Beijing, China - The Great Wall
I headed out to visit the Great Wall at Mutianyu today with a minivan load of people from the Red Lantern House. The smog cleared some as we approached the area. We had a forty minute hike up to the wall. The wall at this section is actually smaller in width than I expected and a lot steeper. We headed to the furthest point on one end of this section and found a steep staircase heading to an even steeper one at the top. The view at the top was quite fine, though still hazy. I hiked with an American couple from North Carolina, Tom and Kathy, and had some great conversations with them.
After 3 1/2 hours of hiking I decided to take the 1,500 meter tobaggan run back down to the parking lot. The run consists of a steel half tube negotiated by little carts with rubber tires and a brake stick connected to rubber pads to slow you down as needed. The only instruction was to "lean into the corners". You can purchase insurance for the ride for another 12-cents, but I'm not quite sure of the extent of the coverage. There were attendants stationed at corners to advise you to slow down or pick up the carnage if you didn't. Being in China, I knew this was not a Disney ride, so I took it pretty cautiously until near the end. Once I got the hang of it, I found it quite exhilerating. I just wish I could have afforded to do it again after what I would consider was a "practice run".
Tom and Kathy invited to join them for dinner. Tom found a restaurant on a nearby street that looked clean and even had items listed in English as well as Chinese. We ordered six dishes, three beers and nearly finished it all off. All this for $2.50 each! More great conversations, including one about sustainable growth for all countries in the world.
I headed out to visit the Great Wall at Mutianyu today with a minivan load of people from the Red Lantern House. The smog cleared some as we approached the area. We had a forty minute hike up to the wall. The wall at this section is actually smaller in width than I expected and a lot steeper. We headed to the furthest point on one end of this section and found a steep staircase heading to an even steeper one at the top. The view at the top was quite fine, though still hazy. I hiked with an American couple from North Carolina, Tom and Kathy, and had some great conversations with them.
After 3 1/2 hours of hiking I decided to take the 1,500 meter tobaggan run back down to the parking lot. The run consists of a steel half tube negotiated by little carts with rubber tires and a brake stick connected to rubber pads to slow you down as needed. The only instruction was to "lean into the corners". You can purchase insurance for the ride for another 12-cents, but I'm not quite sure of the extent of the coverage. There were attendants stationed at corners to advise you to slow down or pick up the carnage if you didn't. Being in China, I knew this was not a Disney ride, so I took it pretty cautiously until near the end. Once I got the hang of it, I found it quite exhilerating. I just wish I could have afforded to do it again after what I would consider was a "practice run".
Tom and Kathy invited to join them for dinner. Tom found a restaurant on a nearby street that looked clean and even had items listed in English as well as Chinese. We ordered six dishes, three beers and nearly finished it all off. All this for $2.50 each! More great conversations, including one about sustainable growth for all countries in the world.
posted by Chris at 10:00 PM
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