KFC is probably the last thing you think of while heading for the Great Wall – yet that was the very first thing i saw when our bus stopped somewhere at the foot of Badaling.
I swallowed the bitter disappointment and together with thousands of other tourists proceeded forward, towards the wall and… towards even more disappointment. I can’t think of enough synonyms of ‘awful’ to describe the commercialization and banality of the experience, basically it comes down to tickling Chang Cheng off your itinerary, buying kitschy souvenirs and getting the infamous paper which says “I climbed the Great Wall.” Well, i didn’t – i went back to KFC and got myself a coffee.
The Great Wall? You must be kidding, i am from Montenegro, here almost every city is surrounded by a medieval wall of a kind – and Chinese one came across as nothing more than yet another wall…
I am not even sure how Rebecca managed to persuade me to give it another try, yet she did and soon we were on our way to the The Wild Wall, the untouched parts of the fortification… And that’s when it hit me, the realization that i am at one of the most amazing constructions ever built by a man… It is mind blowing and awe inspiring, albeit it’s not “the only human artifact on Earth visible from the moon”, as the legend goes. 😉
“There in the mist, enormous, majestic, silent and terrible, stood the Great Wall of China. Solitarily, with the indifference of nature herself, it crept up the mountain side and slipped down to the depth of the valley. ” W. Somerset Maugham
Lena –
I can certainly understand the off putting feeling about the commercialization of the wall. You did well to find another part of the wall that brought home what it really was! 🙂
Blessings,
Bonnie
Thank you so much, dear Bonnie!
Wow – totally amazing!
Thank you, dearest Dianne!
My mom is a world traveler, and out of the over fifty countries she’s been to, China is one she never wants to go back to see again. Part of it was the crowds and the commercialism, the other was the smog (the the guides at the Great Wall called it “mist”). She much prefers to visit small towns instead of the cities, where she feels she can learn and experience more of a place’s true culture. To her, one large city is like another, except for perhaps the language spoken. Nice pictures of the Wall! (Now suddenly I’m hearing Pink Floyd songs… 🙂 )
OMG, your mom rocks! Yes, smog is AWFUL, i know that foreign sportsmen living in Beijing (football players from Europe concretely), after coupe of years there had lungs like chain smokers! Beijing is unbelievable – the Forbidden city too is a huge disappointment, nothing there – but then you find oasis of peace in the most unexpected spots… Please, send my best regards to your mom and tell her she inspired me for my next entry! xxxx
Lena, these photos are breathtaking and stunning on all levels.
I too am disappointed that the first thing you see is a KFC. Wow, they must be paying oodles of dollars for that spot! Commercialism is everywhere, amazing!
Thank you, dear Judy! OMG, now that think of it – their is a genius marketing move indeed! And you are right, they must be paying proper pretty $$$for that! But indeed, such commercialism is disgusting, i do believe at least such historical of civilizational importance spots should be spared of it… 😦
Wow, your way of telling it… Went right to my heart.
Thank you, dearest Hildegerd! ❤
How’s the coffee? LOL. Great photos of the Great Wall.
Hhahha, GREAT QUESTION! It was AWFUL, like most in China, they are tea drinking culture, so coffee is a no-go… even in KFC! 😀
Haha – the Great Wall didn’t keep out the (capitalist) barbarians after all …