| This morning we boarded our bus for an all-day drive to
Wuwei. Our Chinese bus driver honked his horn constantly to warn
pedestrians, donkey-carts, camels, and other vehicles of our presence
(the other vehicles did the same). The road alternated between
smooth tarmac and bumpy dirt detours. It was so hot and dry we
thought our spit evaporated before hitting the ground. We drove over
an asphalt road section that had melted, leaving a rough gravel
track. We drove through blinding sand storms - thick as any English
fog. When it cleared we passed forts, towers, and long sections of
the Great Wall that are 2,000 years old. Most interesting is the
fact that no one seems to bother with these old relics. They sit
mutely in the sun, unlabeled, no fanfare, almost anonymous. We guess
China has too many old structures to take care of each one. The
Great Wall itself runs through fields, villages, and is cut by roads.
It's not a continguous wall all the way to Beijing (at times it is a
dirt mound or nothing at all). When the Wall appeared and ran along
the road we were thrilled to drive by history. |
