I am here: 39 48.065 N 98 12.876 E at 1743m as of 04/07/2013 http://maps.google.com/maps?q=loc:39.80109,98.21461
It isn't everyday that you get to go to the western end (start) of the Great Wall. Today I did.
The Great Wall.
It is something which everyone knows about - it is probably something which is taught to school kids.
Today I had chance to visit the western end of The Wall, which unlike the eastern end (something I'll probably visit when I'm in Beijing) it is calm and relatively free of tourists. (The pictures I've seen of the other end of the wall makes it look like Oxford Street at Christmas.)
There is an interesting museum too and whilst most of the info is in Chinese, there is enough in English to understand what you're looking at - the history of The Wall, how is was made, construction and how it varies in places, the guards and some great pictures of it too.
It has been a real thrill to be here today.
