My gosh, was it a drive to get there. The Dragon Boat Festival (literally racing in boats with dragon heads) is going on these days so the traffic is heavy. We were so glad when we finally caught sight of the Wall, and were more than happy to start the hike up to it!
We wouldn't have been quite as happy if we knew what we were getting into. Instead of just walking to the wall, we had to take hundreds of STAIRS to get to it! It was a little bit frustrating, but really hilarious in the end.
Let's just say we were relieved when we finally made it up to the watch tower! Finally we were ON the wall, and could see it stretching both in front of us and behind us, farther than we could see!
Before we started the official hike, our tour guide let us wander off a little bit to a part of the Wall that has had absolutely zero restoration done to it. Isn't it interesting that they don't really protect it and just let people climb all over it? At the same time, though, how could they protect the Wall - its THOUSANDS of miles long!
Original bricks
The official hike was definitely, as it was labeled, "intermediate". Lots of up and down stairs, rocky/slippery surfaces, and places to fall off the edge. But oh my gosh it was awesome! We took it slow in order to get the pictures we wanted (and not die).
Fun fact: notice the two sides of the Wall in the following picture - the bricks on the left follow the slope of the stairs, and the bricks on the right are kept horizontal. Today we learned why: it is was so that the enemy can't see just how steep your Wall is! I guess that makes sense?
I just can't imagine how soldiers would run along this thing, considering how steep it can get. I also can't imagine the work that was put into such a structure! That's a lot of bricks for goats to lug up the mountain, and a lot of tedious brick laying for the human workers. It is really amazing how much was accomplished.
Eventually our time on the Wall came to an end.
It was bittersweet, because we loved being there (it was so cool!) but we were pretty exhausted and sweaty. And hungry! Our next stop was a local restaurant, with food served family style. It was quite traditional, like the meals I ate on my first China tour. Memories of the food on that tour made me wary of what we were getting into... but today's food was DELICIOUS! I don't know if my taste in food has changed or if it really was just phenomenal, but man I ate a lot.
The rest of the day was spent on a bus home in lots of traffic. But, all of the day's traffic was worth it for the amazing sights we saw!
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