Great Wall, Great Adventure at 6:14 AM

So, I finally got my camera up to speed. I'm sorry it took me so long, but I'll make a lot of posts within the next two-three weeks with pictures. It's exciting for me. The bad news is that the Chinese National Holiday starts on the first, which means I don't have any classes after tomorrow. This sounds like good news, but I think this coin has two sides. I'm going to Kunming in Yunnan for the Holiday till the 8th and I may not have time or access to the internet to put up any more posts, so I'll try to put up as many as possible before I leave. Putting up pictures is a little time consuming, and considering the other things I set goals to do (Like learn Chinese and practice guitar) are suffering, I may not get much done. So bear with me.

Anyways, here's the great wall. I have to say, it was awesome, and I mean that in the literal sense. It's huge, and the views are beautiful. I took a lot of pictures, there aren't really any good ones of me (surprise) So most of these are scenic shots.

First, let me clear up a couple misconceptions I had. The great wall isn't a single wall, It branches off like crazy and goes in all sorts of directions. I'm pretty sure it's continuous though. So whenever it branches I think at least one direction goes on for a long while. Second, It's big, but It's not as big as I thought it would be. I kind of thought it would be this 50 foot wide parade route thing, but it's really what it says it is, a giant wall. Although, I must say, It's an awesome wall.

Breakdown
Picture One
The great wall really flows with the landscape. Some parts are flat, but only because the mountain ridge it's built on is flat. Usually it's up and down, and sometimes it's ridiculously steep. During the steep times, I kind of feel like I'm climbing a ladder.

Picture Two
For those of you who forgot what I look like, that's me. (This is silly, because there's a picture of my on the side of this page, but for those of you who ignored that, this will come in handy.)

Picture Three
Every 100-200 meters there would be a gaurd tower of sorts. Inside each one were sweet doorways and sweet windows. I felt like a kid wandering ruins of some ancient civilization. (Which I was)

Picture Four
This is one of those steep parts I was telling you about. You'll notice a boy standing at the top of those stairs. His name is Shane and he's my hero.

Picture Five and Seven
This gives an idea of how the great wall snakes across ridges. It's actually kind of breath taking.

Picture Six
Nice clear picture of a guard tower.