Adventures :)
We got to the Great Wall around seven am - when it was only us and the occasional jogger. The moon was a round cut of cloud high over the mountains, an imperial eye to the dragon’s spine undulating over the peaks.
The steps were tiny, like for children, and the steps were huge, like for giants. (I didn’t envy the joggers.)
We paused often, both to soothe our burning lungs and pose for photos.
The “no admittance” sign was photographed and climbed over, and we began our trek through the scrub brush beyond. After several minutes of winding under the green canopy, we emerged (largely unscathed) on the ruined mound of a tower. A Japanese plane had collapsed it years before.
Climbing onto the roof, we saw before us the entire panorama of the mountains, the folds in their sides like drapery, filled with green wherever it found purchase.
We were on top of the world, watched only by the butterflies.
