After the Ming Tombs we drove another 2-3 hours and arrived at a section of the Great Wall whose name I can't remember. I had been to the Great Wall back in 2006, and the experiences could not have been more different. In 2006 we went to the section that was closest to Beijing, and I was there along with hundreds of other day-trippers. This time, we were in a remote location and were literally the only ones on the wall. We hiked up and spent an hour or so lounging, talking and enjoying the sunset. Being on the Wall you can tell how hard it must have been for the Mongols to invade China. The Wall is surrounded by miles and miles of mountains and valleys, and the vegetation is thick, thorn-filled brush. The guard towers are placed on the high points of the mountains, and the guards had a huge advantage because they could see for miles on a clear day. Another difference from my first time on the Wall was the actual state of it—the sections closest to Beijing have been restored so they are relatively smooth and easy to walk on (even if there are some steep parts). Where we were some of the sections and guard towers had been restored, but many had not. You pretty much had to climb through ruins to get from point A to point B.
After sunset, we went down to the local village to have dinner in a local person’s house. The front room was a shop filled with tourist souvenirs and the back was where the family lived. They served us dish after dish of delicious food (I like northern Chinese food much more than southern) and we had unlimited beer and rice wine. I learned how to say cheers in Chinese and we had a great time hanging out with the locals and communicating via sign language.
Picture: Me on the Great Wall with no one else in sight!
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