Becoming a Real Man

Chairman Mao is said to have issued this ultimatum: "he who has not climbed the great wall is not a true man." Well, color me in shades of Man, cause as of Wednesday, that's what I am. Chest hair on order.

This past Monday I flew the 2 hours to Beijing to meet up with my wonderful friend Dani. Dani's been volunteering in Cambodia and we decided since we are on the same continent we had to meet up. And what better place for a get together than the Great Wall?! We couldn't think of one, so that's where we went. You know, it really is HUGE.

In order to build up to the GW, we spent our first day and a half visiting the Forbidden City (well, it's not forbidden anymore, now it's a big attraction, but it was forbidden for 500 years), Tiannamen Square, various sweets stores (oh yes, we did), park, the old fashioned hutong neighborhoods, and the new-fangled main streets. While in the Forbidden City Dani and I decided to jump off these rock formations...I was apparently terrified. Not to mention the fact that a guard informed me that this activity was itself forbidden. Oops.

Then on Thursday we woke up before the sun, sang some Mulan songs, and made our way (via public bus) to the GW at Badaling. Upon arrival at the GW entrance, we had two choices: left or right. Right was the choice of most of the other early risers at the Wall; we picked Left. Turns out it was a good choice; at times we were the only people we could see on our part of the wall. Or sometimes on the uphill parts (there's something that's not advertised -- at some points I almost needed a harness) I was close to being passed by fit little old ladies. What good is working out if it doesn't prepare you to hike the GW?!

When we headed back after reaching the end of our GW segment, there were far more people who'd chosen the Left path, and with all those people came souvenir sellers and a man playing "auld lade syne." Out with the private time for meditation on the wall, in with the crowds. But Dani and I had our time, and by golly, it was good!