The Great Wall of China

The view from the bottom of The Great Wall looked challenging and somewhat daunting  but I couldn't wait to climb it.  This is an absolute "must do" on any tour of China and we were finally here. It is fair to say I was pretty excited, especially since climbing the wall was on my bucket list and something I  never thought I would get to do.    

The Great Wall snakes its way over hills and through valleys

 The atmosphere of excitement on our bus was palpable as we wound our way out through the suburbs of Beijing and through the countryside towards the Great Wall. It took around an hour and a half to get there but it seemed that one minute we were on the outskirts of Beijing and the next minute we were in a mountainous area looking at the Great Wall snaking its way across the hillsides.  Thrilling!

Once again it was a magnificent day with sunshine, blue skies and cool crisp air, perfect conditions for our climb up a restored part of the wall. The 6000km long wall includes parts in good condition and other parts which are derelict. There are several areas where many of the stones were filched by locals to build houses during the cultural revolution.

Two watchtowers on the section we climbed

Construction of the Great Wall began 2000 years ago, firstly as protection from Mongol invading armies and then later as a means of border control for duty collection as part of the silk road.  It has been built and rebuilt many times with the current wall being built during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1646).  It is estimated that over 1 million workers died during the construction of the Qin dynasty (221 - 207 BC) period.

Our guide was quick to point out that it is a myth that the Great Wall can be seen from space.  Although this is a widely held belief it makes sense that it can't be seen being only 29 feet wide and pretty much the same colour as the surrounding landscape.

View from a watch tower

We had arrived early so luckily there were few people around therefore no pressure and plenty of time to enjoy the experience.  After staring up in awe for a while I couldn't wait to start the climb. It is very steep and the step treads range from shallow to deep in no set pattern.  It is quite an effort to ascend to the first watchtower but well worth it. The views over the countryside are panoramic and it is breath taking to see the wall meandering its way into the distance over hills and valleys.  I stopped for a while at the first watch tower before heading up to the second one.  

It is steep!

Coming down was more difficult...it is very steep so I clutched a hand rail most of the way.  Near the bottom a young boy of about 10 was sitting on a step paralysed with fear.  His family could not get him to go up or down.  I felt so sorry for him. One of our group, a fit runner, sprinted up and managed to make it to several watch towers.  Another uses a walking stick, due to knee problems, but was so determined to climb up the wall she did part of it using her hands and feet.  Full marks to both of them! 

All set to head up.  Excited!

I was fizzing when I arrived back at the bottom. It is always a thrill to achieve a long held goal and get some pretty hefty exercise into the bargain, maybe that would make up for some of those  dumpling dinners! 

At the bottom.  The wall can be seen on the ridge behind

When I arrived back in New Zealand I told someone I had walked on the Great Wall, she asked if I had walked all of it!  As if!