The Great Wall

It was a beautiful, overwhelming sight.  The Great Wall with that Chinese movie-esque fog that seems mysterious.  The lush greenery hiding the ancient structure at times is something you could stare at for hours.  The wonder of the tiny, winding wall far off in the distance, miles away lives up to the fact that it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  We rode and climbed far up into the mountainous area to capture the awe of how men so many years ago could have built something almost 6,000 miles long that has stood the test of time. 

First we rode in the van for about an hour and a half.  We almost made it there, when Grace threw up in the backseat.  She was car sick, like her mama gets sometimes, and she finally had to release.  She felt much better after she did, but needless to say, our first priority of conquering the Great Wall was finding a new outfit.  There were lots of vendors selling cute Chinese style clothes, so we picked the one you see next.  She actually wanted me to take a picture of her with her dirty clothes on, but I will spare you that one.

It was a very long trek up a steep, steep hill which made it difficult for my mom and Linda.  We took it slow and made it to the airtram.  I hate heights so you are lucky to see any pictures from this point of the excursion.  I wanted to curl up and not look at all, but I didn't want to miss the beauty.  Everyone was told to be quiet and not move around!  Getting on and off the tram was pretty nerve-racking too.  It's not like the U.S. where they readily stop the tram for someone who needs a little assistance.  No, we had to get all 6 of us on the tram as it was moving. 

Here we are at the top of the Great Wall.  The steps were very steep and treacherous at times and some passageways were very narrow.  It was so neat but we kept a hold of the kids pretty tightly.



On the way back down we stopped at the vendors and did some shopping.  We also got an awesome assortment of dried fruits. 

Check out this snazzy walker for this toddler. 

Oh, one more picture.  On the way to the Great Wall we passed through several small villages.  I don't know if you can see in this picture, but this was a woman selling chickens, killing, and plucking them on the side of the road.  I love seeing new things!  Ha!  Ha!