That Really Great Wall in China

Monday, September 12th

This day is finally here!! An opportunity to see the Great Wall of China with my very own eyes and step foot on one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  I can't remember how long I've been waiting for this experience, but it was definitely early on in my desire to travel the world.  I mean, the wall alone is reason enough to come to China for some people.

We booked a private tour guide and driver to escort us to Jinshanling, a section of the wall still easily accessible from Beijing, but offering the most rustic scenery with less visitors than some of the other sections.  We were picked up at 7:30am for the two-hour trip from Beijing city, so we got to witness Beijing's rush hour traffic.  They definitely drive less chaotic here than in the other China cities we've visited, but it's bumper to bumper in every direction.

Zhang, our guide, is very nice and has a great sense of humor.  He was making us laugh as he supplied us with Beijing facts on our way out of the city.  In all seriousness though, this city is huge... Home to thirty million people!!!  To put that number in perspective for you, that's 3.5 times the population of New York City.  Insane, right?!??

As we got further away from Beijing and the cloud of pollution, we started to see blue sky.  Just an hour or so outside the city into the countryside makes such a difference.  And I think Happy Buddha is making it up to us today, because we couldn't have asked for more perfect weather for this adventure.  As we got closer, we started to see the outline of the wall's watchtowers perched high on top of the mountain peaks.  I just got goose bumps!

Here we go!! After saying good-bye to our driver, we started the trek up to the wall, which is a hike in itself.  And then we were standing on the Great Wall of China!!  Is this happening?!??  The mountainous scenery is beautiful and your eye follows the wall as it snakes up and down the mountain peaks as far as you can see.  Even off in the distance, you can make out the thin brown line of the wall against the green backdrop and it's surreal to process how something this vast was created before modern technology as sections were built from the 5th century BC to the 17th century AD.

The wall spans over 6,000 km, the longest man-made structure on earth measuring a distance longer than the width of the United States.  Some sections have been restored and others are crumbling, displaying the original remains.  With Zhang by our side, we began our ten kilometer hike to the west.  There were only a handful of people on the wall when we started and it felt like we basically had it to ourselves to explore.

With every turn and every step climbed, the view was more and more beautiful.  It's fun to imagine what the scene must have been like as the kingdom tried to protect itself against enemies and invaders from the north.  Zhang was very patient with us as we stopped to have several photo shoots with the selfie stick and self timer... In fact, he seemed pretty excited when we included him in the action.

The 10km hike was strenuous near the end as we climbed extremely steep inclines on flat stones, not steps, with crumbled walls lining the edges.  My mom, who doesn't do well with heights, had some issues with this part at the end, but she powered through!!  This was a fantastic experience... One that will stay on the top of my list of favorites for the rest of my life.  I was worried I would be disappointed by the wall, because I had been looking forward to seeing it for so long, but that was nowhere near the case.  Hiking the wall far exceeded all expectations!! Put it on your list, if it's not already!!

We stopped for lunch on the way home and had another delicious authentic Chinese meal with Zhang ordering for our group.  Then we sat back and relaxed as we made our way back to Beijing.  It wasn't until after sunset that we arrived at our hotel, so we decided to check out Tiananmen Square at night.  We weren't able to get in the square, but instead had to admire it from across the street.  It is impressive, but was completely empty and felt very stark.  We walked over to Wangfujing Street, Beijing's 5th Avenue.  Even though the shops weren't open at this hour, it was busy with people out and about.  Our hotel is located on the northern end of this street, so we worked our way back to putting our heads on our pillows.  We're still on a high from the Great Wall, but also highly exhausted.  Night!