Oh my legs....why did I go along with Christina's plan for the day??? Christina is our friendly guide thru Beijing and Taiyuan. She's really nice and took it upon herself to arrange our day up until our 6pm flight to Taiyuan.
We got as close to the Bird's Nest as allowed by the guards. The Olympic Stadium is unique and imposing with its woven frame and giant proportions. The Villages are spread out and receiving finishing touches. All around BJ are workers painting, brinking, planting trees and flowers, painting bridges and many other tasks. The Olympic events will spread outside of BJ. Taiyuan, a one hour flight west, is a satellite airport and housing area.
Moving on, we did a brief circle around Tianneman Square and the front steps of the Forbidden City. No time to visit the 999.5 rooms today! Then we began the drive out of town on the Badalang Expressway to the Great Wall. I was excited to learn that we were NOT going to Badalang. The crowds are heavy on any day; it is the usual tourist stop. I wanted to see the JuYongGuan section since I've been to the other two--Badalang and MuTianYu. And to be very honest, while Gerald, Cora & I climbed Badaling fairly high in 2006, I didn't go very far on MuTianYu in 1998. On that trip, Stuart(11) and Taylor(8) went up, up, up into the clouds while Kelley(19) and I waited at a lower cloud level. (Dad-Gerald was in the middle of tax season back home) So, I am not sure how bad is MuTianYu.
How do I explain JuYongGuan...think irregular height steps, ranging from 3" to 18+". A very low rail is available to drag yourself upward. Now I understand why the rail is so low--that's where you are when your body begins to revolt. To add insult to the future injury and pain, is the Mao quote carved in stone that you pass: “You are not a real man if you have not climbed the great Wall.” Ok, I'm not a man and do not look to Mao for direction, but watching a toddler, in tiny sandals and split pants, climbing upward while holding Granny's hands, demands that I must continue and not turn back. It was horrible! The Peruvian lady tourists and I were about to expire! We were panting and dripping with sweat. We must have had the same condition as we'd all stop at the same time to gasp for air, while little kids skipped from step to step, climbing like pygmy goats. TB even asked me a couple of times if I wanted to go down. "No," was easy to say during an exhale. Now I know the real reason guide Christina stayed at the first level.
Oh, the view, even with the overcast today. It is beautiful! Clouds sitting low around us. A stillness and calmness. The only sound is the faint panting of fellow climbers.
Coming down wasn't much better since at that point all upper thigh muscles are not wanting to move the needed direction and that means my knees will not bend. By halfway down, my legs were literally trembling! I've never experience this before, but then again, reading a good book or strolling thru Mardel does not do damage to leg muscles.
To take my mind off my misery, I decided to count the steps so TB could boast about her accomplishment. 394 steps (arched humps in the route were not counted since I couldn't decide if they were one or two steps. Trust me, you'd have to be there to understand that rationale.) And I must multiply by 2, for up and for down. So, that's 788 steps!
It is now Friday and my legs still hurt but no longer tremble or feel like spaghetti. So, I guess I will live and recover.
