Speedy descent

I enjoyed the articles on China in the April ’06 issue and especially the pictures of the Great Wall on pages 10 and 121. Before tourists could visit on their own, I was in China in 1976 with a group from Wayne State University’s Medical School. In addition to medical sites and other places of interest, we were taken to the Great Wall.

If you look closely at either picture, you’ll see that the handrail on each side of the walkway extends farther out than handrails anywhere usually do. When I was walking down, I saw some young men sliding down the right rail, each sitting “sidesaddle” with their right hand in front and left hand in back. They were having a glorious time, so I tried it and it was great fun!

JANET NELSON, Ashland, OR