Blogs from Mutianyu, Beijing, China, Asia

Monday, 22nd April 2019 It was Monday when I decided to join a day tour to the Great Wall sections at Mutianyu, about 75km north of Beijing city. The day tour is the most convenient option since it covered the cost of land transportation, gondola rides, admissions as well as a decent lunch thrown in. Along the way, our guide cautioned that things at Mutianyu might get crowded this morning given that the Forbidden City is closed today. Visitors were expected to throng the walls instead. Amidst the minor transport hiccups in the morning, I thoroughly enjoyed the day excursion. The crowds at the Great Wall were thin (thank god) and clear weather accompanied me throughout the day. We were given about two hours to explore the wall proper to take in the best views of ... read more

It's our final day in Beijing and what better way to finish off our visit than with a trip to The Great Wall. This was a spectacular moment for our entire group. We all felt so privileged to be in the presence of The Great Wall. According to our tour guide, "Lily", we are all now Great Girls & Boys now that we have climbed The Great Wall. The trip was an hour and a half by bus outside of Beijing, and as we arrived to the park everyone was very anxious and eager to get to the top of the mountain where the wall stood. A short shuttle ride, a 10 minute walk uphill, and a 5 minute gondola ride got us to the top. I was surprised that the wall was so crowded with ... read more

Blog by Matthew.... Today I went on a 5 hour journey to Beijing Great wall!! I went with William , mum, dad and MR . LV WE went on a cable car and Granddad and nanny Dragon would NOT LIKE IT @ THE GREAT WALL because it was very very high . We had a long walk along the Wall, EVEREY TIME THERE WAS A UP, THERE WAS A DOWN . AT THE END THERE WAS TOBOGGAN SLIDE TO GET TO THE BOTTOM. I sat on with mummy and we went down together, it was fast and so much fun!!! I hope you like our photos!! ... read more

Part of the tour involves visiting the Great Wall, but this time Mutianyu, a completely different part of the Wall from the part I went to the first time. Mutianyu is much more touristy. On the plus side, this meant it was a much easier day - there is a cable car up to the wall and even a toboggan down for the more daring (just like the Great Orme!). The stretch of wall at Mutianyu also lends itself to a half-day visit: it is fairly easy-going for most of the walk, then at the end there is a massive climb up with a huge sense of achievement when you reach the summit (and a couple of enterprising salespeople, selling medals and bottles of Champagne, to help everyone celebrate making it up there, plus a photo ... read more

Day 26 (Mon 1stOct) Another night train took me from Shanghai to Beijing although this one far more successful. A soft sleeper and not a hard sleeper meant a bigger bed and more space, 4 in a room not 6 and the luxury of a door. It was spot on. On arriving in Beijing the girl on the opposite side to my bed decided to let on she spoke English, shame she didn’t do it 11 hours earlier as those trains do get pretty boring. We got chatting and headed off the train and into the Subway. We exchanged details as is happening a lot more now with people, as I’m getting more used to the travelling thing. Arrived at the correct Subway and made my way to the hostel after going the wrong way initially. ... read more