THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

Ohhh ... what we experienced today was out of a movie - not sure if thriller, sci fi, comedy or maybe all in one. We took a 3 hour long taxi journey to a remote location of the wall for a 10Km trek to Simatai. The trek takes 4 hours. We took 5! But only cause we were so in awe of the place. There were 30 watch-towers to climb and let me tell you, the Lonely Planet guide (which we didn't pay much attention to) was right. This is not for the faint hearted! After tower 5, the wall is derelict in most places and has uphill, uneven steps at 90 degree angles and over 60cm high!!! I'm not kidding ... AT ALL! We were chased by Mongolian farmers who trek daily attempting to sell you water, postcards, books and t-shirts. Most are over 50 years old and carry the stuff on their back. It is surreal and somewhat sad. However, their insistence - for which they deserve a prize - pays off, 'cause after 2 hours of trekking uphill and outta breath, you've drunk all the water you were carrying with you so you're ready to pull the wallet out. These men and women even help you up parts of the wall! Not so sad after all. Of course, you end up buying a bottle, or two, some postcards and whatever else these people have pulled up here for you. The sight from the Wall is unbelievable! You're at nearly 3000m above sea level at one point. Forget the documentaries you've seen! The Wall is mostly in ruins and full of stairs; none of those rolling stone paved paths. Anyway, my camera has been playing up for 2 days so I'm getting a new one. My tow friends who are only here for a few more days will help me post the pics. They are astonishing! So we got back at 20:00hrs and got a 1hr Chinese foot massage that revived the hell out of our tired and shaking legs. It was totally worth it. More soon. Love y'all!