An Ancient Manmade Marvel Visible from Space - Time Out #338

My bride of 40-plus years, Lady Deborah and I, traveled "outside the proverbial box" a few years back, when we traveled far, far away, to mainland Asia. We visited the world's most populous (1,411 billion) country, The People's Republic of China, also a true communist nation. Our travel company was Viking River Cruises, the second time we had used them. Our first Viking experience was a 14-day European river cruise through 4 countries, taken several years before our China adventure. Viking is an excellent travel choice, whether your interests are river or ocean cruises. I would recommend them, fellow travelers in Our Town and far beyond.

We were gone from home about 3 weeks, and near the conclusion of this incredible trip, my bride and I visited our 3rd member of the "New 7 Wonders of the World" list. I have previously written about our visits to Chichen Itza, Mexico, and the Colosseum, Italy.

Our tour of China's ancient Great Wall was experienced when we were staying in our final tour city, Beijing (population 22 million), the huge country's capital city.

Our Viking tour bus transported our traveling group of about 40 guests (mostly Americans) about an hour driving time (50 miles northwest of the city center) to the most-visited by tourists, Badaling Section of the Great Wall, the closest part to Beijing. This particular section has been visited by U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, along with the United Kingdom's Margaret Thatcher. Our Viking group had several hours to climb (it is 16'5" tall) the structure's steps, and walk the ancient pathway along the top.

The Great Wall is a collection of fortifications constructed at various times, possibly dating to the 7th century BC. The best known sections were constructed during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). In total, the Great Wall was composed of 10,051 wall sections, totaling 13,170 miles in length. It is truly one of the most impressive architectural feats in world history. It was built to provide protection for northern China against various invading nomadic groups. The section we visited was constructed in 1504 during the Ming Dynasty, and has been well-maintained and preserved. It was opened to tourists in 1957. However, many sections of the historic structure are in ruins or bad disrepair, especially in the western part of China.

So, here we were, Ms. Debbie and I, walking along the incredible wall. I was trying my hardest to soak in a myriad of feelings about something I had only dreamed about visiting for my entire life. However, what I didn't imagine was the small crowd of Chinese nationals that my bride and I attracted with every step we took along the elevated walkway. The simple reason for our popularity was beside our Viking travel group, who had scattered to various sites along the huge wall, Debbie and I were obviously "foreigners". China attracts few outside visitors. My bride and I were an absolute oddity to the many Chinese tourists gathered around us. None of the Chinese tourists spoke English, but that didn't stop them wanting their pictures taken with us. Simply put, we were treated like "celebrity rock stars" while on the iconic structure. Our presence and the human attention it created, was certainly an unusual experience for us, to say the least! We walked through a couple of the Watch Towers (observation posts), positioned on the Wall, and attracted Chinese crowds in those compact areas, too.

After several hours raced by, our Viking tour bus was ready to take us back to Beijing. As we were returning to our Ritz-Charlton Hotel, my mind was speed- processing all I had seen and experienced at the Great Wall of China. Then and today, my thoughts of that truly special place, almost half way around the earth from Our Town, are utterly priceless.