the great wall

the morning was misty. the arduous climb felt like the combination of a dream and trial of strength, hiking up to the Great Wall, the longest and most time-consuming ancient defense system, taking over 2,000 years to construct, a length of 6,300 kilometers. this piece of the wall was not restored and not easily found, and I was undeniably exultant to have reached this path that felt so close to heaven. to end my final day in Beijing, I feasted my eyes on a traditional Chinese Opera and my palate on Peking duck. both proved most appetizing.