Today is the day I have been waiting for, the reason I chose China as my destination, one of the seven wonders of the world; the Great Wall of China! Well I wish I would have realized before hand that we would be climbing up a mountain to reach the wall! Forty -five minutes of stairs was definitely a hike that I was not prepared for so instead I opted for the scenic, relaxing cable car ride to the top. The wall was amazing. The mountain that it’s built on has a razor thin tip on which makes it an unbelievable feat of engineering. Even once we reached the wall, however, I was surprised to find how many stairs there were even there! The wall was steep and difficult to walk on in the beating sun. The view and sense of history definitely made it worth it however. My slight fear of heights was acute the entire time.
We have now officially been in China for a week. So far I’ve had a great time, but I don’t believe that I could ever live or work here. I am a little surprised at how second-world the country side of China is. Even on the way to the Great Wall, just on the outskirts of Beijing, the living conditions became notably poorer. The homes were very small and dirty, with hot water heaters littering the roofs and dusty paths leading up to the doorways. It makes me wonder how such a wealthy nation could have such a poor population.