Finally I can say that I've climbed the Great Wall of China. And let me say, Great is a drastic understatement. I can't really explain the feeling of hiking from Jinshanling at 3:30 in the morning just in time to see the sunrise over the Great Wall. It was the most exhilarating experience I've had in a long time, and much needed at that. You wouldn't believe once you saw, how this wall could possibly be effectively built and how many thousands of miles (15,000, I think) it extends. The wall is literally balanced on the converging point of the mountains, and even with modern technology I can't fathom how the laborers could possibly get up the mountains that high with stones that heavy. The only thing I could believe was that underneath the wall are buried thousands of chinese men, who died mid-construction. But, I do have to say that the size of the wall itself, in terms of width and height is by no means as large as I expected. But, the wall is by no means friendly to the feet, and at some points ascends at an over 45 degree angle. I hiked on all fours at one point, no joke. The entire hike took about 3.5 hours, and we covered over 6 miles of mountainous, looonnngg wall, ending up in Simatai. My body had never felt so simultaneously dirty and clean by the end. The hike was a constant, mostly uphill battle. literally. But it was so satisfying to look out from the peak of the last tower and see what I had just accomplished.
Seriously, one of the greatest experiences of my life. I've found that I've been saying that a lot lately, and I have to say, It's completely genuine each time. That was my Sunday two weekends ago. But before then in Chengde, we got to visit the Puning Temple (keep the dirty jokes to yourselves, please). After seeing one or two temples in China, they all seem to blur together, but this temple was particularly memorable. Perhaps it was the unusually clear day, or the festive, upbeat music, or maybe it was the four story high indoor buddha with around 50 arms, but something about this temple really elevated my mood. Either way, though I cannot relate to the religion or practices, there was a definite spiritual vibe in the air that really got to me, not to mention the delicious and constant aroma of burning incense (a method of prayer, apparently). I don't have much time to talk about our other experiences that weekend, but hopefully I'll be able to update you all later this week.
I hope all of your guys' summers are being thoroughly enjoyed, and please do yourselves a favor and find some time to relax, take it easy, and enjoy the simple things.
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