brappy!

unrestored wall section, originally uploaded by brappy!.

We went to the great wall at 司馬台 on Saturday. Simatai is pretty interesting, but the wall is quite a big climb. Fortunately, you'll get your own guide, whether you want one or not. Mine had a unique hatred of Germans, I'm not not sure.

My class was hell-bent on hustling up several mountaintops. After a few towers, I realized that they were increasingly similar, yet harder to reach. Plus, we didn't eat breakfast. What the heck? So, my guide Mrs. Du, and I headed back and we chatted about her family while I tripped on the loose bricks on the way down.

Back at the base, I pulled out my brilliant book, ordered a Yanjing beer, some tea and then chatted with some French people about politics. After I wished them a happy Bastille day, they bought me some beer. After an hour and a half, my class came back, worn out and hungry. I was quite happy with myself (the beer helped my ego) and glad I ate when I did.

On the sleepy bus ride back, I saw perhaps the best blue truck ever! Unlike Taiwan, where blue trucks have four wheels, in the mainland, they often have three wheels - one in front, two in back (the mullet of blue trucks)... I saw one such three-wheeled bizarreness carrying a full load of donkeys in the back! I couldn't stop talking about it. Too bad, I didn't have my camera out... grar!

More photos of the great wall... on flickr, film is being developed presently...