: Thu, Apr 28, 2016 at 8:43 AM
Subject: The Great Wall
To:
This will be my second last Email about China, but for me my most exciting. After two weeks of buses, planes, a ton of gardens, palaces, rice and other strange foods, we finally got to the day that I had been waiting for, for the entire vacation. To be more exact I had been waiting most of my life for this day. The Great Wall has been on my bucket list since I was a kid. I woke up in the morning thinking....I'm going to the great wall!!!! Breakfast was tasteless, I was blind to the morning scenery, I couldn't hear what our guide was saying. I kept hearing this whisper in my head. "The Great Wall, The Great Wall."
It was a 45 minute drive out of Beijing and I think the other passengers were very lucky I wasn't driving or we would have hit Warp Speed! Every corner we went around I looked out the window straining to see if I could catch a glimpse of it. When it finally came into view I wasn't sure at first what I was seeing, but when I knew for sure, it was another one of those moments I get when I'm traveling that makes me feel like a little kid. There it was, snaking across the mountain like a giant piece of history unfolding before my eyes.
When we finally got to the place where we were going to park the bus I was in complete hyperventilating mode. Things were taking too long. The guide had to get passes, the other people on my tour (including Joani) had to use the washroom. People had to be told how much time we had and where we would meet after the visit and I wanted to scream! Hey, this is the The Great Wall and I gotta go climb it".
We were told that the section we were brought to was an arduous climb and to take it easy and not feel bad if we didn't make it to the top and I was thinking, "give me a break and just let me go" When they finally released us I bolted to the entrance like a racehorse, looking back impatiently at Joani (I'm glad she loves me because I know the look I gave her screamed of impatience).
I started off up the stairs as if I was going to run all the way to the top and if you haven't guessed already, let me tell you. That sucker is tough, tall and long. I got about 1/4 way to the top of the section we were on and was puffing and panting like a race horse and my legs were screaming at me as if I had just run a marathon. I looked up and realized that sprinting up the wall wasn't an option. Walking up without taking frequent rest stops wasn't an option. I needed to pace myself if I intended to see the top of the mountain this section was on. So I waited for the wiser Joani (who had been pacing herself from the start) to catch up, and started again with far more humility and patience. I would make it to the top or our tour bus would be leaving without us!
Every section of the wall has lookouts or gatehouses spaced regularly along the way and we used these as rest points and to monitor how far we had to go and eventually we made it to the top. What an exhilarating feeling that was! "Top of the world Ma!!"
Just to add to the challenge, about 2/3 of the way up there was a gift shop which was actually kind of humbling in a way when we realized that the staff in this gift shop had to make this climb twice a day every day. But we thought that like every thing else they probably were accustomed to it. Anyway, I was determined that any Great Wall souvenirs that I bought, would have to come from this shop to make them more authentic. I carried down 4 T-shirts, a hat, and 2 little ceramic sections of the wall. If you think that makes me crazy, you're probably right.
The pictures attached were of different moments in this great day. The first is early showing the huge task we were about to undertake.
The next three, were shots while we were climbing.
The next two, were us at the top.
If we looked tired in them, it's because we were beat!!
The last shot was the wall snaking off in the distance, as I said already... a piece of history waiting for any or all of you to visit.
We got back down to the bottom and I was sitting at a table, drinking a beer, thinking that this was the culmination of a dream and another great moment in my life. I'm glad I got to spend it with Joani.
Garry
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