Dandong is the home to the Eastern-most portion of the great wall. My overwhelming first impression was...hmmm.. for an ancient landmark, this looks really new. I asked my driver about it, and his reply, with the little English he knows, was "every year, they repair, and it becomes new".
Rebuilt or just well preserved, either way it was still pretty cool. Some really steep steps to get to the top, but an amazing view once I got there.
From the top tower you can see well into North Korea. And its a pretty desolate place. Frozen mud fields and farmers sawing big blocks of ice out for frozen rivers
After walking the length of the wall, we stopped in the adjacent little museum and woke up the curator, who then turned on the heat and lights and showed us around. Lots of spear points and weapons, but nothing too remarkable. Until we stepped outside and I asked my driver what was written on a small sign near a pathway leading away from the museum. He said, " It says that the North Korean border is just a couple of meters in this direction". So we started down the path, me anxious to check off my first visit to the axis of evil. Not far down the path we came to these large, T-shaped structures covered in barbed wire...which I was sure represented an unguarded portion of the border
I bravely stuck my foot beyond the fence and took a picture, certain I had struck a blow for freedom and democracy.
And then discovered another sign on our way back, that when translated, ready "North Korean border 100m"...sure enough, across the canal and through the trees we could see a white 10' high wall. At which point I recognized that the story of my brave infiltration of the hermit kingdom was to be a little less impressive than hoped.
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