Nothing can prepare you for the amazing sight of the Great wall, I saw it in the distance and stared at it in awe! I have dreamt of visiting this attraction for years and never thought I would ever get the chance. I decided not to take the traditional tourist route by coach (which can be provided by China tours) but opted for chinese public transport which turned out to be a lot more chaotic and life threatening than first anticipated! The bus leaves once an hour every morning between 7.00 and 9.00 and returns each afternoon between 15.00 and 17.00. I learnt very quickly that the usual queuing system does not apply in china its more like a crazy rat race to see who can push their way onto the bus first! I succeeded and actually got a seat unlike some of the members of my party who had to endure an 2 and a half hour hot bus ride stood up… it was an experience to say the least! I was relieved to finally arrive at the wall although it was a bit of a trek from the bus park to the starting point of the wall.
The part of the wall that I decided to visit was called Mutianyu which I read beforehand was the most preserved part of the wall. There is an option to take a 2 hour hike up to the wall however I opted to take the rather more relaxed Chairlift which costs about £90 Yuan return. The chairlift slowly hoisted me up to the wall over immense scenery of a lush woodland area it was a really clear day so I could see for miles across Beijing it was breath taking. After about 5 minuets I was ready to take my first momentous step onto the wall which was exciting. as I looked out I was able to see the great wall winding round in the distance up and down it seemed like it went on forever.
The wall was so high I points I felt a bit dizzy but it was incredible to be stood almost 26feet high above the ground with the gargantuan lofty mountains in the back ground. I couldn’t have wished for better weather there was not a cloud in the sky it was very warm a perfect day for walking.I have heard that it’s very beautiful to go up in winter because the wall looks amazing in the snow.
One of the most bizarre sights I saw whilst I was up there was people selling refreshments at the side of the wall local Chinese people have put up stalls and you can buy coke,chocolate even ice-cream. There are also a lot of dogs and children roaming about!
The Mutianyu part of the wall covers about 1.4 miles and is about 5 yards wide this part of the wall is very commercial which has been repaired and reconstructed many times , however there are some parts which have been left to age beautifully and in many location where the wall is in disrepair.
As I walked across the wall every so often their was a beacon tower which you could go inside and sometimes up to the top. I walked the full length of the wall which took about 3 hrs with lots of stopping to take pictures!
There are many different ways to get down from the wall: chairlift,cable car or toboggan
I decided to take the fast past thrilling toboggan and was not disappointed. Its like a small go cart with a leaver to go faster or slower as it is all down hill the pace is rather fast but very exciting! It’s a definite for the more daring visitors to the wall!
At the bottom of the Great wall there is a very busy and interesting Street market which sells every Great wall memrablila you could possible want or carry. A great tip is not to take the first price your offered you have to barter as prices start incredibly high!!
If you would like to take a simlar tour here or any other place in China the best place that i’ve found for booking flights and coach tours is china travel. Also if you want to have a really good look round Beijing and learn about the history I suggest you look at Beijing Tours.
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