Yesterday we had a great last day in China with a trek to the Great Wall. We also visited the Ming Tombs, a jade factory, and a cloisonne factory, but the Great Wall really stood out. It is still one of the coolest places I have ever been. This was a section of the Great Wall that I have not previously visited. I believe it was the Juyongguan section. While this is a bit of a simplification, this section is basically a short loop that starts with many steps going straight up. The steps keep going, and going, and going. Certainly Jinshanling and Simatai have plenty of hills and steps, but I must say that Juyongguan wins in terms of pure and unrelenting climbing. It was great. There are lots of great Touts as the Roberts Fellows all made it to the top and I've put lots of photos below. Thanks to some delays at the airport (mostly spent sitting on the tarmac) we spent all day making our way from Beijing to Kyoto. The trip was long, but uneventful and Kyoto seems like a wonderfully laid back, but clean and efficient city. I look forward to having the opportunity to explore more tomorrow. I'd like to offer a final congratulations to all the Roberts Fellows who overcame the challenge of the Great Wall and made it to the top of the mountain pass (especially Rehanna!). As Mao would say, you are all now heroes!
Touring the Ming Tombs
At the jade factory
Are we going to climb all the way up there?
Not that we were counting, but Kristen and I made it to the top in under 30 minutes.
Success! All the RF14s conquered the Great Wall!
Oh no, the Roberts Fellows are falling off the Great Wall!
Seriously, those were a lot of steps.
Like a lot of steps...
Note, that is only the first tower and not the top
Such a studious group at the airport.
Hello Kyoto!
So that is what a Japanese ham sandwich and egg salad sandwich look like...
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