And the adventure begins at The Great Wall

Sunday, April 30 2006

The Great Wall of China
Our adventure began at 8:30am when we tried to hire a taxi for half the day - taking us to The Great Wall and then to the Summer Palace. The first taxi driver was a crook. He even looked like one. We had Ren talk to him on the phone, negotiating the price (we were extremely hopeless, but rest assured, it got better during the next few days). He wanted RMB 500 (about USD 65) and we had to pay him in advance. Fool. What if he left us at The Great Wall and ran away? After 15 minutes of negotiating, we got out of the taxi and got into another one. The guy only charged RMB 350 and was extremely nice as well.

After an hour or so, we got to The Great Wall at Badaling. Brief history (DK China & travelchinaguide.com): Built as a defensive fortification by three states (Yan, Zhou and Qin), the wall runs for several thousand miles. The wall was created over the course of several dynasties, but only got its name after the unification of China under Emperor Qin Shi Huang (221-210BC) (the Emperor who brought thousands of terracotta soldiers with him when he died), who decided to have the walls joined to fend off Hun invasions. The wall enabled efficient communication via smoke, flares, drums and bells and allowed rapid transport of troops throughout the country. Parts of the wall have crumbled, and much effort have been put into restoring it. The section at Badaling was built around 1505.

Entering The Great Wall
Seeing how bad the crowd was, our taxi driver thought we were going to pass up the hike or perhaps we just looked like lazy travellers, so he conveniently left us at the cable car entrance at his own discretion. We walked to the other end of the entrance and set out on foot.



Entrance to The Great Wall; that traffic light is so out of place; introduction to The Great Wall at Badaling; souvenir shops

Starbucks has taken over the world!
Lanna and I were both shocked to see Starbucks here. It's outrageous. I don't want to be walking along one of the seven wonders of the world or the 'ancient city' and see Starbucks Coffee staring at me.
This picture is for Christie and Vonessa.



Don't be fooled

So, I must have not done the necessary research about climbing this thing. Have been thinking to myself all week - How hard can it be, honestly? Well, we had at least 1/10th of China's population at The Great Wall that day, it was hot, and most parts are STEEP. I was smart enough to wear my Sketchers slip on trainers of course, so my feet were slipping out of my shoes as I was climbing the steeper parts of the wall. Fab.
Tip: Better to visit Beijing in March/April or September/October. Do not go during their week-long Labour holiday. Do not wear slip on trainers or slip on anything for that matter. Bring lots (I mean LOTS) of tissue and moist towelettes/wet wipes, and always carry a bottle of water with you.


Passed the first three towers, but unfortunately could not get any photos from inside the towers. Reason being they were packed with people sitting, standing, squatting, eating fruits, peeing, etc. It was at least 10 degrees cooler in the towers, made a great picnic area for some I guess.
The second picture shows one of the highest towers. We didn't get there as our route ended on the tower before that. The views are breathtaking. The wall stretches so far you wonder if it will ever end.
All the stone slabs had writing on them. Click on the photos for bigger versions.


That's us, and at this point we were halfway there; watchtower, more climbing
Note: If you're an attention seeking Westerner (preferably blonde as well), China is the place to be. Lanna warned me that we will be stopped for photos (of her, not me), but I could not believe the number of people who stopped us. She was really getting quite annoyed after the 5th one (who wouldn't, especially if you've been there for a year). So, if you're American and blonde, beware!

We got to the top at noon, bought our cheesy I've Climbed The Great Wall certificates on our way down, and said goodbye to one of the seven wonders of the world.

Note: Was pissed to find that they were selling certificates at the exit - why climb that thing when you can cheat and get one on your way out? Ah, but here's the catch - those at the exit are not as cool, so you know if someone's faked it. Hah.


This guy is etching a picture of The Great Wall on a marble slab. You can even have him put your name on it.


I believe this is a Mao Memorial Exhibit of some sort which neither of us felt the urge or had the energy to visit. We passed it on our way back to the car park.

Next stop: Summer Palace.