Even if you can't see it from space, it's awesome!

Friday 24th May

 

Today we set off at 8.30 to drive 160kms to see the Great Wall of China at Jinshanling.

 

This part of the wall was only opened to tourist a few years ago and is as you see some distance from Beijing.  Did I say that Beijing is said to be as big as Belgium so even getting out of the city takes a long time.  We drove for two hours in our very nice car with our very nice guide and our very nice driver. Through pretty mountains and lovely scenery on a very good road. 

 

All the time we were chatting with Judy who is a very interesting and knowledgeable person.

 

She also has very modern views about China so with our political interests we had a great morning.

 

And then we got there

 

It was really quiet. All the time we were there we only saw thirty people. That included the local people and tourists.

 

We took the cable car up to the top so that we would have more time to walk on the wall.  We had wanted to do a 10 km walk and be picked up further along but it was not all open so we had to make do with a couple of miles.

 

We climbed up onto the wall and once again you will not believe I was lost for words!  If you want to shut me up bring me here!

 

However I now have plenty of words to describe this extraordinary place.  We walked along for about two miles and saw the various towers and lookout post.  We wondered why some of the towers have red flags on them but then discovered that these have little cafes in them. Not Café Pushkin but a good idea when you are so far from the village.

 

This wall had 70 soldiers per mile and they were not paid much and their families had to feed them so they lived in the deep valleys and grew crops to feed themselves and their soldier husbands. 

 

We saw 5 eagles soaring above the wall which made a wonderful addition to the morning.

 

I mentioned the very nice driver who stayed behind to mind his car and have a snooze! 

 

He lent me his walking pole without which I would have been stuck on some of the very high steps and the very uneven surface.  As you get further away from the place we came up onto the wall it gets extremely uneven but with his pole I was fine.

 

When we were packing to come away one of the few things I left out of the bag was my poles because this was the only time I thought I might need them. Lucky me that the driver was so kind.

 

Given that the majority of people who come her are less young I am surprised that there are not more slips and falls but so far we have seen none.

 

I cannot tell you how fortunate I feel to be here.  If that sounds soppy I am sorry but I have felt this many times on this trip and each day brings something else to reinforce this feeling.

 

I think we will come back to China

 

We returned to the car via the cable car which is long and quite high but a godsend if you want any energy once you get up on the wall.

 

The cable car travels just above the trees towards the bottom and the trees seem to be related to wisteria. They have white or pinky purple flowers shaped like wisteria and smell wonderful.  As the cable car brushed the tops the smell was even stronger.  Lovely.

 

The people who live here used to live just off the land and were farmers.  Now sadly they do less farming and try to sell what is largely not great stuff to the tourists.  They charge much more for a book about the wall than you would pay in the city for the same thing and so consequently we are advised not to buy from them. This is a pity and rather silly on the part of the people who live here.  Eventually perhaps they will get the message and sell at more fair prices 

 

Another thing that has influenced poorer tourist areas in China is American Tourists giving big tips.  What happens then is that the people like, for example, the pedicab drivers in the Hutongs in Beijing, who are controlled by their bosses are just paid less and rely even more heavily on all tourists.  No other nationality gives and where near such high tips as Americans and this has skewed the economy here badly.

 

Back to Beijing and to the hotel.

 

Judy had asked if she could see my pics so we had tea and an enormous cake in the hotel and showed her the old photos of Grandpa which was what she really wanted to see

 

I will copy them for her and give them to her tomorrow. She has promised to do some research into the costumes of what we think are Manchu Businessmen with Great Grandpa (Granny's dad) She thinks there may be officials from other parts of China too.

 

Judy had wanted us to go to her house for dinner and to meet some friends but we had a dinner date (we thought) with a friend of a friend of Tones so we were not able to do it.  What a missed opportunity!

 

As it happened the friend of the friend could not make it at the last minute so we could have gone!

 

We did go to a restaurant, recommended by Judy, quite  close to the hotel where we had a great supper and a beer. We were as has happened many times on this trip the only western people there.  Armed with my little notice saying I am allergic to ginger we have managed to eat some delicious stuff and have not made and serious gaffes, yet!  

 

I cannot get over how quiet some of the very important tourist spots have been so far. Let's hope it continues