More on the Wall

Yesterday, I quickly recapped our trip to Beijing, but want to expand a bit on our Great Wall trek. I mentioned the crowds, but what I didn't mention was the smell that came with the crowds -- the sour stench of body odor and urine. The vast majority of the tourists was Chinese, traveling, no doubt, great lengths to see one of their country's greatest treasures. From what I could tell, most traveled in families, which seemed like quite the challenge if a family included small children. Remember the uneven stairs and steep slopes? Not to mention the need for potty breaks -- and hence the lofting smell of urine on the Great Wall of China. 

One of the most amusing moments of our climb was when a little girl saw me, turned to her father and said (in Mandarin), "Look, Dad, a foreigner!" Thankfully, I understood, turned to her and responded with a smile, "Dui, waguo ren!"   

Here are a couple of my favorite photos from the Great Wall. More from the Beijing trip is on Flickr.