Installment 2.4, the Great Wall near Jiayuguan

We had so much fun at the Great Wall!

And, the Great Wall is just too, well... GREAT to put only a brief mention in one post.

Near the new and booming city of Jiayuguan is an old piece of China's proud history. This is the most-intact, western-most fort on the Great Wall, which stretches from the sea at Qinhuangdao more than 4000 miles until it reaches Gansu Province.

We visited the famous "West Jiayu Pass" (in Chinese, Jiayuguan = Excellent Valley Pass) and saw the sights from atop history dating back to the 14th Century. This part of the Wall is also called "The First and Greatest Pass Under Heaven".

The Wall has been restored in many places, and millions of visitors see it every year near Beijing. We have been fortunate enough to see this historical monstrocity near the capital in the east and near (and AT) the end in the northwest of China.

As I mentioned before, you could pay to ride a camel or a small Chinese/Mongolian horse. Mike did both. I (Amanda) was fascinated by the camels, never having seen one so close before.

Check out this first one's expression and "face"! These desert tanks have big, scaly calluses on all four knees, patchy hair, crooked teeth, mean dispositions... they were so interesting! If they weren't so "ugly", they'd be cute!

In the courtyard, men practiced their "gong fu" (kung fu) to the beat of ceremonial drums. Quite striking!

There is a legend surrounding the fort at Jiayuguan. It is said that the official in charge asked the designer exactly how many bricks it would take to complete the project. The designer gave him a number, but the official questioned whether it would be enough. So, the designer added one brick.

When the project was completed, all that remained was ONE brick. That brick was placed loose on the edge of the fort, where it remains to this day. What precision!

And, of course, we've got to put in a team picture! Please think of our teammate as she heads to the States next year. Think also of the great people He will be sending out here to join us next year!