March 21, 2017 - Day 4 - Julyongguan Pass - Great Wall of China
Sumptuous Three Choice Breakfast |
Another morning adventure in Chinese cuisine – no breakfast buffet here at the Hotel California – no siree! We have a choice of about three things on the turntable of cuisine. One of them is a plate of white sliced bread which the Brits fight over. They’ve given up, for the most part, on chopsticks and are using their hands when forks aren’t available.
“It took me
twenty minutes to pick up one banger with them sticks yesterday at breakfast,”
Jane’s mom complains.
But as soon
as we step outside everything changes. The
experiences of the previous night totally evaporate as we try and comprehend
the magnificent view confronting us. The
rain has stopped, the skies have cleared and we are in the middle of a valley
surrounded by green hills and the Great Wall of China in all its splendor is
set out in front of us. The
accommodations and the meals – they were all worth it - just for this moment! It’s probably one of the defining memories
I’ll have of China – that and the Gluttonous Bullfrog – (In case you might want
to cook up some of your own, I’ve included a to-die-for recipe.)
The wall was started around
220 BC by the emperor Quin Shi Huang.
QSH, as he was known to his friends, was tired of being invaded by the
Mongolians - who he described as a “bunch of rapists and criminals.” Further he said he’d get the Mongolians to
pay for the wall. Wait a minute – that
wasn’t QSH it was Donald Trump!
It took
over 2000 years to build the Great Wall of China. The total length of the wall is 13,170 miles
(21,196km). The border between the
United States and Mexico is a paltry 1,950 miles (3140km)
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Donald's Great Walll |
There is
only on small problem - getting to it. The wall was built on the highest points to
provide the best lookout for potential invaders. Hence it’s a job just getting up to it. To get to the wall you have to climb
about a zillion stairs. With a bounce in my step – that has nothing to do with
Imodium taken the night before – I head off to explore the Great Wall.
The bounce
doesn’t last long. About a 100 steps up
the “bounce in my step” peters out into a “lurch in my stumble” - it’s climb 25
steps, rest, climb another 25 steps. By
the time I reach the first tower about
half the tourists have had enough.
Undaunted, and feeling a need to see just how good that stent in my
heart is, I press on… 25 steps, rest, 25
steps, rest… An hour later I’ve reached
the fourth tower. By this time there is
only one other tourists on the steps ahead of me.
At the
fourth tower, I decide I’ve had enough - time to go down. The problem is it’s just as tough – if not
harder - going down as it was climbing up.
A third of the way down, my knees begin to shake and my thighs are aching. Maybe one day they’ll put a gondola up to the
top. I think they could charge whatever
they want! I’d gladly pay it. All complaining aside - if you’re planning a
trip to China, the Great Wall is a must.
According to Chairman Mao:
“Until you reach the Great Wall, you’re no hero.” Of course he only mentions “reaching” the
Wall – nothing about climbing it. One
other tip, GO EARLY! I saw the logic in having us stay at the Bate’s hotel so
we could begin our walk as soon as the wall opened. By the time I reach the bottom the parking
lot is full of tour buses and there are swarms of people on the lower parts of
the wall.
We’re given
a brief tour of the Jade carving center before being turned loose in the
showroom where the expensive stuff is stashed.
Each of us is assigned our own personal “representative” (translation:
salesperson) who dogs our every step. If
you make eye
contact with any item- even for a nanosecond -the sales pitch
begins. My “representative” is frustrated
with my lack of enthusiasm for any of the expensive merchandise .
My personal Jade "representative" |
“But you
must need something!” she implores.
“Well I
could use a good door stop,” I offer.
“What?”
“You know,
something to hold the door open.”
“Would you
want a Buddha or maybe a dragon?” she suggests.
“Doesn’t
matter, really. It just has to hold the door open.”
Eventually
she realizes I’m not going to buy anything and retreats; which is fine - because
it’s time for the complimentary lunch.
We’re
escorted to a huge dining room. Actually
we’re escorted through a huge dining room to an empty adjacent dining room. I can’t read the name on the door, but I
think the rough translation is “Dining Room for Cheap Western Tourists Who Don’t
Buy Anything.” Even though the dining
room is empty we’re escorted to the furthest corner – lest our parsimonious
attitude infect other potential buyers.
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