The Great Wall

Here's a video of us on the Great Wall of China. I learned that the wall was 5,500 miles long at one point. What an Incredible dedication to the protection of their country. It isn't so much the technology of the wall that makes it impressive as much as the sheer determination and effort that went into building it. The wall runs along the very top of the mountain ridge, so walking it required quite a bit of effort.

One of the interesting things along the way were the 'concession stands' at the watchtowers. Enterprising chinese people climb the wall every day with pop and candy, snacks, even beer for the climbers to buy. It was hard not to buy something from them simply out of appreciation for their incredible efforts!

Perhaps what stands out the most about the wall is how utterly futile it was to keep conquering armies away. There were no walls tall enough to keep gatekeepers from being bribed to open the gate.