I am finally back home in good ol' Illinois. After a small adjustment period in which I
became
reaquainted with the wonders of speedy internet, fast food drive-thrus,
and forks, and had to remind myself that everyone around me did, in
fact, speak the English language, I believe I am now back to normal life
in America. But I haven't forgotten about my adventures, and I thought
I'd finish up this record of my time abroad, just so it will finally be
complete!So going from where I left off...
I visited the Great Wall of China twice while I was abroad. The first time I went with the Chinese roommates via a campus run event, so transportation, tickets, and everything was already taken care of and basically our only concern was exploring. We visited Mu Tian Yu, a portion of the Wall that has been pretty extensively restored and is pretty touristy as a result.
How to describe the Great Wall? Well besides the eye-rolling remark that it was 'pretty great,' I have to say that walking the Great Wall and taking in the incredible views felt like one of the most characteristically "Chinese" moments I had while in China. This is probably because the Great Wall is basically the classic symbol of China, but it really is an exciting experience to go and see something so romanticized for the first time in person and see how your impressions of it compare. The Great Wall was a lot like I expected it to be, except for the fact that there are a lot more stairs than the pictures would make you believe! And not just like little steps, but odd, uneven steps that occasionally got so steep that we were all but climbing up them! We spent a few hours exploring the nooks and crannies of the Great Wall and appreciating the views, and then headed back down to catch the bus.
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| Stairs...so we meet again. |
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| I'll be honest, I was feeling pretty cool at this point. |
The second time I visited the Great Wall was a bit more eventful. The very last weekend before we were scheduled to leave China, four friends and I planned to go camping on the Great Wall. This last weekend came trailing in after an exhausting finals week, but we were adamant about making the most of our last few days, so literally an hour after I sent in my last final, we hurriedly stuffed our backpacks, made a quick run to 7-11 to stock up on snacks, and headed out of the city to the Great Wall.
Now, technically being on the wall after dark is illegal, but of all the thousands miles of wall, there are places which are relatively easy to gain access to at night. Our destination was an unrestored part of wall (what is known as the "wild wall"), which was basically completely open and unpatrolled. Getting there was a process; We took the subway, then a bus, then a taxi, which dropped us off at the base of the wall. Given our late start (thanks to finals) by the time we got there it was about nine o'clock at night.
In summary: We were in a remote part of China. It was the middle of the night. There wasn't a lot of civilization around. It was dark. We did not pack flashlights. None of us had any idea where we were really going.
And so, given the circumstances, we did what any intelligent group of college students would do: we decided to climb the Great Wall of China in the middle of the night. In case you're still not fully impressed by our judgement making skills, allow me to describe what climbing the Great Wall is like in the dark. Picture picking your way slowly up and along stony, uneven remnants of a pathway in the middle of the dark, with only the dim disply of your phone keeping you from tripping on numerous hidden tree roots and rocks. Add that to the fact that, in the dark, we really didn't know whether or not we were even headed to the right part of the wall, and it really seems like a miracle we're not still stumbling around lost in the wilderness of China.
But we made it. After what was probably two hours picking our way slowly up around crumbling ruins, scattered stones, thorny plants, and low-hanging tree branches (none of which we could really see, mind you), we came to a long stretch of the actual wall, where a few solid guard towers were still standing. We picked the best one, and it quickly became our home for the night.
And so we were successful. We hung out all night in the dying light of our cell phones, passing around the Chinese Oreos and Ritz crackers and marveling at the strange events that brought us not simply to the Great Wall, but to China itself. We were up around five am to witness a stunning sunrise. Afterwards, we explored a little more in the daylight and then, covered in ancient Great Wall dust, made our way back home. The downward trek was much easier in the daytime than it was at night!
In retrospect, our Great Wall trip may not have been the most well planned camping trip ever conceptualized, but it certainly made for a great adventure, and something I will always be glad I experienced.
