My 6th of 7 Wonders of the World finally came to fruition on Saturday, March 1, 2025. Our tour group of 16 foreigners (2 Canada, 5 England, 2 Ireland, 2 Switzerland, 2 Greece & 3 USA) left downtown Beijing at 8am en route to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China.
Spanning over 4,163 miles, this construction marvel was started in the 9th century BC & the only manmade structure visible from space. It is now a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site that has 2500km open for hiking between watchtowers 1-20.
Little did I know my epic day in the making almost had a disastrous outcome. In China, a passport must be swiped at every major area of importance & readily available for inspection. So as we boarded the outbound bus, my OCD kicked in & I just happened to recheck my travel wallet to physically touch my passport again (which supposedly I thought I had already done twice). IYKYK a travelers’ worst nightmare is misplacing this crucial document & mine was NOT in its trusty safe place. Sheer panic poured all over my face & seeped into every ounce of my being, as I raced back up to my room to scrounge through all my belongings. Fortunately, all peace was restored when I found my key to the world tucked into my sweatshirt pocket from our excursion to the bustling street market the night prior.
So the journey can continue……
Most of our group chose to ride the short ski-like tram to the wall barrier & I quickly trudged upward to climb as much as possible in our 4 hour visit. I was pleasantly surprised by the mini/half steps making the ascent semi-tolerable at a slow pace. As I made it to the double digit towers, the crowds started to dissipate & I could truly be in the moment.
Pinch me. Could it be real that I’m actually in the remote mountains in China, 13 hours ahead & away from my daily life? A tear actually surfaced as I realized the magnitude of this moment. It is truly amazing the places you can go & the dreams you can make a reality with a little extra grit & belief in oneself. I don’t possess an off switch nor do anything half ass…. this is one of those defining days!
And to conclude this momentous occasion, I chose the thrill ride down on a toboggan slide pulling into the station with my hair on fire & smiling ear to ear!
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