To be honest I was quite ambivalent about visiting the Great Wall. The most frequent question asked before I began this sojourn was “are you going to the Great Wall?” I put off the questions with, “this is a Tai Chi training trip and I don’t think the Great Wall is on the agenda.” In truth I just wasn’t interested. Surprise, surprise!!
There was some discussion as to whether we were going to the Great Wall this morning or practice first. We decided that since we needed to end up back at our hotel at a reasonable time that we drive to the Great Wall and find places to practice while we were at the wall. After breakfast we loaded up and headed south west for the Great Wall and Beijing.
The drive was about an hour. From the road we could see numerous rolling hills, small hidden farms and towns, and winding roads leading to who knows where. I wanted to know where.
We turned off the highway onto a small almost one lane road. As we ambled along the winding road more hidden farm plots came into view off the banks of the meandering creek and stuffed and terraced in the numerous meadows, gullies, and valleys. We drove by a road maintenance crew and in the distance we could see a construction project until we reach a small resort.
I don’t know the name of the resort but it was surrounded by a six foot wall with a large gate. The resort housed a large restaurant, rest rooms, a series of 2 unit bungalows with a walled court area for each bungalow. A wide cobble stone path connected the bungalows and restaurant to a couple of rows of single level apartments which I assumed work staff quarters, laundry was being aired, there was several garden plots, and huge pile of coal.
We practiced in one of the bungalow courtyards. The walled courtyard gave a sense of seclusion and was generally quiet for our purposes. I worked harder as we went through our Qi Gong series and the 24 form. My ankle is far weaker than I had anticipated by this time but I continue to go through these exercises without the aid of my crutch. There is a comforting solemnity in the courtyard, in spite of my physical limitations I am at peace.
The large unfilled seating of the restaurant reminds us that this is the off season; although they appear to be at full staff, numerous young women stood around and watched the few diners who came into the restaurant. Our meal was uneventful.
From the resort we drove to the Wall staging area, most significant is that there are various construction or repair projects on our path and visible in the distance. We disembarked at the gate and continue to walk up the path through single row of small modern built shops, for some reason I thought of this as a gauntlet. Most merchants had positioned their wares on tables outside of their shops and occasionally invited us to visit their tables. We continued to walk almost ignoring the shop owners.
By the time we had reached the end of the “gauntlet” we had collected a cadre of mobile vendors who began to escort us. A number of these vendors spoke and understood some English; more than we had encountered in Cheng de. A woman attached herself to me, I guess because I was with a crutch and moving quite slower than the rest of our group. She informed me that she would not request anything from me until we reached the top. I accepted this as a fair deal.
The walk to the “Wall parapet” was winding, long and tiring, although along the way we found a spot to practice again. When we reached the Zhuanduo Pass “mounted warrior, monument. The trail changed to narrow winding and somewhat uneven stone steps, my escort constantly at my side, always offering to carry my bag or offering a hand when my steps faltered. I was determined to make it on my own, feeling somewhat guilty when the group slowed or stopped for me to catch up.*
Finally, we reached the base of the wall and entered a narrow enclosure with steep winding uneven brick steps leading to the top of the parapet. Using my crutch during this section was not really practical, I relented and handed my crutch to my escort. To reach the top I braced myself against the brick walls and climbed slowly periodically hugging the wall to let others pass up or down. The view from the top of wall is spectacular.
Although there were several parapets close to my location access required negotiating more steep stone steps down one level and back up and again not practical for the crutch. My “escort” was willing to assist but the thought of me falling with her or she unintentionally unbalancing me was more risk than I was willing to take since we still had the long trek down back to the van.
While the others explored the other parapets and the wall, I was content to take photos, watched how others dealt with the vendors, and my escort was happy to take several shots of me on the wall. I reciprocated and photographed her. At this point I bought a coffee table picture book of the Great Wall. ,
As the day waned, we rushed back down to the van. With the same brick and stone steps and winding trail there was no rushing for me. I picked up another vendor along the way who was disappointed that no one purchase anything from her. She decided that maybe if I bought once I might do something else. She was even waiting from me when I returned from using the ancient brick outdoor privy. I didn’t take a photo of the privy (should have) but took a photo of her instead. I was willing to pay for the photo but again, as a vendor, she failed to grasp the concept that her photo had monetary value to me. I got a photo and she missed an income opportunity.
Finally, in the van we rushed back to Beijing. Things were a foot. Today is Harrison lǎo shī’s birthday and Josh, Vincent, and others had planned a surprise party at a restaurant which included Greg and Brian picking up the cake and meeting at the, restaurant at a certain time. Brian, Greg’s son lives and teaches English in Beijing; Greg our office administrator was in Beijing visiting his son; they are not a part of our group.
It was dark, almost 7, by the time we got to the restaurant. It was good to see Greg and Brian; old home week. We got back to the Royal Phoenix hotel close to 10 with an early flight the next day to Chengdu. We had to recheck in, which included resubmitting and scanning our passports then getting our room assignments. My primary concern was how to store/secure my new Scholar stone while we are in Cheng du.
Although, the hotel had agreed to store excess baggage for us, but what to do with a box housing a thirty-five pound valuable stone. Jacob, Bob, and I began this discussion with Steven, the night floor manager, who liked talking to us to practice and showcase his English. The discussion now involved the front desk staff but no one seemed to grasp what we wanted. Finally, Sheila Zhao, General Services Manager, who also has as good command of English, came to our rescue. Jacob went to my room, brought down the stone to determine the space needed; fortunately, once unboxed the stone fit into one of the bottom security boxes. Problem solved. Thanks Sheila!
It’s late but now we can get a few hours’ sleep before loading back in the van for the airport.
Related photos: http://www.phillbriscoe.com/china-october-2013/the-great-wall/
*(The slowing or stopping for me to catch up was a constant during the trip. I always felt guilty. Sometimes appreciating the gesture but always pushing my ankle to bear up during the day.).