Great Wall of China at Jinshanling and Simatai

http://www.kinabaloo.com/simatai_great_wall.html
SiMaTai Great Wall, 120 km northeast of Beijing, is 5.4 km long with 35 beacon towers. Simatai Great Wall is known for its steepness, Ruggedness and beauty                                                                                                   

SiMaTai is densely dotted with watchtowers; the nearest two are only 44m apart. The walls are in single, double and trapeze forms and the watchtowers are sometimes round in shape and composed of 2 or 3 floors. Even the roofs of the towers are diverse: some are flat, some cymbi form and some domical shapes.

There are two springs called the 'Mandarin Duck Springs' at the foot of SiMaTai Great Wall. The east one is cold, while the west is warm. The 2 springs join into one lake so half the lake is cold and the other half is warm. In winter, hot steam rises from the lake, forming a marvelous spectacle.

SiMaTai Great Wall is separated into two parts (east and west) by a valley. The west part is relatively gentle with 20 well-preserved watchtowers. The east part is steep and precipitous with 15 watchtowers on the 1000 m high peaks, making a journey you will never forget.

Great Wall China 2008

A three hour bus from Beijing to Jinshanling, and then a 3 hour hike over 30 Towers to Simatai.
Next Day I went from Simatai up to the very top...Tower 10

http://M-carstairs.com/travel

http://www.squidoo.com/GreatWallChina

 

The Great Wall stands as a symbol of the dauntlessly indomitable spirit of the Chinese people in Ancient Times. Today it is a tourist Attraction that draws adventurers and sightseers to experience this awesome Wonder of the World.

The Towers were sturdy and strongly built of thick stone. Five thousand kilometers like a gigantic dragon winding its way across China, with many of its sections and passes now designated as Key national Cultural Sites.

Each main area divided into smaller areas with a turret window in each section, which would have been manned by soldiers in the past. A small staircase led up steep steps, to the parapet, from which one could get a 360 degree view over the land.

There were steps up to the tower and down from the tower.

The walking path ran alongside the wall in most places, and you can see it quite clearly. The tour guide told us there were 1000 steps from where we started, to the wall, when he suggested we take the chair lift to the top, at the beginning of the tour. Because of the weather in January, and also the time element of the tour, we chose the faster pulley up to the Wall, so we could spend the entire time walking the wall.

There are many stories written about the Great Wall, but the one that I like best is the fact that it was called the Wall of Tears, as so many lost their lives in the creation of this World Wonder. The faith and heart of the Chinese is very strong here. They considered it an honor to die in the course of serving their Emperor. Many died from the hard life they left, and were just buried under the wall itself making this the "Wall of Tears".

When you stand and marvel at the feat of construction, spare a thought for the workers who toiled so hard to build this Fantasy.

Yes, it is a very memorable wall and if walls tell stories, there is a story here with each stone.
It is a wonderful Physical and Spiritual Experience to Walk the Wall.

Maggi Carstairs 2006