More about the Great Wall

Exhaustion and frustration with the computer cut my last post short, so I'll finish up with the Great Wall here. When we arrived at our destination (after the 2 hr. bus ride) our "guide" told us to be back at the bus by 1:15 and set us loose. We passed several food stands whose vendors enthusiastically encouraged us to buy bottled water, tea and juice; getting to the actual wall from the parking lot requires a pretty good trek up the side of a mountain. We set out up the concrete steps, enjoying the beautiful scenery as we made our way up. We were happy to finally reach the wall itself, but soon discovered that the wall had slopes and steps as well, following the terrain. I walked around with a Japanese guy and German girl, taking in the view. We were tired and sweaty after just walking about a mile on the wall; it's hard to imagine the manpower that went into building something so huge. The day was pretty hazy, but hopefully some of my pictures will turn out ok.
We took the cable car back down the mountain, not wanting to spend our remaining time (and energy) climbing back down. From the end of the steps back to the parking lot turned out to be an adventure in itself. For about a quarter of a mile at the base of the mountain, there are stalls set up on either side of the road where more vendors try to get the tourists to buy 'soo-vih-nier--s.' They are extremely persistent--I guess you'd have to be to make a living that way--some even stood in our way or thrust t-shirts or chopsticks or statues at us as we passed. Shouts of, "Lady, Lady, you look-look here!!" followed me everywhere. I had a good time trying to bargain with a couple of the vendors; I'm sure they walked away pleased that the foreigner was so bad at bargaining, but I walked away satisfied with my purchases. A few of the stalls sold dried apricots and nuts...after the bus ride there I was hesitant to sample any of that. I finally climbed back onto the bus, tired and sweaty and ready for the ride back so that I could sleep. Even if my pictures don't turn out, it was definitely a memorable experience.