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"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." -- Dolly Parton

270--China: The Great Wall @ CherieSpotting     Jan 06 2005 - 11:10 PST cherie writes: Shi Huangdi, a Qin Emperor, began constructing China’s Great Wall in 221 BC. It is the only man-made object that you can see from outer-space. Cost of Visa to get into China: $50 Cost of over-night sleeper train to Beijing: $65 Cost of a day-tour to see the Great Wall: $24 Cost of a bottle of “Great Wall” red-wine: $6 Seeing the Great Wall dusted with snow and drinking a bottle of wine with a friend (Scott) that you’ve known over half your life...priceless. The greatest thing about seeing the Great Wall in winter is that no one else is there. We had an entire section of the Wall to ourselves. We climbed up to a rampart and opened a bottle of wine with our new Italian friends Lucia and Gabriella. Everything was perfect until a Chinese guard came down and started barking at us in Chinese. No one understood him. But he seemed angry. I translated for the rest of our gang. “The guard says: ‘He’s sorry, we look like nice tourists, but he is going to have to take us to jail for drinking wine on the Great Wall.” I said. We tried to figure out what the guard was saying, but eventually we just gave up and gave him a glass of wine. Maybe he was pissed off because we hadn’t offered him any wine before? He gladly accepted the beverage and we all drank together. I didn’t think it was possible, but at that moment, the day became even more perfect. We figured out his name was “Wow.” For a few moments the five of us watched in silence and let the magnitude of the moment hit us. The wine warmed us as we inhaled the incredible landscape and let the hours quietly slip by until we returned to busy Beijing. Many consider the Great Wall one of the 7 Wonders of the World. Once a teacher asked her students what they would choose as the 7 Wonders of the World. One little girl took a long time to respond, and then finally wrote her own list of the 7 Wonders: 1. to see, 2. to hear, 3. to touch, 4. to taste, 5. to feel, 6. to laugh, and 7. to love. I think that little girl is right. Maybe the Great Wall is #8. Click on each picture to see it full size. read comments (1) | write comment| views: 4459    | rated: 0.0    printer-friendly version   Scott and Cherie drinking red wine on the Great Wall with a Chinese guard named Wow. That little X is Cherie on China's Great Wall. The guards are so stiff, they are almost like stone. China's version of the stairmaster. Do these steps ever end? The higher we go, the more magnificent the view. He doesn't even crack a smile. Damn Communists! Gabriele, a new Italian friend. Seeing the Great Wall dusted with snow is a sight I'll never forget. A wave from Scott. The Great Wall is 6,350 kilometers long and goes from Jiayuguan to Shanhaiguan. Cherie and Scott with a bottle of "Great Wall" red-wine. Ever drink a glass of red-wine out of plastic cups in the middle of winter with a Chinese guard? Cheers to our new Italian friends Gabriele and Lucia. Great Wall wine on the Great Wall. The corniest things in life are often the best. This guard either wants to take us to jail, or join us for a drink. Luckily it was the latter. The Great Wall. Scott and Lucia. How do Chinese guards stay warm in winter. Easy, one girl on each side. Part of the Wall crumbling down. The best thing about the Great Wall in winter is NO OTHER PEOPLE. Scott and the Great Wall. Cherie on the Great Wall. Cherie and Scott. We've been friends since our days at Fountain Valley High School where we met in our English class at age 16. Walking down is easier than up. Scott and Cherie stop for a rest. The Great Wall is a symbol for China. He's frozen hard as a rock. This guy died thousands of years ago and people are still throwing money at him. Don't sribble on the cultural relic.