The Great Wall

Climbing The Great Wall was my No. 1 priority on the tourist side of things when I came to China. Now, it's complete.

The Wall was everything I imagined it would be. It is nestled in the mountains of China and every way you look when you are at the Wall is amazing. Fortunately, the day we went was the first day there was a blue sky and it gave us a great backdrop for photos.

Everyone knows about the Wall but to see how massive it is and the slopes that it is built on is extraordinary. Think about walking up Chauncey Hill at Purdue. Multiply that by 10 and try building an enormous wall on it, THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO! It is absurd to think about what it took to build the Wall. No machines, no modern tools, none of those things. Man-power was the only tool the Chinese had.

A great aspect of the Wall is that it is original. This isn't some manufactured tourist attraction made by someone. It is authentic. It is the most impressive man-made object in the world.