The Great Firewall

It looks like I might have been able to get around the Blogspot blockade in China if I had taken the time to do a little more research. Quite frankly, sitting in my hotel room doing web research wasn't my first choice for spending my limited time in a fascinating country where you can smell the progress all around you.

The comments in this blog post (especially #6 & #16) give some insight how to get around the government's somewhat lame attempt at blocking content. Another post and comments from 2004 & 2005 indicates that the blockade seems to come and go rather frequently. BTW, I love the phrase "The Great Firewall of China."

The Great Wall was overrun by vendors trying to sell you their stuff. Capitalism is alive and well in China. They haul their goods up and down the wall every day in order to provide you with a shopping experience at every "resting place" along the way. Where we climbed it was a heck of an incline. I suspect that the vendors are in pretty good shape, as are most of the people in China. Visiting the Great Wall was not one my trip highlights as I expected it to be. Still glad I went there, but it was one of the few times that I really felt like I was in a tourist trap.