They probably both need an explanation. The Phantom (Fantomet in Norwegian) is a cartoon that I have been reading for more than thirty years. The Phantom is a strong masked hero that is tough against the tough. He has dedicated his life to fight against unjust, and has a particular distaste towards pirates. (Not software, but the Jack Sparrow type)
He was my hero when I was young, and he still is off course. That’s because I’m still young.
Knott is a Norwegian candy with small pellet sized yummy sweets. They come in white, grey and brown colour tastes. Norwegians are forever discussing which is their favourite. I like the grey best as they disolve quicker on the tongue.
Getting to the point. My sister and mother brought Knott with them when they visited Beijing earlier this year. And my girlfriend brought The Phantom when I met her in Hong Kong while I was getting a new Visa.
This evening I’m having a Norwegian evening with the cartoon and Knott, and I’m enjoying it a lot!! Many thanks to Tone, mum and Trude for bringing them over!
If you ever want to do some Great Wall walking/climbing, I can recommend this area. It is pretty wild, and the Great Wall often ends up at a high impassable cliff. I have crossed it several times today, but walking the actual Great Wall has been out of the question. The weather has been very nice. Blue skies, a cool wind, and a warm sun. It quickly gets cold in the evening.
I ended up at a small guesthouse tonight where two photographers were also staying. They have been coming to this spot once or twice a year the last ten years. They make their living from the pictures which are fantastic. They use the traditional large format cameras which are very heavy. None of this digital stuff! One of them told me he only snaps about sixty frames a year.
33 kilometers today
De svarte, eller grå som du sier er best :o)
God tur videre!
Noen ganger går Fantomet rundt som en vanlig mann – gammelt jungelord – kunne også vært sagt om deg Stephen.
Well Robert,
You have passed what most consider the official end (or beginning) of the Chinese wall: LaoLongTou – The “old Dragon head”. The dragon, i.e. the wall, snakes itself from the Yellow sea across the landscape to the west. By now you have walked along its spine for over a year, and know its temperament better than most. It is a good dragon, right?
You’ve also passes ShanHaiGuan. This is an historical place by the Wall. In 1644 the Manchu people from the north walked through a gate in the Wall here, invaded China, ending the old dynasty, and beginning a new: the Qing Dynasty.
You’re kind of on the home stretch now…. Well done!
(Despite not having eaten a Knott for a long time, I do remember that the black ones were the nicest. )
Robert, I am pleased you took a moment to stop and celebrate such a magnificant accomplishment. From here on out you can think back and smile about all the memories and hard time of the past. From here on out there probably will be good times and a few hard times, but nothing like before because the end is in sight for you 🙂 As the saying goes, “YOU ARE THE MAN” 🙂