Day 3: Great Wall Of China

Needless to say, no trip to Beijing is complete without a trip to the great wall. The Great Wall is truly awesome. It is much bigger than I had ever imagined. There are 3 sections of the wall that are open to the public. The most famous stretch of Great Wall is at a place called Badaling. Access to the wall is extremely easy here and safer for visitors to climb to the Great Wall . To visit all of the Walls is impossible and obviously hubby and I only climb a tiny part of it. Looking at crowds of all walks of life, you can't stop thinking that no matter how high or long the walls are, on the long run they can't separate people.

The steps are rather steep , uneven and quite narrow at some points. And do not underestimate the effort needed on some parts of the wall. Challenging but quite exhausting though. Honestly, the climb down is pretty scarier than the climb up, as all of a sudden you can view just how steep the wall is, but thankfully there are handles on the side to help yourself down.

There are many stories, true or legend, about the workers who lost their lives during the building of the wall, and whose bodies were buried under sections of the wall itself. So sad, huh?

For those who are going independently, the easiest route is by taking the 919 bus (green and white) from Deshengmen Long Distance Bus station. The bus ride takes approximately 1 hr 30mins to Badaling. It is very regular. After walking the wall I returned to where the bus had arrived and easily got another one back to the city. Anyway, enough talk...just go see it for yourself!!! Embrace Great Wall of China!

Practical information
Badaling: 70 km from Beijing, open every day 6.30am-8pm, 45 yuans.
Mutianyu: 100 km from Beijing, open every day, 7am-8pm, 35 yuans.
Simatai: 110 km from Beijing, open every day, 8am-5pm, 35 yuans.