another favourite

And whilst we are doing my favourite tourist places in Shanghai, I have to mention the Urban Planning Exhibition Center. A fantastic mix of left-over heroic communist iconography (and centralist planning) together with some really interesting exhibitions about the history of the city, all wrapped around an atrium containing a massive 3-D model of the city.

more and more Wall

Days 3 and 4 seemed easier in comparison; although still quite testing. Amazing privilege to walk sections of the wall that would not normally have been possible as a tourist, and glorious to be in places where there was no one else. The views from each beacon watchtower were worth all the fear. And even the repaired section still quite empty: what a sight to have all to yourself (well in the midst of a lovely - and often quite rambunctious - group!).

in honour of Mr Lee (2)

I have much to thank our guide for. On the most difficult - and completely scary - section, he let me put my hand on his shoulder and walked me across, not really understanding why I was so stupid but happy to help. I might still be there if he hadn't done that. 

meeting the Wall

Hard to describe the walking - or rather scrambling - along the top of the wall. I knew it would be challenging and much more uneven terrain than the repaired bits you see in tourist photos.  Also knew it went up and down a lot along the summits of a never-ending range of sharp edged and deep-valleyed hills. But was not expecting to clamber over rubble. Or walk across very thin ledges with steep drops to either side. Or negotiating narrow sections and the various scrubby trees and bushes they now support. Or sliding down loose gravel with nothing to hold onto. (All of course, all also either steeply up or steeply down).

And although I had thought about getting fit (and was very happy to keep up with the mainly younger front-runners) for some reason it never quite percolated that walking ton the top of the Great Wall of China involved heights. And that I get vertigo. And worse than I realised.

So pleased someone lent me a walking pole, and really appreciated the willingness of my companions to take it in turns to walk close in front of me on the more terrifying sections, so I could look at their feet rather than over the edge. And turned out to feel like a truly amazing thing to do, exhilarating and meditative all at the same time. 

not the Melbourne Cup (1)

The Melbourne Cup is a pretty big thing here (its a horse race, not a yachting competition as A thought or some kind of Australia-rules football, which is what I imagined). My workplace is right next to the Royal Randwick course which runs a race day at the same time - supported by a giant screen so race-goers can also watch the Big One from Melbourne.

So I spent quite a lot of time trying - and failing - to get a photo of a race here (although the smell of horses from the stables is over-powering, a smell I luckily like).