Today we bussed it up to the Great Wall of China. Too bad it was overcast and raining and you couldn’t see the mountains for the pollution.
The journey only took around an hour, so it was pretty incredible that the great wall is so close to the city of Beijing. The part we went to is probably the closest part to the city so it is very popular which is why we got up early and left by 7:30am.
When we got to the wall we could either go left or right. Left was deserted, and right was busy as you could go further that way, but Liz, Amanda, Brooke, Em and I decided that left would be a more pleasant experience. So we headed left and began our ascent. The way was very steep and there were many uneven stairs and slippery bits due to the bad weather. But from the top the view was amazing and well worth the effort. I even got a plaque off a little conman who was selling cheap medallions to unwary tourists at inflated prices.
We took our time getting to the end, just because we wanted to enjoy the view and atmosphere from the top. It’s not every day you get to climb the Great Wall of China. One thing that made me laugh though, was the amount of people taking pictures of us instead of the wall. We had lots of people come up and ask for photos, so I guess we were somewhat of a spectacle. So now I’ve seen two wonders of the world – the wall and the Colosseum!
That afternoon was raining, but I still managed to get out and do a bit of exercise with the boys. We finished off the night with dinner at a restaurant on the back street and drinks at a bar with the boys.
