I don't really believe in luck. Though, I suppose if you were to press me, I'd have to say that I'm a fairly lucky individual. I do, however, believe in karma a little bit. And because I am so fortunate to be able to travel to so many interesting places around the world, it's all got to balance out somehow.
Unfortunately, it was my karma to be saddled with very, very bad weather for my trip to The Great Wall of China this afternoon. I tried to look on the bright side and say "hey, it may be raining buckets and I can't see much because of the fog... but I am here at The Great Wall of China, and that's not too bad."
But it wasn't easy to be very convincing.
It was a pretty big disappointment that I could only see small pieces of The Wall at a time, instead of being able to look out and see it stretching to the horizon. I mean, when I dreamed of visiting here all these years, this spooky visage wasn't exactly what I had in mind...
Oh well, I would rather have seen it wet and foggy than never at all. The big picture here is that I've finally stood upon The Great Wall of China, and that IS something...
I guess this means I am one step closer to death now.
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I love the mysticism of these photos Dave. We’ve all seen the ribbon of wall that leads to infinity but I think these show us mystery. They’re fantastic.
Looks like you hit what the Irish would call a “soft day”.
I think the bad weather made the photos more dramatic. That glass really is half full, kid!
The glass is ALWAYS half-full… we just have to choose to see it that way. 🙂
really enjoying your pics dave…and nice that you included yourself in one!
thank you
So wait, you haven’t seen the Veronica Mars premiere?
I mean, Great Wall, ok, but…
I know SO much cool stuff you don’t know! Unless you’re cheating and reading on the Internet, which you definitely should not do!!!
🙂
I have not seen the latest Veronica Mars, but I have it waiting for me on my TiVo back home. I am anxious to see it, of course, and having to wait a few more days is killing me! Oh well. China is proving to be a lovely distraction…
Oooh, who took the pictures? Nice hair cut! 🙂
I much prefer foggy, mood-evoking photos to the standard tourist shots. You got a gift today, Dave2: You stood on the Great Wall of China, and the skies cried tears of happiness on you.
Looks like you went to Badaling.
I am so jealous, it looks like you are having a blast of a time.
The Great Wall is one of the wonders of the world.
Take it easy AND BE GOOD!!
I am totally drenched in this photo… my hair included, so my haircut isn’t exactly fit for public consumption Ben! The photo was taken by a couple of girls that I met on the way up in the cable cars. We ended up hanging out for the rest of the trip.
It’s tough to tell from these fog-laden photos Larry, but it’s not Badaling (hey, it could be ANYWHERE!). I didn’t want to go to Badaling because I was told it is overflowing with tourists and crazy-frantic with hundreds of busses dropping off a bazillion people. Instead I went to Mutianyu, which is a bit further on. I would have gone even further to Simatai, which is supposed to be even more stunning, but the crumbling conditions paired with my bad leg and fear of heights made Mutianyu a safer choice!
Great photos, Dave.
Just promise you won’t die before watching Veronica Mars and certainly not before DM in November.
Mars was a pretty good episode. Can’t wait for Season 1 on DVD so I can get the backstory.
Since you also went to the Ming Tombs, which are practically next door to Badaling, I just assumed. At Badaling, the buses literally drive through a tunnel in the wall.
Mutianyu looks like it was a better choice from your subsequent photos.
I think it’s incredible that you go to go. Very cool, and gorgeous pictures. I like foggy day pictures, so mysterious.