9:00 a.m. Today many of us boarded a taxi bus and went on a
two hour trip to the Great Wall, The Friendship Store, and
Ming's Tomb. It is almost hard to imagine we are only one day
away from getting our precious daughter, the one we have
both dreamed about in our hearts for so long. When we
arrived at the Great Wall it was immediately impressive. The
immense wall towers above the Asia landscape. It is
unfathomable to think about how this came to fruition. When
we arrived many of us decided to use the bathroom right away
before trying to conquer the wall. We walked in the bathroom
by pushing open a large sleeping bag like curtain that covered
the doorway. Inside a woman attendant watched over us while
we lined up to use one stall. Three stalls were squat toilets
which are pretty much how they sound. One would have to
remove their bottom and squat over a toilet flush to the
ground. We were all prepared to bring our own toilet paper
also because many of the bathrooms here do not provide any.
Jo the first one to use the bathroom couldn't figure out how
to flush the toilet so the woman rushed in and flushed it for
her. This bathroom and many others are not heated. It was
obvious that this woman's job was to maintain this small
bathroom. There have been many times on this trip that I
have been extremely grateful for my education and my job,
this was one of them. I think we take many things for granted
in America. We have so many opportunities if we are willing to
work hard and strive to better our condition. The walk up the
Great Wall was a difficult one. The incline is very steep and
there are sections where it is all climbing stairs, many of them
quite steep. Two families that are adopting have a previously
adopted child with them on the trip. The little girl's name is
Emily and the boy is Garen. They raced ahead of most of us
up the Great Wall. They are both adorable children. The
Great Wall covers miles and miles of the landscape. There are
towers every so often that were used to send up smoke signals
to call warriors together in the event of attack. As I climbed
the stairs I was aware of how hard my heart was working. It
beat heavily in my chest and I had to make stops every five to
ten minutes. The incline was greater than any I've ever
climbed before. As we climbed the wall we came upon vendors
who has various wares for sale. It was sad how desperate
some of them were to make a sale. If you made eye contact
with them or responded at all they would follow you, talk
incessantly and offer to reduce their initial price. I wished I
had bought one thing I saw. One gentleman was a engraving
marble with what looked like a primitive tool and a mallet. He
was an unbelievable craftsman carving images of the Great
Wall on marble squares as he sat outdoors in the cold air. The
temperature was pretty cold this day but tolerable. I wore my
winter coat and my insulated mittens. Of course the hard
work we had to do to walk up the wall heated us up quite a bit!
Pete definitely tolerated the climb better than I. I was really
happy we didn't have the baby this day! As I stood at the top
of the wall and looked out I had the feeling I get sometimes
of being emotionally wide open, soulful and inspired. I get the
same feeling in other beautiful places of solitude but this one
was very special. The weather was incredibly foggy and
humid. The pictures we took capture some of the beauty of
this place but you can't have that universal kind of "Zen
moment" as I did standing there feeling the power of mankind
and the beauty of a unique part of the universe. On our way
down from the top a young girl and her Asian family asked
(sign language of sorts) if they could take a picture with me.
For some Asian people who live in more isolated areas they
hardly ever see someone "white" in person. I of course said
"Yes," and several pictures were taken. Then Pete came down
the hill and they asked him to pose with them too! It was a
sweet experience on top of an ethereal one! I wouldn't have
missed the experience.
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Looking out from the Great Wall on this foggy February day.
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View around the Great Wall from a look-out window on the wall.
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Some of our group and tour guide Peter (center) climbing the Great Wall.
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Moment of solitude at the top of the Great Wall.
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One of the vendor areas on the Great Wall.
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Peter smiling for the Asian visitor's picture.
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