Beijing - The Great Wall and Tianamen Square

This post is out of order. Before we went to Changchun we went to the Great Wall and Tianamen Square. On Wednesday we rented a car and driver and left for the Badaling section of The Great Wall. This is the most famous section and there is a fancy hotel at this location. I left my wife and her friend with Shuya at the base and hiked all the way to the end of the south side. Well, not all the way to the end - I went as far as they allow you to hike. It's blocked off after about a mile or less.

It's an incredible scene from up on the top of the hill. The wall stretches over hilltops dissappearing and reappearing in many places in the steep, rugged hills. It's hard to tell which piece connects to which other piece and there appear to be forks in the wall in some places. I was thinking about the labor that went into building this even just for the sections I could see from where I was, knowing that this thing stretches for four thousand miles, and it's just mind boggling. Wikipedia says that an estimated 2 to 3 million men died building it and it has been built, rebuilt, and maintained for over 3,000 years, with many various incarnations over time.

I went back to check on my 3 companions and then headed up the North section. This section was heavily traveled with lots of tourists. I didn't have much time and my legs were getting fatigued so although I was pretty close to the top, I didn't get to the highest point on the North side. It was a very nice day to be out hiking up and down the wall.

Driving through Beijing near the emporer's home, there were many parks and historical buildings. Tree lined streets with heavy traffic including all kinds of vehicles and small historical buildings. It looked like it was a great place to live if you were the emperor's family or in the upper echelon. Although, I know how hot and humid it gets in the summer, and how bitter cold it gets in the winter.

We stopped briefly at Tianamen Square. We bought a big kit from a vendor for 50 Yuan. (My wife bargained him down from 200 Yuan) I can't wait to fly it - it's a big Chinese warlord face all red-faced.