Unbelieveable beauty: The Great Wall (Simetai), China
Tara and Sina at The Wall
I can't even begin to describe what it was like to be at the great wall. When you stared off into the horizon towards the north and then towards the south, the wall just stretched, stretched, and stretched off into the distance. This thing never ended. It went as far as the land and sky, and kissed the sky at the horizon. It was breath-taking!
Here are some more pics:
Looking to the South
Looking to the North
If you look in the picture "Looking to the North" and you look at the third (and highest) watchtower, you will see how far we climbed on our 3 hour hike on the Great Wall. That watchtower was the highest reachable peak from our starting point. The view from that tower was incredible!
The View from the High Tower
The Ancient Stairs of The Wall
Climbing the wall was one of the most arduous hikes I've done. The stairs are uneven, they are steep in some places, and crumbling in others.
I was pretty surprised at how damp the stones were. Considering that we were out doing our hike at the end of summer and we were hiking under a blistering sun, the stones were always cool and wet. I often sat to rest against a shady wall and hugged the damp stone to cool off. Also, I should mention, there will gazillions of centipedes and beetles on the wall... I'm sure the dampness had something to do with this.
A Room with a View 1
A Room with a View 2
Here are some more pics:
Looking to the South
Looking to the North
If you look in the picture "Looking to the North" and you look at the third (and highest) watchtower, you will see how far we climbed on our 3 hour hike on the Great Wall. That watchtower was the highest reachable peak from our starting point. The view from that tower was incredible!
The View from the High Tower
The Ancient Stairs of The Wall
Climbing the wall was one of the most arduous hikes I've done. The stairs are uneven, they are steep in some places, and crumbling in others.
I was pretty surprised at how damp the stones were. Considering that we were out doing our hike at the end of summer and we were hiking under a blistering sun, the stones were always cool and wet. I often sat to rest against a shady wall and hugged the damp stone to cool off. Also, I should mention, there will gazillions of centipedes and beetles on the wall... I'm sure the dampness had something to do with this.
A Room with a View 1
A Room with a View 2
The watchtowers were these tiny little dirt floored rooms that had many little windows worked into the masonry. The windows offered a beautiful view of the area.
Overall, I was impressed and even moved by the majesty of the great wall. Pictures will never do justice to this experience. Platypus boy and I want to go back in our future. We would like to do a two or three day campout hike on the wall. We're actually pretty excited by this idea.
I hope you loved the pics!!! More photos of China to come soon!!!!
Overall, I was impressed and even moved by the majesty of the great wall. Pictures will never do justice to this experience. Platypus boy and I want to go back in our future. We would like to do a two or three day campout hike on the wall. We're actually pretty excited by this idea.
I hope you loved the pics!!! More photos of China to come soon!!!!
