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Beijing - Part 2

Ok, I'm a bigger procrastinator than I thought possible. Day 3 of 9.

We visited the Ming Tombs and climbed the Great Wall on the 3rd day of our trip. The Ming Tombs are similar to the Egyptian Valley of the Dead, with the remains of 13 Ming emperors that ruled China from 1409 to 1644 buried there. The Ming Tombs were ravaged by the Red Army during the Cultural Revolution to show that the royalty was overly decadent even in death. Hence, all that remains of the once magnificant crypt are replicas. Such a great pity; so many national treasures lost. Also, part of the treasures were pillaged by the marauding French Army. Which brings about the biggest tragedy of all: a lot of China's art and historical artifacts can be found in Western museums, and the China tourists have to go out of China to view such artifacts.

The other amazing thing about the Ming Tombs is its architecture. With the high arching walls, voices are carried all around and there's a coolness that permeates the place. One of the highlights is this amazing door that used to guard the entrance to the Emperor's tomb. It is incredibly heavy and almost impossible to move; apparently, one tomb was blast open unceremoniously because the soldiers couldn't move the door. But there's this catch in the door that when fitted with a key, swings the doors open with amazing ease. More Chinese ingenuity.

But definitely, the day was meant for the unforgettable Great Wall. Seriously, seeing the pictures and being there are 2 complete events. The structure stretches for miles and miles, and covers the mountain. We only climbed one portion, but I was out of breathe by the time I reached the top. However, I took 25 minutes to scale that portion of the Great Wall and hence, am immensely proud.

But the thing is, I was nearly humiliated by this old dude in my tour group, Mr Ng. Now, Mr Ng is 70+ and definitely no spring chicken. No doubt, he got a headstart and was like 2 flights of steps ahead of me, but he was relentless and kept pushing forward. Tirelessly. And there I was, huffing and puffing away, and he was like taking a bloody stroll through the park. So to avoid being outclimbed by an old man 3 times my age, I summoned my energies and overtook him in the end. I know, I know, beating an old man ain't no glorious thing...

But I took a picture at the top of the Wall to celebrate being the 1st 2 people up the Wall.

You know what? When I reached the final 10 steps, I felt like Rocky running up the Capital Building. I nearly burst into the Rocky theme song. I was THAT proud.