Holy Wonder of the World Batman!
So, I'm not in Qatar anymore. If you want to find out about all the good times I'm having in Qatar, you will have to wait until August.
Instead, I am in China! China has been wonderful. My friend Tiffany (college buddy) lives here and is trying to learn Chinese. I've had a very relaxing trip - seeing the sights from mid-morning to late afternoon, then a great dinner at Tiffany's favorites (Korean, Beijing Roast Duck, Hot Pot). I visited Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, The Temple of Heaven, and Lama Temple. They were all lovely, and I'll post photos soon.
On occassion, I visit sights around the world where the guide book pictures are as good or better than the actual place. Troy, for example, was one of those places. It was mostly just a pile of bricks where I could stand and say, "now I've been to Troy."
The Great Wall, however, is nothing like that slight disappointment. WOW.
I signed up with Beijing Downtown Backpackers for the trip. It cost around $10 US, which is pretty expensive for China. The plan was to leave Beijing around 6:30 AM, get dropped off at the section of the wall known as Jinshanling, then walk to Simatai. In four hours I travelled 10km and passed through 40 watch towers. Along that walk parts of the wall are crumbling down, and some of the towers have inclines of 70 degrees with no steps. It was at times a dangerous hike - the best kind. Luckily, I did not plummet to my death. Yeah!
It was very gratifying to look back in the distance at the wall snaking through the mountains and know that I had traversed what I was looking at. If you ever come to China, definitely hike along the Great Wall.
So, now I am off to Seattle before heading to Mexico. Will write more soon.....
Instead, I am in China! China has been wonderful. My friend Tiffany (college buddy) lives here and is trying to learn Chinese. I've had a very relaxing trip - seeing the sights from mid-morning to late afternoon, then a great dinner at Tiffany's favorites (Korean, Beijing Roast Duck, Hot Pot). I visited Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, The Temple of Heaven, and Lama Temple. They were all lovely, and I'll post photos soon.
On occassion, I visit sights around the world where the guide book pictures are as good or better than the actual place. Troy, for example, was one of those places. It was mostly just a pile of bricks where I could stand and say, "now I've been to Troy."
The Great Wall, however, is nothing like that slight disappointment. WOW.
I signed up with Beijing Downtown Backpackers for the trip. It cost around $10 US, which is pretty expensive for China. The plan was to leave Beijing around 6:30 AM, get dropped off at the section of the wall known as Jinshanling, then walk to Simatai. In four hours I travelled 10km and passed through 40 watch towers. Along that walk parts of the wall are crumbling down, and some of the towers have inclines of 70 degrees with no steps. It was at times a dangerous hike - the best kind. Luckily, I did not plummet to my death. Yeah!
It was very gratifying to look back in the distance at the wall snaking through the mountains and know that I had traversed what I was looking at. If you ever come to China, definitely hike along the Great Wall.
So, now I am off to Seattle before heading to Mexico. Will write more soon.....
posted by sumforme at 6:51 AM
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