The GREAT WALL of CHINA!!!

All the tours to the Great Wall were very expensive, so we made it our mission to make it to the Great Wall on our own.  By very expensive, we mean around $40 per person. (We are on a serious budget here.)  We heard rumors of "fake" public buses that claim they are taking you to the Great Wall and then make you get off in the middle of nowhere where their taxi friends are parked.  These "fake" buses even have the same bus numbers as the legitimate buses with drivers wearing the official public transportation uniforms.  Navigating the chaos of legitimate and fake buses was the last straw for Jeff on our trip.  He hit his breaking point as he screamed expletives at a women trying to drag him to an illegitimate bus.  In the end, we thankfully found the correct bus and we were on our way to the Great Wall.    

On the legitimate bus

Making our way up the hill to the wall.

Inside a watchtower

Shelly & Shelly

Steep climb up the wall

At certain points along the wall, it was so crowded that we could barely move.  There was one watchtower that was so packed with people that it took around 20 minutes to move 20 feet. That was the point we decided to get off the wall.

The wall climbs hills and plunges down valleys as far as the eye can see.

It was a common occurrence for the Chinese people to ask to take pictures with us.  At one point, Shelly was asked to take picture with an entire family.  The mother loaded the children onto her lap while the father put his arm around her.  This was a group of young girls that asked to take a picture with us.  We decided that we should document the event as well. I think we caught them off guard when we asked to take a picture with them.

A very steep descent

A very steep ascent