The Great Wall of China

“He who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true man” Mao Zedong.

Mike living his dream

There was no time for a swim this morning as we had to be on the coach ready for the drive to Mutianyu by 8am. This was stretch of the Great Wall that had been restored and was renowned for being quite beautiful.  The advantage of gaining access to the wall at this point was that it was slightly less touristy than Badaling but did have a cable car which took you directly to the Wall itself.  This meant we could put our energies into walking along the wall rather than trying to reach it.  We still didn't quite understand the need to put the Wall right along the top of the mountain ridge.  Any invader would have been exhausted by the time they got to it. 

steep steps on the Wall

We were so fortunate with the weather as we had a beautiful sunny day.  There was still a lot of haze around which did reduce the photo quality but with temperatures in the mid 20s there was nothing to complain about. Well, there were a lot of steps and I mean a lot of steep steps.  In the two miles we walked along the wall we climbed 85 flights.  Health and safety is not big in China so there were some parts that were difficult to negotiate – mainly again due to the steepness of the steps without any handrails and if going up was tough, coming back down was just as bad. Many people chose to come down on their backsides. However, Mike pushed on even beyond the part of the Wall that had been renovated and was rather pleased with himself for going the furthest distance.

Our group leader, David

Both Mike and I felt that this part of the day met our expectations perfectly.  How privileged to be walking the ‘Great Wall’ A dream for both of us that has now been met.

Taking a break

We spent about three hours in this area and though we wished we could have spent longer the disadvantage of travelling with a large group is that compromises have to be made to meet the needs of all. Some less fitter members were not able to make the climb and waited patiently for a couple of hours for those who did want to walk a good section of the Wall.

From Mutianyu we drove through the Chinese countryside, where the fruit blossom is just emerging, to a fish farm.  Here we had locally prepared food including trout amongst the now similar dishes of meat and vegetables.  It was all beautifully prepared, seasoned and enjoyed before we headed back to Beijing. 

Children being awarded a certificate 

The traffic was very heavy, as it is most days and it was around 5pm before we made it back to the Hotel. Just time to go for a quick swim and to repack our cases for tomorrow before we were taken out to yet another Chinese restaurant for more food.  Tomorrow we spend our final day in Beijing before flying out in the evening to Xi'an.

A final view - look at the plum blossom