The first time I visited the Great Wall with the group, it was so foggy and misty that I couldn’t even see the wall 50 feet in front of me. While the wall was still beautiful in a mystical way, I was overwhelmingly upset about the lack of visibility. I had a postcard-esque image in my head of the Wall rolling through hills.
A few days after, I went to the Great Wall at Badaling by myself. I had spent a long time on the internet researching how to get to Mutianyu, which was described as the most picturesque portion of the wall. I had a general idea of which bus to take and asked the hotel clerk to write “Great Wall” on a piece of paper for me. After arriving at the bus depot, I was shoved onto the cattle call busses for Badaling, still a picturesque portion of the wall but I had read online that it was flooded with crowds. I woman shoved me onto a bus marked “Great Wall” and we started to drive out of downtown Beijing.
The bus was packed - despite the ride being over an hour, there were passengers that were standing the entire trip. A tour guide started speaking in Chinese through a microphone and when we unloaded from the bus, he continued to speak to the group and direct them. I had no idea what was going on so I wandered around until I found the ticket kiosk for the electric pull-cart up the mountain (I hiked up at Mutianyu, which was enough accomplishment for me).
I waited in line for the car for two hours. The people standing on the line seemed to ignore the heat or need for breathing space and people were crammed up against me on all sides. I was disappointed that people had managed to turn the Great Wall, an invaluable piece of Chinese history, into an unbearable tourist trap. Vendors were shouting at all sides and there was also a small zoo of baby bears.
Finally reaching the top of the wall, however, was incredible. I got to see the wall rolling over the hills and hiked around for a little bit. It was very hot and I didn’t have enough water, which eventually led me to leave the mountain. The wall itself was also so crowded. I waited over 15 minutes just to get through a doorway at one of the staircases.
A few days after, I went to the Great Wall at Badaling by myself. I had spent a long time on the internet researching how to get to Mutianyu, which was described as the most picturesque portion of the wall. I had a general idea of which bus to take and asked the hotel clerk to write “Great Wall” on a piece of paper for me. After arriving at the bus depot, I was shoved onto the cattle call busses for Badaling, still a picturesque portion of the wall but I had read online that it was flooded with crowds. I woman shoved me onto a bus marked “Great Wall” and we started to drive out of downtown Beijing.
The bus was packed - despite the ride being over an hour, there were passengers that were standing the entire trip. A tour guide started speaking in Chinese through a microphone and when we unloaded from the bus, he continued to speak to the group and direct them. I had no idea what was going on so I wandered around until I found the ticket kiosk for the electric pull-cart up the mountain (I hiked up at Mutianyu, which was enough accomplishment for me).
I waited in line for the car for two hours. The people standing on the line seemed to ignore the heat or need for breathing space and people were crammed up against me on all sides. I was disappointed that people had managed to turn the Great Wall, an invaluable piece of Chinese history, into an unbearable tourist trap. Vendors were shouting at all sides and there was also a small zoo of baby bears.
Finally reaching the top of the wall, however, was incredible. I got to see the wall rolling over the hills and hiked around for a little bit. It was very hot and I didn’t have enough water, which eventually led me to leave the mountain. The wall itself was also so crowded. I waited over 15 minutes just to get through a doorway at one of the staircases.
Finally sunny at the top!
The foggy day
Everyone at Badaling was carrying an umbrella
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