Day 5 - Beijing - The Great Wall of China

Getting up at the crack of dawn and climbing into a van for a 3-hour drive isn't how I choose to start many days, but knowing that in a few hours I'd be putting a check next to something on my life's to-do list, I decided I could make an exception in this case.

I would be walking about a 10km stretch of the Great Wall starting in Jinshanling, and ending in Simatai. This being my only Great Wall experience, I can't compare this section of the wall to others, but I do know this was an amazing trip.

If you're lucky enough to be able to walk on the wall you will notice, in order of decreasing obviousness, 1) "out-of-work" Mongolian farmers, 2) some pretty tricky walking conditions, and 3) that you're walking on the Great Wall of China.

At all points from start to finish there are people yelling at you, "Hello, postcard!" or, "Hello, Cokawaterbeer!" If you slip up and make eye contact with one, they'll follow you for a while trying to get you to buy something (anything!) and tell you about how they're a farmer from Mongolia who's out of work. "Well of course you are," you think. "You can't be taking great care of your farm if you're up here on this wall selling T-shirts." The majority, however, were really pleasant, well-meaning people and left me alone after a friendly, "No, thank you."

The tour groups to this part of the wall were relatively few in number, and mostly limited to younger, more able walkers. Just as with most tourist attractions, it's hard to take a picture without someone else in it, but unlike some other places, it was actually possible to walk here without rubbing shoulders with others and to find some time to yourself.

By the time I had reached the end of my trek I had taken close to 150 pictures. It's just one wall, but around every bend the wall and the surroundings take on a new life. The curves are different, the slopes are different, the towers are in varying states of repair, and from this spot a section of wall snaking over a distant mountain ridge might be visible. It's truly breathtaking at every point.

The wall in Simatai has a stunning natural setting: a deep gorge, steep cliffs, and a green river. It also has the man-made fanfare to match: A wire bridge crossing the river, a newly paved footpath leading away from the wall, vendors, bathrooms, restaurants, hostels, a chairlift, and a zip-line ("Zhe Flying Fox," one Dutch traveler said to another). The wall at Jinshanling, however, lacks the modern tourist amenities and was a perfect place to start my walk on the wall.

To-do:
Walk on the Great Wall of China. CHECK.