Thursday night Vikki and I decided to go to the Great Wall on Friday. Sticking our usual spontaneous decision making skills, all we had was our Beijing Guide book to quickly scan through for a bit of the wall that looked good. The 10km walk from Jinshanling to Simatai had been recommended to me by Jess Hindmarsh and in the book, claimed to be the most spectacular part of the wall with only the very end being reconstructed. The book told us to get on a bus from Dongzhimen Subway station headed for Chengde and get off at Jinshanling….After Googling for a bus number we woke up at 6am the next morning and met at the Station. As usual once on the bus our arrival station was no where to be seen on the bus route map but we were joined by 3 Argentineans and a Spaniard who were also going to the wall. After chatting to them for a while they convinced us that the best way to walk was the opposite way to what we were planning and that their friends had done the same walk just yesterday and said it was amazing so we changed plans and decided we’d share a car with the guys from the bus station to the base of the wall.
Travelling companions
When we arrived, as usual, we were attacked by people wanting to take us to Jinshanling for ridiculous prices, it was a 90km drive but they started at 150Yuan each for one way. After a lot of pen and paper arguments about prices we got them down to 15Yuan each! 4 big boys and the two of us piled into their tiny mini van and took off, but as we got out of the station we realised the guy still thought he was taking us to Jinshanling and said no to Simatai. All the men came back with the paper and it started all over again but none of them said they would take us to Simatai?? After a while we all piled out of the car and did the typical act of walking away like we had another option (which we clearly didn’t) but they yelled and came after us to finally settle on Simatai for 30 each there and back, about $8 for a 180km round trip!
Settling in for the ride we learnt a bit more about our companions for the day. Three of them were traveling together from living in New Zealand and were only in China for one week and the other Spanish guy was just a random traveler they’d met at their Hostel. It was during this time Vikki and I started worrying about being able to keep up with them as we’d already arranged the same car home! This point became extremely clear after they told us that the direction and part of the wall we were walking was the most difficult way to go with slopes and steps of over 70degrees! We told them not to wait for us but they refused to listen making constant jokes about not needing to worry…..
Trying to agree on a price. Two of our friends claimed to be journalists showing us their cards. I still don't beleive them but it's a great way not to have to pay for entry!!!
Cracking up as we walked away from our ride at the fact that if you want anything in China you have to try to act as best you can that you dont want it...I guess no ones ever told them about reverse psychology?
Arriving at the great wall super excitied
Vikki thinking she can do a trek with a handbag!
Our humor slipped rapidly away when we got out of the van and saw the wall…. It was amazing but also ridiculously steep. Clearly reconsidering seeing the steepness of the wall in the background...especially trying to keep up with the male half
Trying to ignore the "farmer with 2 hungry sons + chopsticks + t-shirts + he suddenly gets a call on his modern mobile phone???" and take my photo without feeling too guilty.
Seeing the next few hours before us was very intimidating...
So we set off, Vikki and I started out in front to set the pace and the 20 minute walk to reach the actual wall almost killed us. Although we were in agony it was so surreal actually being there. To start we had to cross a suspension bridge over a huge gorge and then it began. Up, up, up and seemed it was never going to end, surprisingly the boys asked for a rest before we did so we got a bit of a breather and was able to actually take in the scenery.
I don't know why but somehow we ended up with not one but TWO red heads on our trip! Rare seeing statistics say their a dying race so I had to get a photo.
Simatai Gorge
Our initial reaction after the first steep climb... (before we'd actually hit the wall)
The way the wall just follows the mountain ridge is incredible with such steep angles but such a high and strong structure. Being able to walk on the original wall knowing it was well over 2000 years old was great but often scary because it was so steep and sometimes we were just scrambling up rubble.
Original wall
Vikki's first, but definitely not last, near stack of the day.
Our friends left to right: Ginger Martin, Diego, the Spanish tag-along Isma, and Sandigo or something like that...
Looking how far we'd come...we started about half way up that first long steep bit on the other side of the valley where it makes a T-intersection with a dirt road... all up for a long way.
Then up down, up, down for the rest
Not being able to see an end in sight but in absolute awe at the enormity of the thing.
Vikki's near death experience before being caught by our helpers! hahaha I was laughing to much to get my camera out quick enough but it was very close to being a great stack.
The Chinese man that claimed me as his customer told us just after a really slippery section that yesterday he was walking and a 23yr old guy was running with some others and fell and broke his leg right where we were standing and 8 people had to carry him all the way back! hahaha
Having a break and trying to look happy without thinking about the climb behind us!!
Aussies on the Wall
This is looking back from Jinshanling. Guessing it's about half of what we walked! We were impressed.
Don't know what's with my pose...maybe getting ready to take after the famer contemplating my camera's worth
Luckily we'd just come from here so it was down for us....not that thats any easier then up when its crumbling rock...
Almost there
Relaxing trying to believe I'm actually sitting on the Great Wall of China!
Vikki not even pretending to be okay with heights. I'm not the best friend when it comes ot sympathy..
Ultimate feeling of sucess...
We Made it!!!
More then once we passed other foreigners that were surprised that we’d decided to come the opposite way to everyone else commenting on how difficult it was and even the t-shirt and drinks sellers along the way asked us why we chose to come this way!
We became a bit more spread out from our friends and Vikki and I just kept a constant pace while they waited for the others. There are locals everywhere with bags that just tag along with walkers not necessarily asking you to buy anything until they want to leave. Two found Vikki and I and probably walked a third of the way with us. It was great because they taught us the history of the wall and we practiced our Chinese with them. Apparently horses and donkey’s brought the bricks up the ridiculously steep mountains but if the rocks were too big (our guy showed us by drawing in the dirt and using sticks!) that they hauled the rocks up one at a time on logs with loads of men. They showed us where the men would stand to shoot the Mongolians and pour water on them, and told us the names of the different sections of the wall. They we’re lovely people and showed us where they lived as farmers (just pointed off down a tiny track into the mountains). When we got to their home track they asked us to buy something. We both got a t-shirt and Vikki bought a picture but I paid 50Yuan which is far too much for a shirt but I gave them the money for the information more then the souvenir. The complete walk took about 4 hours and ended with a cable car down to Jinshanling car park, where we were greeting by a relieved driver waiting patiently for our return trip! The boys were about half an hour behind us so we waited for them on the wall and caught the cable car down together. It was a long day as we didn’t get back into Beijing until 8:30 but definitely the most amazing experience so far in China!
Vikki stayed at my place last night and we’re going out to Sanlitun tonight with Rosie. Our newly made friends are staying near there so we left them saying we’d try and catch up tonight but with no way of contacting them it’s only the chance of spotting 4 foreigners in a sea of Asians….probably not too hard!
