The Great Wall and Ming Tombs

With sleepy eyes, Dr. Novak and I climbed aboard our Beijing tour bus.  The bus had very cramped seating and my knees were very bent into the seat in front of us.  I had not slept well the night before.  More people in our tour group had got sick since leaving the cruise boat.  This was a different kind of sickness being serious colds with much coughing going on.  Both Dr. Novak and I had allergy problems from what I think was all the pollution in the air at both Xian and now Beijing.  The skies at both places are shade of foggy tan.  The cars and buses were covered with a redish dust.
      As we drove out of the city, the beautiful blue sky tried peaking through all the foggy smog.  By the time we arrived at Badaling section of the Great Wall, both Dr. Novak and I were feeling much better.  My allergy pills had worked wonders on both of us.  We were ready or so we thought to attack the Great Wall!
      After exiting the tour bus, we went up to the central portion of the Great Wall.  WE all stopped and had a group photograph and our tour guide told us we could go up either side.  One side is called the 'Easy Way' which is very crowded and has many steps.  The 'Hard Way' does not have as many steps, is less crowded but has VERY steep ramps of stone.  We deicided to go up the Hard Way. 
       At first the walk was not bad up the well worn walkways with steel pipe hand rails up to the first two towers.  We felt very good about this and decided to reach the top tower which is the highest of the area.  WHAT fools we were!  The steep stone ramps got steeper and steeper and I had to drag myself up using the steel pipe rails.  Then we had a series of stone step with each of a different height.  These stairs were not like climbing stairs but rather a stone ladder. We were forced to stop several time to catch our breath and I soon decided NOT to look back down since it ws scary.  We climbed and climbed and climbed and finally made our goal. 
      Our tour guide had given us two hours and half hours and I thought that  he had given us too much time.  Boy, was I wrong!  While the climb up was hard, the climb back down was worse since the steps were more slippery going down. The steep stone ramps and gravity wanted your body to go VERY fast down.  My right hand got very tired grabbing the metal rail to stop my feet from just sliding down.  I was very glad when we reached the two stone towers and the flatter section of the Great Wall.  BUT I felt very elated that I had CLIMBED a small section of the Great Wall.  One huge life long goal acheived and best of all, I didn't fall down.
       At the bottom of the Great Wall, Dr. Novak, another couple and I stopped into a tea shop and had cup of Chinese green tea.  We were all revivied and ready to board the bus again for the Ming Tombs.
       While we didn't actually visit the Ming Tombs, we walked the pathway to the Ming Tombs.  Huge statues of soldiers, horses, camels and other mythical Chinese beasts guard the pathway.  The details of the carving of these ancient beast and soldiers was inspiring.  I can only imagine how Chinese forefathers felt when the walked between these mythical beasts for the first time.  I know how Dr. Novak and I felt when we each choose a statue to stop by.  I choose the two horses with one standing and one laying down.  I think you all know how much I love horses.  Dr. Novak choose the elephants. I guess this shows what a strong man Dr. Novak has been during this whole trip.
       The sun was low in the foggy sky and everything had a golden hue.  It was a rather magical moment when all the crowds of people are forgotten and you see things as others before you might have seen it.  It was hard to leave the Ming Tombs and I patted the giant turtle's nose for good luck in the entrance gate.  I knew I needed good luck to finish this trip. Dr. Novak did not pat the turtle's nose which I think was a small mistake which will be revealed later.
       I fell asleep on the bus on the way back.  Dr. Novak gently nudged me awake as the bus drove up the ramp to the hotel.  I think my mind was still back on the Great Wall or Ming Tombs or perhaps the terracotta army trying to process all the greatness of Chinese civilization that we had seen in so few hours.  It was hard to return to the reality of eating dinner and preparing myself for yet another tour packed day.  More later with many more phtos coming. Yours, Mrs. Novak