mutianyu

nothing prevented us from conquering this ancient marvel during our trip to mao's country in january. not even frost bites! the trek to the walls in mutianyu was the main highlight of our quick stop in beijing. although we've seen the forbidden city and temple of heavens, the great wall was by far the one place we all wanted to see. thanks to cath who made sure that our driver john would bring us to mutianyu rather than the tourist-infested badaling section.

well, as all of us know, the great wall is a simple fortification, not at all spectacular in terms of design and grandeur. but what it lacks in design, it makes up on history, extent and its overall significance in chinese heritage. from our dynamic discussions during my social studies class back in 2nd year high school (under the enigmatic ma'am dolores tabura), shih huang ti's engineering feat is really a must-visit. it's one of the seven wonders of the medieval world, and in july 2007, it was also included in the new seven wonders of the world.

we got an english-speaking drive (john) for a breezier trip to the great wall. he brought us to a resto near the walls, which served us fresh fish, altogether a nice but very expensive lunch. we then headed to mutianyu. as it was freezing, i added anothe jacket to my already 4 layered outfit. cathy's hands were already turning violet after applying petroleum jelly for some warmth. mark had his baul-fresh coat. cable car brought us to the top of the mutianyu walls. from there, we walked all the way to the end of the passable section, which are open to tourists. but cathy's old age prevented her from hiking the hundred steps up to the last watchtower of this section.

all in all, this was really a great trip. it could've been better had we got there after the bitter winter. but i guess, it's our way of surprising ourselves - that we can survive frigid atmosphere and still enjoy a trip to a foreign land. next stop, please.