The Wall Again

Outside of the Big City...So a 2hr train ride outside of my new home... offers more views of the Great Wall. This time you can see parts of the wall higher up on the mountain that are un-restored.

Here people aren't to far away- growing crops and living in the wall's shadow.

The browner colored stones are pieces of the original- the grey is where it has been repaired.

A view of the wall, through the wall.

Lots of stairs- quite a hike to the tower.

The mountains were nice.

We didn't make it this far, it was really steep.

This is my travel buddy with the wall.

We weren't alone on the wall...
this couple was out getting their wedding photos taken!

Check out the hazy pollution in the background.

The little grass is having a rest, so you have to be quiet, don't disturb!

Big grass is fine though- they don't take rests!

The wall goes all the way down the mountain into the closest city.

From up on the wall you can see some of the traditional Hu Tong houses.

The Wall

Hello from the Great Wall!Not the clearest day ever but you take what you can get. It's more like a kung fu movie will all the mist.

Heather and I had a great time up here.
The mountain side was really green.


You can see multiply layers as the wall bends and turns.
It stretches all along the mountain ridge.

On a clear day you can see it for miles.

So for those of you who don't know the wall was built by the Chinese to keep out the Mongols- Gingus Khan and all that.

There are tunnels and ladders inside the towers.

The wall it's self isn't that tall but it is four horse widths wide so they could ride horses and have chariots on top.

Pretty much all you do is walk along it and take pictures.

Looking out a window in the wall.

And back down the mountain! No we didn't walk all the way up.

Train Ride

Welcome aboard! So my I moved cities by taking a 41hr train ride (that's 2 days) that covered about 1500 miles. Luckily I did not make the journey alone. It was a little crowded at times.
But we still managed to sleep. (Don't worry this was just nap time, Heather had her own bunk up top to spread out in!)
On this long of a journey I found myself with plenty of time to take pictures.

So I can share with the the beautiful countryside.
And it's people hard at work.
Donkey cart coming up the road.
There were field upon fields out the window.

Usually with people hidden in the grass or walking on the dusty paths.
This is a station (one of many) that we stopped at.
This was our cabin, that's right the crazy foreigners with all their stuff bought an extra ticket for the luggage. Actually it was so we didn't have to listen to spitting and get stared at the whole way, but sure, luggage space was good!
Don't worry- the Olympic friendlies road with us. Can't forget them. (they are everywhere)
This is hallway out side our cabin.

These are some of the dirt houses we passed. Some of their doorways are still decorated from the new year.
Fields right in their backyard.
More workers laboring in the hot sun.
Bikes and carts are the way to get around out here.

Some of the landscape we passed looked a lot like home.
Very western US.

Here you can see our train engine as we turn a corner on the track.What did we do for 2 days? Crossword puzzles,
and cards.

This would be the food cart. The have a dining car but we weren't that brave. We lived off of tuna, pb crackers, and chips. It was a long 2 days!This is the first big city we hit. (took 24hrs to reach it!)More beautiful green fields.Some times the people just seem to blend in.Loaded up donkey hauling back the days work.On some of the mountains we passed you could look close and see the terracing on the hillside where more rice patties are growing.There was also some train side construction. Many people out here have to carry everything to and from.
A shepherd out with his flock.

Hours and hours of squatting and planting, hard work.

A single person works a lot of land.
Some work together.
Industry is never too far as we pass a coal plant.

Loading up to head home for the night.
This guys bags are packed.
Hillside houses.
Scooping fertilizer in the backyard.

So much land, this place is huge. Piling up the straw.Whole families at work.

Here a river runs through the valley.Man and donkey.These are some of the most clever people, this tree is holding poles for later construction.Kids are out with the grandparents.

Corn perhaps, something is growing.Threshing or sorting of some kind. (see how much I know about farming) There seems to be plenty of work of all kinds to get done.

This is my favorite. Check out those stockings. Quite the fashion statement.It really is pretty.Some roadside traffic.

Women do a lot of field work right along side the men. They do a lot of the construction in the cities as well. There is a saying here that women hold up half the sky.

It was a long but interesting journey and we all made it safely into the big city.