CHENGTAO XIAOZHU FOLK INN, GUBEIKOU – The path was so steep and narrow, it wasn’t safe for children…
There was a 30-foot drop into the forest on either side.
The wind was so strong it came over the wall like the draft from a freight train, whistling through the stones and tugging at our coats. I feared it might blow Penny (7) over the edge…
We had to turn back.
Penny (front and center) wasn’t too concerned about the strong winds threatening to blow her over
International Wolf Pack
We’re having the greatest time of our lives! We’re completely relaxed, we’re having incredible experiences, the kids are learning so much about the world, and we’re doing everything together, like a little wolf pack.
Today, we visited the Great Wall.
We chose a “wild” section of the wall. They haven’t restored it or maintained it. It was just as the sentries left it 300 years ago.
The only tourist facility was a man selling pears from a cart.
The wall is four stories high and only a few feet wide. To get to the base of the wall, we had to climb a mountain. Then we had to scramble up a stone staircase to get onto the wall.
We hiked along it for several hours, exploring the crumbling watchtowers and watching the sunset. Then it got too rugged and steep…
Behind the Wall
If you ever get a chance to visit the Great Wall, I suggest you avoid the restored sections where the tourists go.
Do what we did instead. You’ll be transported back in time, as you would be if you were exploring a derelict castle or watching Game of Thrones. And winter is coming here…
Today, the trees were orange and red. The wind had a cold edge that burned our ears. It really amplified the experience…
The leaves are changing colors, and the wind burned our ears along the Great Wall… Winter is coming…
That’s when I started thinking about the slaves and forced laborers who built this wall.
They must’ve carried these heavy stones on their backs, up the mountainside and onto the narrow rampart, the freezing wind howling around them, in their rags and sandals, in this desolate land far from home.
One slip on the ice or a loose rock and…
Legend has it they sometimes left the bodies in the wall.
As the sun fell toward the horizon and the wind whistled in the old stones, we turned for home…
– Tom Dyson
P.S. They built the Great Wall in sections over 2,000 years. But the medieval-looking stone fortification we know today as “The Great Wall” was built between 1368 and 1644 A.D. and stretched 4,000 miles.
Since the fall of the wall 300 years ago, “Chinese intellectuals tended to view the wall as a colossal waste of lives and resources,” writes the Smithsonian, “that testified less to the nation’s strength than to a crippling sense of insecurity.”
Hundreds of thousands of men died building the wall in the Middle Ages. In the 1960s, Mao’s Red Guards even destroyed sections of it in disdain.
FROM THE MAILBAG
In the mailbag today, a helpful tip from Tom about gold coins… And kind thoughts from readers for Tom and family…
Reader question: I enjoy reading about your journeys, but wish there was more to them!
I have six numismatic gold coins in sealed plastic. How do these compare in value to the bullion?
Tom’s response: Your coins are more valuable than gold bullion. The holders should have the name of the company that graded them. You can call that company and get a quote.
Reader comment: Just had to say I’m loving every minute of the journey you take with Kate and the children. Always a daily highlight to see your mail arrive in the inbox and a real pleasure to read.
I’m only just starting to look at investments, though I have been an avid reader of Jeff [Brown] and Bill [Bonner] for a good year or so. Keep your emails coming, and I’ll be taking a “conservative” plunge into the markets and gold soon.
Reader comment: I’m with the other reader: “Kate” is better than “ex-wife”! I, too, look forward to your daily dose of information from the lands afar.
Reader comment: I am an 85-year-old retired Boeing worker who is really wishing that I would have had the guts to do something like you and your family are doing. I look forward to reading your postcards every day!
Reader comment: I wanted you to know, I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED your sharing your life story about “how fatherhood should be”! I was very touched, and super impressed with the transformation that occurred when you immersed yourself in your life with your children!
As a grandmother, (I am now 71 years old), I have a lot of life experience under my belt. So I feel I am “entitled” to say, it is only those deep connections with the people in our lives, family or otherwise… that will be WHAT MATTERS MOST… and will be remembered… in the end. Only that!
Great job, sir!
Tom’s response: Thanks for the kind notes. Messages like these make our day. Kate and I read every one, so please keep ’em coming at [email protected].
I’ll never reveal your identity or include any potentially identifying details if I decide to publish them.