Sleeper train to Beijing & Hiking & Camping in Jian Kou The Wild part if the Great Wall

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Sleeper train to Beijing, bus and taxi to Joan Kou and hike up to Jian Kou the wild wall section



Our October holiday started on Saturday September 27. We took a qingguai ride from Kaifaqu to Houyan station ( near Dalian) and then a 3-wheeled crappy taxi to the DLC new train station were supposedly our train to Beijing would leave from. When we entered the station, which looked very clean and modern, the security guard told us we needed to go to the DLC railway station, ahhhh panic attack we only had about 1 hour to get there! After leaving behind a couple of taxis who were harassing us and wanting yibai (100rmb) for a short ride we finally got a taxi for 40 rmb, but he took his time to try and get more customers I tried to tell him we were in a hurry by saying "women shi kuai dier!" ( we are in a hurry!), but that did not seem to bother him . Finally, after dealing with traffic we managed to get to DLC railway station with enough time to get some chuar and yumi ( Chinese street BBQ and corn) and headed out to catch our sleeper train to Beijing. We arrived at the train waiting room and quickly were boarding the train, as it was a soft sleeper (meaning expensive for Chinese locals 377 rmb) it was not crowded nor smelly. We jumped ( literally) on our top bunks and shared the four bed room with two Chinese ladies. The train ride was smooth and left particularly on time at 19:18 PM. We chatted and snacked for a bit and discussed our plan for the first day hike on theGreat Wall, but soon we were sound asleep until around 5:30 AM when we were woken up by a train guard asking for tickets. This meant we had arrived to Beijing.

The Beijing zhan ( train station) was packed as always. We managed to get away from the crowds and found our way out to the ticket boothe to try to get a sleeper train back to Dalian,but in spite my impressive Chinese language skills ( I asked in Chinese for two soft or hard sleeper train to Dalian) we could not get train tickets so we decided to fly back to Dalian, meaning we needed to find a coffeehouse with wifi to book tickets.Wandering around the train station we noticed Mc Donald's had wifi, but to our not surprise it did not work. While we waited for places to open we tried calling a Chinese driver (Mr Liu and Mr Zhang) recommended by LP ( lonely planet) to hire to go to Jian Kou but both of them were charging about 600-800 rmb so that known we decided to do it our own way which meant taking a local bus 916for 11 rmb from Dongzhimen station to Huairou a small suburb outside of Beijing and then hiring a taxi to take us to Joan Kou. That was sorted out but we still needed to get Internet so we headed to Sanlitun (embassy district) where I knew there was a Starbucks therefore internet. We took the subway and walked to Starbucks bought some coffee and charged electronics. Booked airplane tickets and searched for a Walmart to buy veggies and noodles for our camping food. We bought the food and headed to the subway to catch the bus 916 to Huairou. The bus was crowded since it is a common destination for people to and from Beijing to commute on a daily basis however we managed to get seats all the way I slept for half the way and then we ate our subway sandwich lunch. The bus driver told us it was our stop so we grabbed our bags and got off



In Huairou the adventure started again trying to communicate our plans and destination to taxi drivers who were harassing us and charging us totally overpriced rides to Jian kou after a few hassles we managed to get a small minivan to Jian Kou for about 40 rmb. The ride was un eventful through mountains, corn and other crop fields and small villages. We noticed along the way that many houses were converted into home stays and were all standardized the only thing different was the name which most of the time was the name of the farmer in that house. It look pretty Cool and a bit too touristy. We finally reached Jian Kou around 2:00. It was a small village with a small pond with some fish and a few Chinese young men were trying to catch the fish. It was amusing to watch. We bought some water and packed our bags and headed up towards the Wild Great Wall.

The path started as a dirt trail along the mountain and as we climbed up it became steeper. We passed some mark made with red or blue string tied to tree branches and also some plastic water bottles placed upside down in the branches. There were no Chinese tourists crowds neither foreigner tourists. It was a quiet area and we only passed a few Chinese couples and groups of men coming down. The path was narrowed and rocky so it was difficult to keep a steady pace because every so often you would come across some big boulders. As we climbed up we could see a bit of light and blue skies however the Great Wall was nowhere in sight. When we hit the 2 hour mark we saw a foreign couple hiking down and they said the Great Wall was about 1.5 hours from that point. I started to feel very low energy and tired and a little nervous thinking we were on the wrong path luckily I have the best boyfriend ever and he kept me calm, helped me with my backpack and support me all the way. Finally, after about 1 hour we saw the Great Wall, but also a very steep and slanted section of boulders. Kyle went up first and then came back down to get my backpack while I struggle to climbed and stumble up. We reached a wooden ladder and the sign that said "Welcome to Jian Kou the wild wall" nearly at sunset. From there we hiked a little more to try and find a smooth and flat area to camp for the night Eventually after 30 minutes going up right next to the wall we found the ruins of a tower and camp there for be night. While I set the tent Kyle started dinner. It took awhile to set our stove because the fuel we had was not very good ( it was a disposable one and the flame was not too strong). We ate pasta with Neapolitans sauce drank some tea and were asleep by 10 PM. Long day hiking and the first of a week long camping trip.



Useful tips to get to Jian Kou:

* get the 916 bus from Beijing Dongzhimen bus station ( same station as airport express) to Huairou. It costs 12 rmb

* Huairou is the last stop,but make sure you tell the driver where you are going he will help you when the stop arrives.

* in Huairou a bunch of taxis will harassed you and try to over charge you. Get the small blue and white minivans for about 40 rmb to Jian Kou

* bring enough waterfor drinking and cooking for at least two days as there are no vendors in Jian Kou

* pack lightly it is a steep and long climbed

* it takes about 4 hours to the top ( maybe less if you are fast and have no backpack)

* when you get to the Wall it is more like rock climbing and some parts are very rough and steep Be Careful!!!

* it gets cold,foggy and rainy so bring a sweater and raincoat ( at least on October)

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