Glimpse of What Lies Beyond Jinshanling 金山岭
Walking on the Great Wall of China was a hugely exhilarating experience for me. The Chinese would say that “If don’t go to the Great Wall, you are not a good Han” 不到长城非好汉. That is how important the Great Wall is to the Chinese people. The immensity of the structure is mind boggling, though it is not true that it is visible from the moon nor from space, the fact that it was made several hundred years ago makes it even more astounding. Here at the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall, I have reach as far as my legs can carry me. Of course there is no forgetting that my driver is still waiting for me. So it was time to turn back.
See the People on the Wall?
Normally, hikers would enter from Jinshanling and hike all the way to the Simatai section of the Great Wall in an epic six hour hike. I would have wanted to do that but there wasn’t enough time for me to do it, not to mention that Simatai is closed for restoration activities. I can only gaze at how much further I would have gone had that side been open for visitors. The incredibly clear skies gave me a glimpse of how much further Simatai is. The vendor lady said it was around 12 or more towers away, definitely a long walk. I clambered down the stairs for Flowers Towers and started my journey home.
[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/JinshanlingGreatWall.kmz} zoom=17]