Great Wall of China

Also known as the longest cemetery in the world (as our tour guide puts it), is one of the wonders of the world. A long, long wall filled with many sad stories and some shared by our guide made me more grateful than ever that I did not belong to that time, that country and that fate. This wall has put gratitude right back into my head.

I followed the tour as Allan promised our client that we will show her around. We visited Beijing several times but have never made it to the Great Wall, so this time round, we did. I have seen ridiculous photos of tourists packed their way up the steep wall and laughed about it. Few days ago, I happened to be one of them. 

After we climbed a few towers, I was deeply humbled by this wall and those who built it. I truly am. I had such a hard time climbing some of the slopes and we constantly wondered how the people in the past managed to carry rocks and walked up those slopes. It must have been a really hard life. Lives most of us have long forgotten and I was reminded of when I walked the wall. I felt sad and was silent (it helped to catch my breath too) mostly. Being at the Great Wall reminded me of those people who were underfed, given hard labour and suffered everyday till they pass. 

Wondering if there were any bodies buried under where I stood didn't help brighten me up much during the tour. My morbid thoughts aside, I did enjoy the view even with all that bad pollution. Try imagining my photos with a clear blue sky. 

I find that slogan 不到长城非好汉 (You aren't a hero if you've never been to the Great Wall) extremely self glorifying. I thought it meant the wall is so magnificent that if you have not been there, you are nothing. The guide corrected me. It referred to the difficulties the people faced during the time they built the wall and you need to be there to witness it. Well, I did. And yes, I know now. Both my calf muscles hurt so bad after climbing a few towers and when coming down, we gave up the wall and went for the easy route. 

I procrastinated to update this post as I am exhausted after the trip. I still am and I just need to put everything on hold for at least a week to get my energy back. But I am glad I finally kick my butt to write this. I will be extremely slow to replying messages for the next couple of days.