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Published: September 28th 2011
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Here we go!
the first part of the Wall was in good shape I am delighted to say that I went on a day trip with the Beijing Hikers and we climbed very long, steep, derelict sections of the Great Wall of China. I’ve earned my stripes!
OK, to go back to the beginning: Soon after I arrived in China I was, of course, reading the magazines for ex-patriots about all there is to see and do in Beijing. I read about the Beijing Hikers who organise regular trips to areas outside Beijing. My immediate response to the discovery was, “That sounds brilliant!” But all my free time for the next few months was taken up apartment-hunting, moving in, then planning the trip to and going on the Trans-Siberian Railway. By the time I got back to Beijing mid-June it was too hot to even consider doing anything energetic in the daytime.
But when September arrived and the evenings began to get slightly cooler I decided “It’s now or never.”
First I checked out the Beijing Hikers website: www.beijinghikers.com. I discovered that they have hikes of all levels of difficulties from easy strolls in rural villages and country areas that are rated Level 1 or 2, to rugged hikes at Level 5 for
view from our restaurant
you can see the Great Wall on the hill the serious enthusiast. I figured that since I exercise regularly I should be able for Level 3. Besides, I had heard that there were whole sections of the Great Wall in the wilderness that had been neglected for decades and had fallen into disrepair. I was eager to get out and see such sections before they get gentrified as China chases the tourist $$s. I had already seen what has been done to “modernise” other tourist sites.
I should explain that when tourists ask to see The Great Wall they are taken in buses to a place like Badaling where the wall has been restored and there are tea shops and souvenir stalls at ground level. I was amazed when I first went to such a place, how steep the steps of The Wall were. I brought visitors there soon after I arrived in Beijing and that's where I had the photo taken at the introduction to this blog. We climbed the steps about half-way, to the watchtower, then went back down to terra firma and I must say that my leg muscles were really aching for days afterwards. Be warned! The trip to the Great Wall usually takes about
a half-day.
However, now that I know the scene better, I would recommend anyone coming to Beijing to check out Beijing Hikers and to go on one of their day trips. You should always book in advance to avoid disappointment. Apparently many visitors go on the Wednesday hikes/trips, along with ex-pats who have flexible working times. It’s a great opportunity for visitors to talk to ex-pats and English-speaking Chinese about life in Beijing. You might even get tips on popular tourist sites to avoid or how to get around Beijing’s sites more efficiently. For examples, many locals can tell you about hutongs/neighbourhoods and the nightlife there that it takes a few months of living here to discover.
There are two meeting places for Beijing Hikers trips – (1.) a subway station near many of the big hotels and (2.) at Starbucks at the Holiday Inn on the Airport Expressway. Both are easy to identify. B.H. have a beautiful, comfortable bus that collects people at 8:00 (usually) at the subway station or at 8:30 the Holiday Inn. There is usually a drive of 2 hours or more to the starting point of the hike. Fruit, snack bars and bottles of
water are handed out en route, and the trip leader often gives us an interesting history lesson about the place we’ll be hiking in. When we arrive at our destination, B.H. have adjustable walking sticks one can borrow for the hike. The cost of everything, including the restaurant lunch is usually about 330RMB/€40/$55.
The hike I was on was called “Zhuangdaokou Great Wall and the Walled Village.” During the bus ride Millicent from Chicago, who speaks fluent Chinese, told us a brief history of the area and the itinerary for the day. We began the hike at Zhuangdaokou and took a look at the 300-year-old “Phoenix and Dragon” trees before hiking up to the Great Wall. The first section we encountered was in very good condition and there was even a yoga class taking place on a flat section. Some energetic members of our group trotted up the many stone steps to the eastern watchtower. The rest of us watched the yoga class and waited for our serious hike to begin.
I was surprised that we had not gone far when the wall was no longer intact and we were following a steep, rocky path. At times the path was
so narrow bushes brushed our legs on both sides. The trail was very rocky underfoot and it was difficult enough to climb up into some of the watchtowers. I thought I was fit but this was very steep and more than I expected for Level 3. The day became very hot and sunny but thank God there was an occasional breeze. You might imagine this would be a popular trail but the B.H. like to go to out-of-the way places and we didn’t meet any other people on our way.
Beijing Hikers always have a trip leader out front who ties red ribbons on bushes to show the route to the rest of the group. Then there is someone in the middle of the group, plus a third staff person who collects the red ribbons. I very kindly (puff, puff…) kept company with Janjing, the Chinese tripper who made sure everything was OK at the tail end of the group. He patiently waited while I took a short pause every 10 - 15 minutes to drink water and do some stretching exercises. I later learned that Janjing had been on an expedition to Everest and had stayed at the
last base camp. Unfortunately he was so ill he had to turn back without reaching the summit, which of course remains a great regret for him.
Janjing has very little English but I was happy to practice my Chinese and learn more vocabulary. He urged me ever onward by telling me that the group would soon be taking a rest break or xiuxi (“see-u-see”). When we joined the rest of the group I said to Millicent that I heard she was handing out sushi! No such luck.
Thanks be to God, from that rest stop on it was downhill all the way, through orchards of chestnut trees and patches of ripe melons and pumpkins.. It was v-e-r-y steep and it seemed to be harder going down than the climb up had been. My toes were complaining in my hiking boots. Yes, it was my fault because I hadn’t done the boots up tightly enough when it was such a warm day. I suffered later for my laziness.) As the terrain flattened out we reached the walled village, a settlement that had grown up inside and around an old army barracks. One hundred and more years ago the village
used to house soldiers tasked with guarding and maintaining the Great Wall. We enjoyed having a tranquil stroll around the village and peering into some of the old courtyards.
At the village gate we all climbed into the bus for a short drive to the restaurant at Er Dao Guan. We were served a fabulous hot lunch of at least 8 different dishes – plus beer, Sprite and Coke, and enjoyed the river view. We were all in such great spirits after the hike that everyone had plenty to chat about over lunch. The view of the river and sections of the Great Wall from the restaurant was fabulous. In fact, I've attached a photo I took of the view.
The buzz of conversations continued on the two-hour drive back to Beijing, albeit there were more than a few who couldn’t resist a well-earned snooze! We arrived back in Beijing at 5:30pm. We could choose whether to get off at the Holiday Inn or at the subway station (which is handy for buses or subways to other areas of Beijing). I’m lucky that a local bus gets me home from there in 10 minutes.
I admit it, I was exhausted
and glad it was Saturday so I had a chance to recover before facing the office again. BUT, my regular stretching exercises every ten minutes along the route paid off and my legs didn’t pain me at all in the following days. It was just as well because I had scheduled an appointment with a traditional Chinese medicine doctor for Monday afternoon – but that’s another story.
All in all, this was a great day out!
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Excellent blog.
It was interesting to hear about the disrepair. I knew it existed but not to that extent. Nice photo in the watch tower. Keep blogging and I'm very happy to see you on the front page!! Awesome.