Wall to Wall Haze

No doubt, the Great Wall of China is amazing! The photo above, however, tells the all too real story of the level of pollution in many cities in China. Seven of the world's top ten most polluted cities are in China. I'm not sure if Beijing is on the top 10 list but the small town near Datong where I went for the wedding is the third most polluted city in the world. The haze on this particular day, the day we went to the Great Wall, was unfortunate. But for the blanket of pollution we would have seen a bright sun and blue skies. Additionally, this section of the Great Wall has been thoroughly "Gatlinburg-ized." This is my special term for beautiful places of nature and history being overcome by commercial kitsch! Comparing the Badaling section of the Great Wall to Gatlinburg in East Tennessee is not that far off. One of the first things I saw as I walked toward the "entrance" was a black bear exhibit. There were many souvenir stands along the Great Wall and the atmosphere was somewhat tainted by one man playing "Auld Lang Syne" on little flutes he was selling over and over and over again. Seriously. Another great and wonderful part of the world that has been Gatlinburg-ized is Niagara Falls. But that's another story. Despite the endless souvenir stands and the thick haze......it was a dream come true to walk along the Great Wall of China. I confess that I cheated by starting out "higher up" on the wall by way of little one-person cars that chug nearly straight up. Li-yin and I just knew we'd have to wait on Yeheng and Hua who, to save money, were walking up. They called out "hello" to us as we stepped off the ride! ha ha So the savings was just in lung power for me. :) Getting to the highest tower of the Great Wall at Badaling is a bit tough, despite where you start out. One step might be 6 inches high and the next step nearly a foot. Folks stop and rest a lot and in some places it is very, very steep. I'm happy to say, however, that I made it. Don't you know I would have regretted missing those souvenir stands at the very top if I hadn't trudged on! :)