Beijing - Part 2

Naturally, one thing we simply had to do was visit the Great Wall! The Wall is about an hour and a half's drive from the city. There are several parts of the Wall that are open to tourists -- meaning that they've been repaired and made less treacherous than they would have been if they'd been left in their 2000-year-old state. This picture shows a stretch of road leading up to the Wall; it's packed with souvenir vendors, all selling pretty much exactly the same things.

As we were visiting a part of the Wall that doesn't start from the ground up, there was the option of taking a cable car (the Wall is actually made up of different sections that had been built by different dynasties over a long period of time). Of course, the kids were super psyched about that, despite the fact that their mother has always been dead set against the teeny cable car rides that go over water back home (hey, what can I say -- a bunch of them actually fell right off into the sea back in the 80s, killing seven and stranding several others, the very evening my parents were driving us there).

But they have good environmental policies.

And service quality targets. Helping joyously is always a good thing.

I have to admit the ride was pretty fun. The ascent had all the anticipatory thrill of a roller-coaster. This was one view from the car.

A Great Wall resident.

Start of the climb.

Another view of the Wall. It really was longer and more majestic than I'd ever imagined.

Taking a breather. Despite the cold up there, our exertions quickly made us work up a sweat.

Now I finally know what those watchtowers that dot the Wall look like inside. 

They're quite maze-like, in fact, and it was fascinating to imagine all the activity that took place in them so many centuries ago.

The Wall stretches over 5,000 miles. One plus of visiting in the middle of winter, was that it was uncrowded and peaceful.

Ro very enthusiastically braved the long walk and steep climbs.

We'd been hoping for snow, but considering how steep many of the areas were, I think after all we were glad we didn't have to contend with ice.

A view from the Wall. 

It got tiring for the kids after awhile.

But they persevered.

The amazing length of the Wall. It's wonderful how it hugs and follows the high, rough terrain. What a feat of engineering, and just imagine all the effort and manpower involved in its construction. It is said that it cost the lives of over a million people.

These ladies from Yunnan province were part of a group that was so taken with the kids they insisted on taking several photos together.

We saw this beautiful blue-winged bird frequently. I believe it is a black-billed magpie, and has a lovely iridescence on its plumage. Being as nature-starved as we are, we took quite a number of pictures of them, leaving many locals wondering at our inordinate excitement.

OK, that's all for now -- the third part in a bit! Blessed weekend everyone!