Am returning from the hike - back in the van. Very happy. Super satisfied.
I liked the Jinghsaling part more than I did the Simatai part. Jinshaling seemed more rugged and true to Earth. Simatai more sophisticated. 8km? I didn't know it. Badaling is the more popular tourist spot which I avoided like plague.
My knee gave trouble last night - I think I walked some 20km and that must've done it. I had the pain even this morning. I've been badly stuck in hikes (recall one excruciating pain in Seattle) bcos of this left knee. So I deliberated and finally decided to a direct to simatai. But when we reached Jinshaling I abruptly changed my mind - just like that. I'm glad I did that. It tells me again and again that I gotto let go and trust my instinct than my rational 2x2 brain. I did the hike quite seamlessly.
There are about 30 gates or so with the 14th one being the highest point. There I bought tea from Mongolean tea seller to celebrate. I paid her 20RMB - the costliest ever but I did so deliberately. You spot several of these tea, coke, beer, cigarettes and tshirt sellers. They first look at me and say - "you want cold water?" Then "you want to buy tshirt" and then " hey where ur from?" - they smile so fully - it's nice.
You can't help but wonder why the Chinese emperors took the elaborate pains to build this wall. Would they have imagined that it'll be like a hot tourist spot a few hundred years later? The gates and the walls are all in ruins. You can drop and fall quite easily anytime. But there is peace here - enormous amount of peace. Mountains all around - lush green valleys - it demands you to drop your thoughts and experience nothingness. It was nice to touch everything - the bricks of the wall, the ground, the steps - you feel connected to an infinite past and everything feels one.
Forget me - I can sense a renewed energy among the other backpackers in the van. I met a farmer from New Zealand who has never travelled all his life and decided to do so now. We were talking business from NextServices to his (dairy and meat) and connected instantly.
I liked our driver too - a thin guy dressed in tight fitting pants and shirt. His pants has a small dragon on the side. He's quite most of the time and speaks when necessary. Very chill.
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