The Great Wall part two

So the hike was probably one of the best hikes of my life. It was both sweaty, rugged, scenic, AND historic. If you ever visit the Great Wall (at least a "developed" site) visit the one at Jinshanling and hike the wall to Simitai (it's recommended by Lonely Planet, and for good cause). It was funny when our guide motioned for us to get on the cable car that would take us a good portion up the wall but nobody followed him, instead deciding they wanted the FULL hike, with all the uphills. The guide was the only one in the cable car, looking foolish.

Reaching the end of the hike, there is a Zip line from the mountainside, over a lake, and to a boat that will take you to the parking lot. I took it for $3. Cheap thrill indeed. I wish I could post pictures along with these posts, but images will just have to wait until I get back to the States.

Also, I've made some quick observations of China, and here they are:

- Full color billboards showing what a place is supposed to be like (serene, lush) and the actual site (concrete and dirt) behind it. - One hand on wheel, other hand on car horn. - Roadside fruitstands every 50 meters. - Persistent salesmen. - Third world housing conditions in a country that thinks its First world. - No trees taller than 20 feet. In fact, hardly any trees at all. - People who inhabit the Great Wall (what a great existence...) - Thick smog/haze. - Bike culture vs. Car culture - People whose job it is to take your empty bottle or can of soda after you've finished (at the major tourist destinations and public parks) but they don't wait for you to finish and will pester you to gulp the last half down so they can take it. - Buildings (even gas stations) built on a grand, epic scale. - Sky cranes littering the skyline. - Either they don't percieve risks, or we perceive risks too acutely.

*disclaimer: these observations are based solely on time spent in Beijing and the Great Wall and in between. Exceptions to these are bound to pop up all across China (it's a BIG country), especially Tibet*