| One of the seven wonders of the world, the Great Wall of China stretches from Shanhaiguan Pass in the east to Jiayuguan Pass in the west, traversing through fierce desert and mountainous terrain, grasslands and plateaus and covering a distance of 6,700 km. Climbing the wall is a tourist delight and perhaps once in a lifetime opportunity. I must concede that language is a great barrier. I was on a three-month Fellowship to China and had lots of free time to see the oriental society from close quarters. The Chinese are very courteous and friendly people, especially women.
The tour of Badaling was an experience worth sharing. It is a tourist place for the Great Wall, just 130 km at the outskirts of Beijing Municipality. With one detour i.e., Ming Tomb, the resting place of 13 emperors, I reached Badaling by 12 noon. It is a majestic site, an ancient military fortification against foreign invaders from the north. The Wall snakes its way amidst the contours of mountains and silhouetting beacon towers. The wall is made up of bricks, stones and earth and the accessible summit has five beacon towers. From the roadside, even the first tower looked distant.
To reach the starting point from the roadside, I had to climb almost two floors. I was sweating profusely by the time I reached the first step of the wall. But the lure of climbing the Great Wall was far more stirring. Each step I took, my feet felt heavier. The only consolation I had at that time was the inviting tower. I reached the first tower in very bad shape. My heart was pounding, indicative of a badly abused body. From the tower, the base of the wall did not seem too far. |
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