Lots and Lots of Pictures of the Great Wall of China and Megan For Her Parents Because She's Been Gone For So Long!

This is what awesome Chinese students look like!  Her name is Jackie Elyse.  She offered her car and driver when I casually asked if anyone in the class could help me put a trip together to the Great Wall

for Megan--a friend, former student, daughter of good friends, fellow knitter and traveler--who had a 72 hour layover in Beijing on her way home (via the British Isles and Europe) after several months  in Thailand!!

This is how you get up,

and this is how you get down!!

 This is how you sign your family's brand on a designated graffiti wall in one of the towers.

 I'll not be skimpy on the photos here because the Great Wall is wildly diverse and unique in its twists and turns.  You need to get the full picture!

Can you even imagine a marathon here...??

The day was absolutely perfect in every way--the sky, the air--everyone was so festive.  Lucky lucky tourists to catch this day.  Don't let this sober little face fool you.  She was doing a happy dance inside!

This group of Norwegian traveling students happily let a stunning redhead round out their photo.

Sans Chinese??????  Yup.  Take it quick!!!!

Part of a little weekend hiking group we chatted with as they ate their lunch--20 kids and a handful of adults who take them hiking every weekend.  How cool is that?

More hikers.  The crowd was surprisingly thin--just perfect.

I helped Megan write a lifelist when I was her freshman English teacher 10 years ago.  We're both curious to read it again and see if "Go to the Great Wall of China" is on it!!