THE GREAT WALL - Part II

Not really much to add about our experience on the wall, but wanted to post a few more pictures…

 

The first one is Kathy and me on the steep side with the less steep side in the background. One thing to note about this is that the background is a little bit hazy. It is hard to express how much the pollution haze affects everything you see around Beijing. It was a very clear and warm day, but there was this foggy haze everywhere even though we were about 70 KM from the city. It is even worse in the city. The scary thing is to hear our guides talk about how much better things are today versus a few years ago because they cleaned up the haze for the Olympics in 2008. If this is a cleaned up Beijing, I shudder to think about what they were doing to their lungs when it was really dirty.

 

 

Next up is a photo of a funny sign we saw on our way to the Wall entrance. Art Wichman and Duke history Prof. Bill Chafe are standing in front of a sign that reads, “Whoever has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man!” On the bus ride, our guide Wally spoke extensively about the fact that we would all be considered Chinese Heroes for merely walking on top of the wall. These folks take their Wall seriously.

 

Finally, a picture of me and Susan Weiner looking out at the steep climb we just made. It is worth noting that we really hit Beijing at the perfect time of year. The leaves are turning and were just beautiful around the Wall. The temperatures have been really great, mostly mid-70s so far.