China and the Great Wall, The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.

 All through school I remember seeing history books with the Great Wall of China in them.  Well Pam and I took a tour of the wall, however as normal I didn't want to go the way 98% of the tourist go.  We took an optional tour that added a 5K hike to the wall, the brochure didn't say it was a 36% grade uphill the entire way on a rock and grave path. This didn't enrich my relationship with Pam! Once we got to the wall we had to climb over the outer part of the wall using a tree as the ladder to get on it.  Walking another 2K on the wall how BIG this thing is.

After a day of rest from the wall, we toured The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square which we had an equal number of steps (25k) as the wall, but they were on level ground.  These two places are side-by-side, and you need more than one day to visit both, because there is so much history to them.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

   

  

Korea and the DMZ

 Going to the DMZ in South Korea reminds me that peace that we have in America should be taken for granted.  We were in Seoul South Korea for 6 days and took two tours focusing on the Korea War, but we also eat with and visited today's young Koreans.  Everyone keeps the war in back of their mind and can't forget it may restart anytime.