Ancient China

After a Chinese girl beckoned for me to take a picture with her, and I smiled for the selfie, I looked over to our guide.

“Blonde hair?” I asked.

She grinned and nodded. “You will be very popular here.”

We were just inside the gates of the Forbidden City, a monster of an imperial dwelling layered with enormous courtyards paved with 600 year-old stones. Our guide led us through all of them, ending in the concubines’ garden. By this time, we had been asked by three other girls for photos. Apparently the tall bearded man with me was also a curiosity to the people of China.

Next stop : lunch. Jacob and I walked through a buffet of beef, chicken, rice, and steamed buns, sitting at a table amongst French, possibly Spanish, and other foreign families for a quick meal. Sharing a bottle of Coke that we didn’t finish, so were told to leave in the fridge for future customers.

The Great Wall. Mountains of China – from the pages of my old National Geographic book. Silent dark green giants enveloped in mist. Perfect climbing weather. Especially for steps that edged towards vertical in some of the twisting wall up the side of the mountain. When I saw Chinese folks of all ages panting for breath, I wasn’t sure I was an optimal candidate for the climb myself. But we survived, pretty easily. No ten-foot high chain-link fences, no bars in the suicide windows. This was not an American style tourist attraction. Authentic ancient China. Beautiful. Even managed to avoid the vertigo as we recessed, returning to the van just before the rain. But not before Jacob was grabbed by another Chinese family for a photo. Guess it’s not only American men who admire The Beard.