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I climbed the Great Wall of China! I can't believe it! What an absolutely amazing day it was....I was in awe the entire time. It was a difficult climb at times, but I think I was too dumbstruck by the beauty and coolness of it all to notice any pain!
Our hostel offered a trip to the section of the Wall called Simatai, built during the Ming Dynasty. It is the furthest section away from Beijing, and we had a three hour drive ahead of us. We left at 6:40a.m. with water, snacks and sleepy heads. Although the early wakeup was a little much, it turned out to be a bonus. It took us far away from "tourist land"!, and gave us a more original experience.
Simatai is a quiet and remote section of the Great Wall. Other sections have undergone major restoration, and are the places that most tourists go to visit. However the 500 year old Simatai stretch is somewhat dilapidated, which gives it an air of authenticity. The view from the Wall was brilliant. As far as you can see, the Wall is winding through the hills and mountains, and far below you can see little
villages and farms. The climb itself involves a lot of ups and downs, either on a ridge or a steep/small stepped staircase. Apparently it is the most challenging section of the Great Wall. Along the way you reach several watchtowers and platforms. These provided a nice break from the sun which I was very grateful for!
About 20 minutes into the climb, we were approached by two Chinese ladies, who said they were local Simatai farmers. We weren’t exactly clear what it was that they wanted….just assumed that they wanted to sell us something because of their full shopping bags. We said no thank you, and kept going. They were very persistent, and continued to follow us along the way. Every once in a while we would remind them that we didn’t need their help and didn’t want to buy anything, but this didn’t stop them. Finally when we got to the top, and stopped for lunch we asked them to leave. It was truly annoying to have two shadows the entire day. Out came the bags of books, t-shirts and postcards. They freaked out when we continued to say no (because apparently they helped us get to the
top), but eventually left us alone!
We didn’t get to reach the end of the section, because we ran out of time. We also didn’t calculate the proper amount of time it would take to get down! Oops! We were too “in the moment” to worry about those kind of details….at least, I was. When we were climbing up, we crossed paths with some people coming down who were going very slowly. At times, the ridge was so steep (and made of smooth stone) that people were going down on their bums! We left the ridge of the Wall at the eighth tower, and walked down a footpath parallel to where we had climbed up….we had to pick up the pace. A part of the way down we arrived at the chairlift they offer for an easy way up and down. Although I think all of us would have preferred to spend more time climbing, we had to take the chairlift to get back in time for the bus.
The view was spectacular, the weather was perfect, the climb a challenge, and the experience was unforgettable. Someday I will make it back to the Great Wall and climb
again….I’ve promised myself.
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Tot: 0.066s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 7; qc: 23; dbt: 0.046s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
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Roothie
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What an Accomplishment!
Hey, I would have taken the chairlift UP! How many miles is the whole wall, I ask? Good to know the world of Commerce is alive and well and living on the Wall as well as everywhere else! Yikes! That's a lot of walking for no sale! I have no doubt that you will return some day to your adventures there!