My parents came to visit, and I've been showing them around Beijing for all of last week. On Wednesday we visited the Great Wall. There are many places along the Wall to go to, and it is always the question which site is the least touristic but still accessible. We chose to put on our hiking boots and walk from Jinshanling to Simatai sections of the Wall, which is approximately 10km over steep hills. It was pretty exhausting, especially in the bright sunny day.
We had left our house at 6:30 AM and after a subway to Dongzhimen boarded a bus to Miyun, a town close to the Wall. There we tried to take a local bus, but the next one was at 11:00 so we negotiated a taxi (return trip for 150 RMB). It wasn't such a bad deal, as there were four of us and a private pickup would be much faster than a local bus. Our driver dropped us off at one place, and would pick us up at the other in the afternoon.
The Wall was amazing, like one would expect. Along with us was a large group of foreigners with tour guide, but we quickly managed to overtake them and were pretty much alone all day, except for a few hikers along the way.
The route we were taking lead us up and down and was steep at some points. Most sections of the Wall were not restored, and looked authentic.
We walked for nearly four hours through the hot sun, but the views were definately worth a little sunburn!
The area around the Wall is dry and dusty, with the exeption of a couple colorful trees with blossoms.
We passed countless watchtowers, some of them no more than ruins
Chen Yi with everpresent camera and tripod
This woman followed us half the way. When we started, a group of local women followed us and helped us, asking us to buy souvenirs later. They were very friendly (too friendly) and after a while became pushy to sell us souvenirs (post cards, books and drinks). This woman followed my mother for one hour, almost holding her hand every step she took, until we told her to get lost.
The total length of the Great Wall is more than 6,000 km, and it seems endless when standing on top. I pity the builders who had to carry all the heavy stones up here in the middle of nowhere.
There are many small hills, with climbs of a few hundred meters in altitude (up to 500)
The steepest section is 70 degrees; that is nearly vertical!
Halfway we had lunch. We had brought a picnick with wine (Great Wall wine!). We ate fried fish, potato salad, sausages, bread with Dutch cheese and drank a glass of wine. After this my bag felt several kilo's lighter (might have also been partly due to the wine on a hot day)
Four hours is more than enough for the hike. We walked fast, and took many breaks along the way. Neverhteless it was a serious excercise and by the end of the day we were all tired.
The weather was perfect; 27 degrees or so, a little windy and almost clear skies.
20 minutes before the end, we reached the Simatai section of the wall, which belongs to Beijing (the other side belongs to another county) and we had to pay again (40 RMB). A sneaky tactic to earn some extra money, we thought. The Simatai section of the wall was not so impressive, because it was mostly restored and looked 'new'.
My parents enjoying the view
Fortunately, the second part of the hike was mostly downhill.
The end of our hike is in sight (halfway up the next hill)
We had left our house at 6:30 AM and after a subway to Dongzhimen boarded a bus to Miyun, a town close to the Wall. There we tried to take a local bus, but the next one was at 11:00 so we negotiated a taxi (return trip for 150 RMB). It wasn't such a bad deal, as there were four of us and a private pickup would be much faster than a local bus. Our driver dropped us off at one place, and would pick us up at the other in the afternoon.
The Wall was amazing, like one would expect. Along with us was a large group of foreigners with tour guide, but we quickly managed to overtake them and were pretty much alone all day, except for a few hikers along the way.
The route we were taking lead us up and down and was steep at some points. Most sections of the Wall were not restored, and looked authentic.
We walked for nearly four hours through the hot sun, but the views were definately worth a little sunburn!
The area around the Wall is dry and dusty, with the exeption of a couple colorful trees with blossoms.
We passed countless watchtowers, some of them no more than ruins
Chen Yi with everpresent camera and tripod
This woman followed us half the way. When we started, a group of local women followed us and helped us, asking us to buy souvenirs later. They were very friendly (too friendly) and after a while became pushy to sell us souvenirs (post cards, books and drinks). This woman followed my mother for one hour, almost holding her hand every step she took, until we told her to get lost.
The total length of the Great Wall is more than 6,000 km, and it seems endless when standing on top. I pity the builders who had to carry all the heavy stones up here in the middle of nowhere.
There are many small hills, with climbs of a few hundred meters in altitude (up to 500)
The steepest section is 70 degrees; that is nearly vertical!
Halfway we had lunch. We had brought a picnick with wine (Great Wall wine!). We ate fried fish, potato salad, sausages, bread with Dutch cheese and drank a glass of wine. After this my bag felt several kilo's lighter (might have also been partly due to the wine on a hot day)
Four hours is more than enough for the hike. We walked fast, and took many breaks along the way. Neverhteless it was a serious excercise and by the end of the day we were all tired.
The weather was perfect; 27 degrees or so, a little windy and almost clear skies.
20 minutes before the end, we reached the Simatai section of the wall, which belongs to Beijing (the other side belongs to another county) and we had to pay again (40 RMB). A sneaky tactic to earn some extra money, we thought. The Simatai section of the wall was not so impressive, because it was mostly restored and looked 'new'.
My parents enjoying the view
Fortunately, the second part of the hike was mostly downhill.
The end of our hike is in sight (halfway up the next hill)
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