A Snow Day On The Great Wall Of China

September 1st, 2009 | 34 comments


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Photo by Jabari Bell

I conquered 7,200 steps to the top of Taishan and trekked 4 hours around the West Lake in Hangzhou. Climbing The Great Wall? Sure! No problem. Except I forgot to factor in the high altitude and nearly freezing temperature. I huffed and puffed all the way up. Either my cardio was really bad or my cardio was…just…really bad. The Great Wall is segmented into sections based the difficulty of the route. I chose to climb Badaling. It was one of the lesser strenuous routes but I still found myself lagging behind.

The good thing about going in December is that it’s not a tourist season. The Great Wall felt like my wall.  I glided down, knees bent, arms out, on the snow caked paths from descending slopes. I marked my initials in the snow. I built a snowman far superior than the person before me. My snowman had two yuans for eyes. And no, I did not steal the twig arms from the other snowman. I’m no delinquent.

My climb on The Wall was not just a climb. I took away more than just pictures and souvenirs. For many of us, we stand in awe at the length of The Wall, the rolling moutains and the vastness of the land that it sits on. We enjoy its beauty and its history. But for us to have all that, many of my ancestors had to slave to build it. The opportunity for me to climb it was all due to their backbreaking sweat because the only way to stack each stone was to carry it up the mountain. And if you’ve ever climbed The Great Wall you know that it can be a grueling journey.

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Photo by Jabari Bell

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  • http://traveldreamsandmoonbeams.wordpress.com/ Lisa at Wanderlust Women

    Love the snowmen – now, if you can only just photoshop out the hands! LOL

  • http://traveldreamsandmoonbeams.wordpress.com Lisa at Wanderlust Women

    Love the snowmen – now, if you can only just photoshop out the hands! LOL

  • http://foxnomad.com/ Anil

    I think the Great Wall actually looks better with snow :)

  • http://foxnomad.com Anil

    I think the Great Wall actually looks better with snow :)

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    Haha! I know. I messed it up. I look like I’m about to choke it. Too bad I don’t know how to use photoshop. :(

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    Haha! I know. I messed it up. I look like I’m about to choke it. Too bad I don’t know how to use photoshop. :(

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  • http://worldaccording2lisa.blogspot.com/ Lisa B.

    Okay, as a geography teacher, I enoy the location. As a fellow blogger, I love the beauty of your pictures and the stories you tell.

  • http://worldaccording2lisa.blogspot.com/ Lisa B.

    Okay, as a geography teacher, I enoy the location. As a fellow blogger, I love the beauty of your pictures and the stories you tell.

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    Thanks so much for your kind words Lisa. As a student, I would have failed your class. Geography, History and Science were my worst subjects. I’ve always hate remembering facts because they mean absolutely nothing to me. Anyone can write about the history of a location. Google is our best friend.

    But I never travel with the intention of remember names and places. I travel with the intention of understanding the cause and effect of everything around me. I’m more of a hands-on kind of student.

    Thanks for dropping by. I hope you stick around. :)

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    Thanks so much for your kind words Lisa. As a student, I would have failed your class. Geography, History and Science were my worst subjects. I’ve always hate remembering facts because they mean absolutely nothing to me. Anyone can write about the history of a location. Google is our best friend.

    But I never travel with the intention of remember names and places. I travel with the intention of understanding the cause and effect of everything around me. I’m more of a hands-on kind of student.

    Thanks for dropping by. I hope you stick around. :)

  • http://worldaccording2lisa.blogspot.com/ Lisa B.

    Monica,

    You would have passed my class with an A+ because it’s not remembering facts, its understanding relationships on the globe, including cause and effect. You are so brillant and you don’t know it. I plan to stick around because I can live vicariously through you. :)

  • http://worldaccording2lisa.blogspot.com/ Lisa B.

    Monica,

    You would have passed my class with an A+ because it’s not remembering facts, its understanding relationships on the globe, including cause and effect. You are so brillant and you don’t know it. I plan to stick around because I can live vicariously through you. :)

  • http://www.twortw.com/ Daniel

    Monica—proving that if a picture is worth 1,000 words—both are greater than the sum of their parts. I’ve fond memories, too, of the great wall—particularly outside of Datong, where it’s little more than a derelict hill of mud and bricks traversing some rolling hills. Thanks for sharing!

  • http://www.twortw.com Daniel

    Monica—proving that if a picture is worth 1,000 words—both are greater than the sum of their parts. I’ve fond memories, too, of the great wall—particularly outside of Datong, where it’s little more than a derelict hill of mud and bricks traversing some rolling hills. Thanks for sharing!

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    Haha! Thanks Lisa. :)

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    Haha! Thanks Lisa. :)

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    Sounds like Datong is the less traveled route. I might make it my next trek on The Great Wall. Thanks for stopping by. :)

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    Sounds like Datong is the less traveled route. I might make it my next trek on The Great Wall. Thanks for stopping by. :)

  • http://www.travel-living-bliss.com/ Shelyn

    I’ve been to West Lake in Hangzhou but not the Great Wall. China is just too big to explore all places.

    Love your last photo of the snowman.

  • http://www.travel-living-bliss.com Shelyn

    I’ve been to West Lake in Hangzhou but not the Great Wall. China is just too big to explore all places.

    Love your last photo of the snowman.

  • http://thailandlandofsmiles.com/ Talen

    Absolutely beautiful photos. I think that part of the wall could possibly kill me if I didn’t prepare to walk it. It has to be awesome to have the wall to yourself sans tourists.

    I’m really hoping to visit China in the next few years and the Great wall is on the top of the list of things to see.

  • http://thailandlandofsmiles.com Talen

    Absolutely beautiful photos. I think that part of the wall could possibly kill me if I didn’t prepare to walk it. It has to be awesome to have the wall to yourself sans tourists.

    I’m really hoping to visit China in the next few years and the Great wall is on the top of the list of things to see.

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    China is really vast and I’ve only scrapped the surface. If I could, I’d probably spend a couple of years there just exploring. That would be a great life.

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    China is really vast and I’ve only scrapped the surface. If I could, I’d probably spend a couple of years there just exploring. That would be a great life.

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    I really hope you get a chance to go. If you do, let me know. I just might join you. :)

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    I really hope you get a chance to go. If you do, let me know. I just might join you. :)

  • http://www.pasyalera.com/ Pasyalera

    Wow, this is awesome! 7,200 steps?! You really must be very fit to have conquered that. Really such an extraordinary experience. :D

  • http://www.pasyalera.com/ Pasyalera

    Wow, this is awesome! 7,200 steps?! You really must be very fit to have conquered that. Really such an extraordinary experience. :D

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  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    Haha…actually, I’m not fit at all. I’m on my ass 9-7 and I do yoga once a month. I don’t know how I climbed up that mountain but like Confucius said, “The journey of one thousand miles beings with one single step.”

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    Haha…actually, I’m not fit at all. I’m on my ass 9-7 and I do yoga once a month. I don’t know how I climbed up that mountain but like Confucius said, “The journey of one thousand miles beings with one single step.”

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  • http://www.atravelaroundtheworld.com/ marta@ ATravelAroundTheWorld

    the great wall is one of the wonder on my list too but, now that i know, i will have to get fit before for all those steps!

  • http://www.atravelaroundtheworld.com marta@ ATravelAroundTheWorld

    the great wall is one of the wonder on my list too but, now that i know, i will have to get fit before for all those steps!

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    Haha…you’re probably healthier than I am. I sit on my butt all day at work. Will you be visiting China anytime soon?

  • http://apairofpantiesandboxers.wordpress.com/ Monica

    Haha…you’re probably healthier than I am. I sit on my butt all day at work. Will you be visiting China anytime soon?

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