Please welcome guest blogger Sarah from Where's My Toothbrush
I think it’s safe to assume that we all enjoy a good secret. They get us wound up. We lean in and promise to never repeat them.
But there is one problem with me and secrets.
I am absolutely awful at keeping them.
But instead of being so negative, let’s just focus on the appeal of this secret: gaining access to a secret part of the Great Wall of China for less than the price of a night of on the town.
Sure, my hostel’s $5 a night price tag was motivating. But they also offered a clandestine package that included access to a secret part of the great wall. It was secret-keeping for the big leagues.
Perhaps I was expecting the hostel to blindfold me, or even make me pinky -swear.
But really, the only thing that made the trip so secretive was the security guard I had to pass on our way to the wall. No oath of silence. Instead, he simply ducked his head inside our van, let out an exhale of bone-chilling air, and offered some shaky advice.
“If air cold, put body down.”
Sure, a Beijing winter isn’t the most appealing of seasons. But the security guard using “if” made me think that body-clenching winds were only a mere possibility.
I was soon huddled inside one of the few watch towers that spotted this secret portion of the wall. Cursing the wind, I realized I was fighting my way up one of the greatest man-made wonders of the world. Not to mention that I was lucky enough to be exposed to an untouched and unrestored portion of the wall.
Needless to say, my time spent gripping onto decrepit ledges of the Great Wall became the highlight of my time in China.
If you are ever in Beijing, seeking out the secret part of the Great Wall, drive until you see the wall start to dot the skyline. If you pass by a security guard which tells you to "put body down" in times of frost-bitten temperatures, you’ve gone to the right place.
Just don’t tell them that I can’t keep a secret.
