The Great Wall

---

Pathetic foreign city girl "does" Great Wall

... and is outstripped by Mongolian lady-farmer.


Well you can't go to Beijing or the environs without seeing it and walking it. I had heard

that some areas of the wall are super tourist-y and so chose to avoid that area and opt

instead for the "wild wall" - an 8km trek along the wall at a more remote spot.



8km walking on a flat would take me around 1hour20mins so I was accordingly nervous to hear

that we would be given 4 hours to complete the trek. Don't dawdle, they said.



Well, it soon became obvious why we needed 4 hours - the Wall at the beginning and the end

of the stretch (where there was access to the wall from the ground) was built up and in good

repair - flat stones, wide pathways and easy steps. Other parts of the wall resembled a

vertical mound of brick, down which you had to somehow scramble without hurting yourself or

the wall (there were numerous notices warning tourists not to damage the cultural heritage).



I was joined shortly into the journey by a Mongolian woman who kept me company, flattered me

and pointed out good photo opportunities. She was enviably nimble up and down the sometimes

almost sheer pathways and up the 'steps' (all about a foot high). Having been in China for

5 days now, I smelled a rat and, sure enough, once we were about halfway through, she

suddenly turned on me (figuratively speaking) and asked me to buy something. I am still

amazed at the punters you encounter on the wall - all of whom make the trek every day in the

hope of selling something , whether it be silk chopstick holders or beer, to tourists. And

this isn't a touristy part (there were about 50 of us in all) so it can't be very lucrative.



Sadly my Mongolian lady went away empty-handed (although I saw she quickly found someone

else) and I continued my torture..I mean walk.


It was hard going, but the views were amazing and though my legs will probably hurt for the

next year, I am really glad I did it as it was a great opportunity and it was nice to see

the Wall in its untamed glory. There was also a zip line ride at the end which was a fun

thrill at the end of a long day.



Although the walk along the Wall was itself only about 4 hours (which is a very comfortable

time, by the way), the journey to and from the Wall took about 3 hours each way, so the trip

itself took up most of the day and it was definitely supper time (after a shower) once I got

back to the hostel.



I teamed up with my dormmates again and we went out for dinner and drinks in the area around

the hostel.

---

Photos

Practically deserted
Unlike the tourist part of the Wall, which is apparently like a busy shopping street.

Views from the Great Wall 3
Left of the Wall was Mongolia. Right was China. So this must be Mongolia.

It's called the Wild Wall for a reason
In the UK, they would have declared it dilapidated and unsafe. In China there aren't even railings - you're expected to be sensible and take responsibilities for the risks you take. I love Asia.

Views from the Great Wall - China
It's completely different from the Mongolian landscape, right?

Yes, I did it.
103 (I counted), 1-foot-high steps. And this wasn't even halfway.

Towers 2
We passed 30 of them on the hike. They all had names. Yes.

Comments

[Kirsty]

Oh man, I remember those steps!