The Great Wall

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Today is our last full day in China before we head off to the coast for a bit and what better way to end our last full day than with a trip to the Great Wall of China. In Beijing there are a vast array of tours to choose from that will take you to various parts of the wall but after a bit of deliberation we opted to be independent travellers and go it alone.

We set our alarms for 6am and set off for Sumatai. Sumatai is a more natural, rugged part of the wall and most importantly it's one of the least touristy as its around 3 hours outside Beijing.

We reached the long distance bus station and after a little help from a very helpful English speaking bus conductor we found bus 980 which took us 50km away from the Great Wall. Our early start meant we both fell asleep on our bus and nearly missed our stop but luckily we were awoken by a Chinese Man shouting on the bus shouting 'Sumatai, Sumatai'. We jolted off the bus glad that our western identities had provided a clue as to where we were going and we began the haggling process with a local taxi man to take us to the Great Wall.

Wiping the sleeps from our eyes and after recomposing ourselves after our unscheduled nap (and Chris's hitting his head of the ceiling of the bus on his way out) we haggled with a local taxi driver. Price agreed, we were off weaving through the crazy traffic and admiring the amazing views. As we drew closer we got our first glimpse of the Great Wall. It is a truly spectaculor sight which not even the photos can accurately do justice to.

We paid 3 pounds each to take the cable car towards the Great Wall before we started our 25 minute hike in 37 degree heat to the top. A lot of stops to catch our breath and after huge amounts of water consumption and sweat wiping we reached Tower Number 8 at the top of the Wall. We were the only tourists at the top of the wall; it was so peaceful and beautiful.

After admiring the views from Tower Number 8 we started the descent down to the other watch towers along the wall and were accompanied by two ladies trying to sell us postcards. They were so polite, not your average agressive seller, they told us about the history of the wall, pointed out key sights and even helped me (Sarah) down the steep steps of the wall. After purchasing two packets of unneccessary postcards from our uninvited guides we sat alone on the wall, enjoyed a traditional picnic lunch of crisp sandwiches and soaked up the beauty of what lay before us.

Moving from towers five down to two we caught sight of the zip line down from the wall and just couldn't refuse. It cost around 4 pounds each and that included your zipline and a speedboat back to the entrance. It was such a unique experience.

Successfully at the bottom we cooled off in the shade with a well deserved beer from a little beer garden that had breathtaking views of the wall. The perfect end to our perfect day.

Today was amazing, magical almost and as I write this now it almost feels like a dream.

I am so glad we put in the extra effort to make it Sumatai.

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Comments

[madre]

great wall
another great adventure by all accounts. You made great decisions about your travel arrangements and they paid off.Amazing photos and always good to see you both looking happy and healthy! journey on , love you madre x

[brenda rafferty]

omg Sarah. you 2 are having such a wonderful time and great experiences. really enjoying your travel blog, you are both looking great !! take care from all @ ashton xxx

[Kat]

WOW!!!
You should have taken me with you! I am loving your blog posts! I swear I am so sad, i wait to see new ones, it's like my fav weekly show...LOL. Glad to see you are both doing so well. Love to you both, Kat xx

[anonymous]

great!