Day 4 continuing to the Great Wall

As you can see, the Great Wall is a popular tourist attraction. It was quite different from what we expected. We thought you would walk up a flight of stairs, then stroll along the top of the wall, like in many other cities. However, "climbing" was more like climbing steps up a mountain--and many of the steps were knee high. It was very difficult climbing and Paul and I only went up a little way. He found looking down from the heights difficult and I found the steps to be too high to be comfortable. After a quick climb, we wandered around the buildings and enjoyed a leisurely visit.

We have especially appreciated the pace of the trip--not rushed, but a good opportunity to enjoy the sites. On the wall, we had two casualities: John, our single guy, tripped and fell, hitting his forehead. It looked scraped and he said his manly pride was hurt, but otherwise, it was just embarrasing. Gayle also tripped and fell, but she twisted and broke her ankle -- while she was up near the top of the wall. She, her husband and several others actually made it to the top. Unfortunately, she then had to walk back down--on the broken ankle. The others helped her because it was VERY painful.

At this point, Mark, our national guide, was amazing. He took charge of the situation and found a cab to take Gayle and her husband to the hospital, helped them through the medical red tape of getting x-rays and a splint, got her a wheelchair and crutches, AND got them back before we finished lunch. The doctor said she needed surgery, but it was too swollen at this point. They decided to wait several days until we got to Chongqing (Chong-ching -- actually it use to be Chung King) and have it evaluated again. Then they would decide if they should go home or continue the trip.

BTW, after leaving the Great Wall, we went to a VERY nice restaurant for lunch. We counted 14 plates of food--each with something different. This was definitely the best meal yet. We were sorry Gayle and David missed it.

We have been delighted with the weather so far on the trip. It has been sunny and in the upper 60's each day -- perfect for travelling, or just about anything else.