The Great Wall of China

I know, I know, some of you are probably wondering, when will this idiot show us the pics of the the Great Wall of China!! Actually I didn't take that many pictures there, mainly because my wonderful digital camera decided to fail me at that very crucial moment! The battery was low!!! So here are the few that I managed to take.

The section of the Great Wall that we went to was in Badaling, a district 60 km north of Beijing. The journey there was not unpleasant. In fact, we hardly felt like we had left the city!

The Great Wall at Badaling is one of the best preserved part of the Great Wall. In fact, the Great Wall stretches more than 5000 km from the east to the west over the northern part of China. Initially consisting of 7 separate walls built by the different warring clans then, the joining of the walls began in 221 BC by the unification of China by its first Emperor...Qishihuang. Subsequent dynasties either rebuilt, joined or fortified the remaining parts of the wall. Consequently the wall has different designs, characteristics and materials used for building as one journeys from the East to the West.

I can't begin to describe the feeling when I was there. It was totally AWESOME!!!! Standing there, staring at the immense structure snaking it's way across the mountain tops was overwhelming. It's hard to imagine that I was standing in history! A wall that took over 2 centuries to complete!

You can see the wall atop the mountain. In the foreground was the parking lot

A small village at the foothill of the Badaling Great Wall
View from the 2nd tower. The steps were steep and so worn out due to the constant stream of tourists climbing up and down daily. It was tiring climbing up. Coming down was worst as you have to fight giddiness and a very wobbly pair of knees.
One of the watch towers dotting the wall at intermittent intervals. Some of them were soldier quarters, others were signal towers where fire can be lighted atop them during an attack by the enemies. The fire would have been seen by soldiers at another distant tower and they in turn will light up their fire. Much like what you see in the 'Lord of the Rings' movie. Other towers were built for shooting arrows at the enemies.
The steps leading up the various towers along the Great Wall
Another view of the Wall
Looking down! So so steep!!!
Cherry blossoms against a backdrop of the Great Wall
Ancient stones. Alas! A lot of these bricks were vandalised with graffiti
You can find funny signs at just about every corner in Beijing. The Great Wall was not spared
'V' for Victory! The pleased look of satisfaction on coming down the horrible steps and still standing!!!
I got this guy to engrave my chinese name in marble. I have always wanted of them. Costs me RMB 50. He did a real good job too.
Souvenirs! This lady wasn't really friendly. So, we didn't buy anything from her.
The arch at the entrance of the Badaling Great Wall.
Another view of the Great Wall from the bottom
A Chinese Temple at the foothill of the Wall
I don't know what the inscription says...maybe those of you who know how to read chinese can help me out here.

I regret not taking enough photos of the Wall. As I stood there on the wall, the breeze of spring blowing cold air unto my face, I could almost imagine what it must have been like for soldiers to stand guard there many hundreds of years ago. I could also imagine the sights in mid-spring when the moutains would have been made alive with the flowers of spring; I imagine what it would have been like in autumn, when the leaves becomes yellow and bronze; and I could imagine standing there in the bitter cold of snow in winter, looking out at the horizon, ever vigilant; always on the look out for marauders; looking out at the other towers in case a signal fire is lighted while struggling to keep the cold and loneliness at bay.

That day, I felt proud. I don't know why. China is not my motherland. But I felt proud just the same. And I felt awed at the sights that I took in. It changed my perspectives some what. I now realised why some political leaders are 'megalomaniacs'. Why we have to built things like the Wall, or the Pyramids or the Twin Towers. It gave the people an identity. It helped to unify the people and it made the people proud.

It felt good that day. I still do...