Great Wall and Houhai Lake

Although we have all seen pictures of the Great Wall and programmes about it, it is still a wondrous site to see it snaking across the hills and into the mountains as you draw close.

We went on a scorching hot day but managed to climb the North Wall and to be impressed with the Wall's magnitude, the way it can eat up hundreds of tourists and you don't even notice them and the difficulty we experience in seeing very far from its heights.


We have ongoing discussions with Chinese people as to whether the mist, which is ever present, and the veil that covers our photographs and the smells that float around at intervals, are humidity, heat and haze or pollution but it is disappointing when reaching a height such as the Great Wall to look into a hot and searing mist and see little but greyness.

Even here at the top of such an historic site was an advertisement for the Olympics with its famous slogan which all my students recite at frequent intervals. The size of ads in China is obscene but you sure can't miss them



This Great Wall is truly an amazing feat of diligence, back breaking work and vision I guess. When looking over the side I was trying to imagine being an adversary and attempting to climb up the mountain and then over the rock in which much of the wall is embedded. Even if it was physically possible what weapons could you have brought with you and with watch/guard towers every few meters I think it would have been impossible..........Spiderman might make it though!



We returned hot and sweaty but spent a delightful evening walking around Houhai Lake, another tourist spot with lots of open air restaurants and bars with soft armchairs in which to spend a relaxing evening .......and pedicabs to ferry you here and there.
A pleasant though not typically Chinese end to the day.