Here are some answers to questions submitted recently to the blog.
We would like know if the writing on the blocks of the Great Wall are graffiti or are they signs such as no smoking or prayer or ???
There are signs warning of steep steps, do not write on the wall and, no nusiance but most of the carvings are peoples initials and others types of writing.
How far did you walk along the Great Wall? You say that you walked two towers – about how far might that be?
We walked somewhere about 1/4 to 1/2 of a mile. Its hard to say exactly because we kept stopping to take pictures and even though we walked for about 45 minutes the wall gets very steep in sections and you have to walk slowly up and down it. Also the section of the wall we walked on was very crowded.
What happens if you walk too far and cannot walk back? Can you sleep on the wall?
The wall has no real place to stop and rest. Many people just stopped walking and sat down or leaned against the side to rest for a while. I would not imagine that you could really find room on the wall to stop long enough to sleep.
Do the Guards on the wall move?
There are some guards on the wall now but there are many security cameras watching out over the crowd of people walking the wall. I only saw a few guards and they were mostly near each tower.
One student would like to know if the parents liked strangers taking pictures of their children. Also, do people stop and ask to take our picture?
Many people have stopped to ask us to take pictures with them. We have not yet met a parent who has objected to us taking their child’s picture. Many times while we are taking pictures of children, Chinese people are taking pictures of us!