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May 2006
5/12/06
Flying a Kite On The Great Wall Of China
5/5/06
5/5/06
Friday, May 12, 2006
5:56:00 PM PDT
Feeling Happy
Hearing Sound Track from Winn Dixie
It wouldn't be enough to walk it. Or hike it. A visit to the Great Wall of China would have to include flying a kite, because kite flying in China is very popular, and kites were probably invented there, and it would be so much fun!
That was the thinking of my husband and myself. And of course our nine year old son, who we wouldn't leave home without.
(We've learned on our travels that cultures around the world are delighted that we travel as a
family, and are usually curious why Americans leave their children at home.) We go as a threesome, so we often travel slower that others.
No, we always travel slower than others. It means we don't fit into tour groups, which is a good thing for groups and for us. It also means we have
remarkable experiences, like one time in Mexico when a Mayan gardener took my son by the hand and shared a tour of his prize squashes behind a high wall. Or the little hand-made gifts that often appear on his pillow at night or beside his plate in restaurants.
We not only have rare and wonderful occurances as a family. We are all more playful. So when we realized we would be walking on that Wonder of the World, the Great Wall, I stuck a colorful dragon kite with a long, long twisty tail into the suitcase. It was not only great looking, it packed flat, and had no cross-braces, so it made it an easy choice.
And then, there we were. Hiking a rough stone trail, sometimes so steep it took both hands to hang on. Sometimes so disintigrated it looked like a path of weeds and dirt, with old gray brinks sprinkled liberally over the top, just to make it more difficult. Around us in this remote area, not the least bit rebuilt for tourists, and without the cable cars,
the Warlords posing for pictures and the miles of kiosks selling "I climbed the Great Wall" t-shirts. This looked nothing like the pictures in Google: Images: Great Wall. Rather, it was just a winding trail separated by majestic watchtowers, also in crumbling conditions, some by barrages of bullets during attacks by the Japanese. Some by the plants and lizards that pushed away the morter. And some just by the weight of the wind and rain and years.
Everyone told us to take a jacket, because it would be windy up there on the Wall. The wind always blows through those hills, now blooming with chestnut and peach tree blossoms, hinting at Spring just weeks away.
But our first day of climbing was calm. Not enough wind to send our dragon flying. Not even breeze enough for a quick picture.
The next day, we went tourist, and visited Mutanyai, a section of the wall several hours from Beijing, where the Wall has been rebuilt for tourists. Cable cars eliminate the rigorous climb up. And a shiney, snakey tobaggon run makes the trip down something close to a carnival ride. Today we were uber-tourists, though, and we bought our Great Wall baseball caps, climbed aboard our lift and found ourselves walking easily along the miles of bricks that seem to go forever. It was a satisfying experience in every imaginable way. We had our pictures taken with the Mongol barbarians, husband and son rode down the toboggan, twice, and though it wasn't the least crowded, (the Wall can accomodate five horses abreast on top, and there's room for dozens in the watchtowers.) But we encountered
many delightful Chinese people, who also enjoy their Wonders. And people from around the world, who might have sniffed a bit at the toboggan then complained about sore calves at the bottom.
The wind was jus right. And I'd forgot the kite. It wasn't until the next day, enjoying peace and quite of our little lodge with the Wall winding past the front gate and the astonishment of having it mostly all to ourselves did we get our kite into the air. We hiked a good two hours to a perfect little flat spot where the old path got a little wider, and the peach trees were unable to reach out far enough to grab a fluttering tail and the wind was just right. A thousand years ago someone had business far more serious than sending a colorful kite aloft, and we thought about that, briefly, as the breeze caught the dragon and sent it flying high. Just like we had imagined it would.
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5:56:00 PM PDT
Feeling Happy
Hearing Sound Track from Winn Dixie
Flying a Kite On The Great Wall Of China
That was the thinking of my husband and myself. And of course our nine year old son, who we wouldn't leave home without.
(We've learned on our travels that cultures around the world are delighted that we travel as a
family, and are usually curious why Americans leave their children at home.) We go as a threesome, so we often travel slower that others.
No, we always travel slower than others. It means we don't fit into tour groups, which is a good thing for groups and for us. It also means we have
remarkable experiences, like one time in Mexico when a Mayan gardener took my son by the hand and shared a tour of his prize squashes behind a high wall. Or the little hand-made gifts that often appear on his pillow at night or beside his plate in restaurants.
We not only have rare and wonderful occurances as a family. We are all more playful. So when we realized we would be walking on that Wonder of the World, the Great Wall, I stuck a colorful dragon kite with a long, long twisty tail into the suitcase. It was not only great looking, it packed flat, and had no cross-braces, so it made it an easy choice.
And then, there we were. Hiking a rough stone trail, sometimes so steep it took both hands to hang on. Sometimes so disintigrated it looked like a path of weeds and dirt, with old gray brinks sprinkled liberally over the top, just to make it more difficult. Around us in this remote area, not the least bit rebuilt for tourists, and without the cable cars,
the Warlords posing for pictures and the miles of kiosks selling "I climbed the Great Wall" t-shirts. This looked nothing like the pictures in Google: Images: Great Wall. Rather, it was just a winding trail separated by majestic watchtowers, also in crumbling conditions, some by barrages of bullets during attacks by the Japanese. Some by the plants and lizards that pushed away the morter. And some just by the weight of the wind and rain and years.
Everyone told us to take a jacket, because it would be windy up there on the Wall. The wind always blows through those hills, now blooming with chestnut and peach tree blossoms, hinting at Spring just weeks away.
But our first day of climbing was calm. Not enough wind to send our dragon flying. Not even breeze enough for a quick picture.
The next day, we went tourist, and visited Mutanyai, a section of the wall several hours from Beijing, where the Wall has been rebuilt for tourists. Cable cars eliminate the rigorous climb up. And a shiney, snakey tobaggon run makes the trip down something close to a carnival ride. Today we were uber-tourists, though, and we bought our Great Wall baseball caps, climbed aboard our lift and found ourselves walking easily along the miles of bricks that seem to go forever. It was a satisfying experience in every imaginable way. We had our pictures taken with the Mongol barbarians, husband and son rode down the toboggan, twice, and though it wasn't the least crowded, (the Wall can accomodate five horses abreast on top, and there's room for dozens in the watchtowers.) But we encountered
many delightful Chinese people, who also enjoy their Wonders. And people from around the world, who might have sniffed a bit at the toboggan then complained about sore calves at the bottom.
The wind was jus right. And I'd forgot the kite. It wasn't until the next day, enjoying peace and quite of our little lodge with the Wall winding past the front gate and the astonishment of having it mostly all to ourselves did we get our kite into the air. We hiked a good two hours to a perfect little flat spot where the old path got a little wider, and the peach trees were unable to reach out far enough to grab a fluttering tail and the wind was just right. A thousand years ago someone had business far more serious than sending a colorful kite aloft, and we thought about that, briefly, as the breeze caught the dragon and sent it flying high. Just like we had imagined it would.
Written by slvrwd Blog about this entry |
Add to del.icio.us | digg this
