- April 5, 2014
- 2:46 am
- Mary Ann McGrath
- no comments
A Great Day on the Great Wall
Near the conclusion of our two-week stay in Beijing we ventured out of the city for a morning on the Great Wall. No visit to China is complete without spending time gazing in awe and climbing this made-made wonder. At one time it stretched approximate 5,500 miles across China and is over 2,000 years old. Our trip was especially appreciated, because after several days of hazy skies, the horizon cleared and we enjoyed our invigorating adventure with a blue sky framing our panoramic views. Here is our Intercontinental MBA Group atop the Great Wall
In the spirit of transparency, I will admit that we did not exactly climb the Great Wall. As busy MBA students taking multiple courses,we could not afford the time for a leisurely walk up the several hundred stairs. We took a ski-lift to the top and spent our time climbing on the wall. There are several towers that afford breath-taking views of the mountainous area. Towers are at various intervals and also available for scaling and viewing. The top of the wall is not flat, but rather multilevel, so the casual walker is constantly going either up or down. The stairs themselves are a challenge — with either very shallow or extremely steep risers. This is nothing like the Xi’an City Wall, where we rode bicycles. Coming down was really fun — we descended the wall on a toboggan slide. That was memorable!
We have carried our Loyola Chicago school mascot, Lou Wolf, on all of our foreign residencies. He has been photographed in South Africa, Chile and now accompanies us to China and Southeast Asia. Yes, Lou made it to the top of the wall. He has become quite a traveler and would have airline status if he were enrolled in a frequent-flier program. Here is his photo — waving hello to all his Loyola friends back in Chicago.
We are leaving the Beijing on Sunday and heading for Hanoi, Vietnam. We want to thank the staff at the Beijing Center not only for their kind hospitality, but also for all the guidance they have provided as we have learned about and navigated this complex and dynamic country.
Mary Ann