Ralph and I hired a car to take us to a remote part of the Great Wall called "Huanghuacheng" to avoid all of the tourists at "Badaling," because we were getting a little tired of being pushed and shoved by all the Asians. They are not a rude people, they are just used to pushing. If they want to see something, it doesn't matter if you are standing there, they will shove you out of the way.
I am glad that there were few tourists, because the most spectacular section of the wall begins across this reservoir. You must walk across the top of this dam, several hundred feet tall to reach the wall. The walkway on top of the dam is only about 2 feet across in some sections, which makes it quite perilous when people are coming from the opposite direction. Ralph nearly had a nervous breakdown when he looked down.
I must admit that I was also a bit nervous, but I did stop and snap this picture in the middle of the dam which shows the river and the small town that caters to the tourists who come here for the wall.
After paying a small fee, about .25 cents US, we walked up a steep dirt and rock path that ended in front of these two bamboo ladders. We had to climb up the ladders to hike up the wall to its highest point.
As you can imagine, the Great Wall is the single greatest tourist attraction in China, receiving up to 5 million visitors a year. The construction visible today dates mostly from the 15th century and stretches for some 2,500 miles. It stands as a symbol of the tyranny of imperial rule, the forced use of mass labor, and the human desire to build structures for immortality. I kept asking myself and Ralph, "How did they build this thing?" Neither of us had an answer, but I am sure glad they did. Now if they could only figure out a way to get the people to stop shoving and spitting.
Ralph and I hired a car to take us to a remote part of the Great Wall called "Huanghuacheng" to avoid all of the tourists at "Badaling," because we were getting a little tired of being pushed and shoved by all the Asians. They are not a rude people, they are just used to pushing. If they want to see something, it doesn't matter if you are standing there, they will shove you out of the way. 
I am glad that there were few tourists, because the most spectacular section of the wall begins across this reservoir. You must walk across the top of this dam, several hundred feet tall to reach the wall. The walkway on top of the dam is only about 2 feet across in some sections, which makes it quite perilous when people are coming from the opposite direction. Ralph nearly had a nervous breakdown when he looked down. 
I must admit that I was also a bit nervous, but I did stop and snap this picture in the middle of the dam which shows the river and the small town that caters to the tourists who come here for the wall. 
After paying a small fee, about .25 cents US, we walked up a steep dirt and rock path that ended in front of these two bamboo ladders. We had to climb up the ladders to hike up the wall to its highest point.
As you can imagine, the Great Wall is the single greatest tourist attraction in China, receiving up to 5 million visitors a year. The construction visible today dates mostly from the 15th century and stretches for some 2,500 miles. It stands as a symbol of the tyranny of imperial rule, the forced use of mass labor, and the human desire to build structures for immortality. I kept asking myself and Ralph, "How did they build this thing?" Neither of us had an answer, but I am sure glad they did. Now if they could only figure out a way to get the people to stop shoving and spitting.
