Up, up, up we climb in our tour bus to get to the Great Wall. All along the mountain pass the great wall snakes. I see it on all sides of me creeping along the mountain like a vine. We are weaving through dark tunnels with honking trucks and buses narrowly missing each other. The day is sunny and crisp. The leaves are crimson, yellows and maroon.
Our tour guide gives us the option of the easy or hard climb. The difficult route has less people. We decide to go hard over easy just to not have to share this experience with the masses. Nowhere in China can I manage to escape the crowds. People, noise and pollution are everywhere. We started as a group, but quickly became separated by abilities and intentions. Each person experiences the wall differently. I was grateful to find myself hiking alone. There was something very spiritual to be high above the mountains with piped in flute music knowing I am standing on a piece of ancient civilization. As I walked I thought about the many thousands of people it took to build such a wonder and how many lives were lost in the process. Our guide said the Chinese also refer to the Great Wall as the “Great Graveyard” because so many lost their lives in the building process.
It is mind blowing to know that the wall stretches for 4,000 miles. I glimpsed just a small section. I was jolted back to reality when I reached a spot that had a look-out. I walked up into the space which was walled on 4 sides with a little opening. Entering was easy but exiting was excruciating as one had to defend themselves against the peddlers who would not let you leave unless you bought a t-shirt or magnet. The sell was so aggressive I became uncomfortable. Once my space bubble has been invaded I feel very violated. Luckily I had another traveler with me and together we pushed our way through. Another travel moment that illuminates the desperation and poverty in the world.
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