The Simatai section of the Great Wall
has been described as being the most remote
and the most dangerous of the sections
accessible from Beijing. Since Simatai
is also the most difficult section to reach
from Beijing, it is generally not at all
crowded so that you can wander and enjoy
the mystery of the wall in solitude.
The Great Wall snakes its way over jagged peaks,
sometimes becoming quite narrow. I had been
walking along the wall for close to two hours
when I encountered a guard warning that I could
go no further. The wall narrowed too much and
the cliffs on either side were too steep for
people to climb in safety. Beyond the guard
the wall climbed the jagged mountaintops, ascending
into the mists and making this ancient wonder
even more dramatic. |
