“He who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true man.”
Mao Zedong
It was my third trip to China but the first time to Beijing. But the excitement started since the day I started planning this trip 6 months ago. Finally, the day has come to visit the Great Wall, the longest man-made structure in the world. Visiting this UNESCO listed site was on the top of my must-see list for a while. Now I am one of those lucky ones to be able to visit the Great Wall at Badaling.
Starting Our Day Trip to The Great Wall
Scheduled to be picked up by our tour guide at 8 am. But my wait at the Redwall Hotel lobby seems like the longest wait ever.
Badaling is the site of the most visited section of the Great Wall of China, approximately 44 miles from my hotel at Dongcheng District ( close to Forbidden City).
Climbing The Steep Wall
The scenic site is divided into the north section and south section. I was more interested in the north so started climbing up the steep stairs. The total length of both north and south section is 7.5 miles (12 km) with 43 watchtowers. Out of all only 2.3 miles (3.74 km) and 19 watchtowers have been restored and opened to visitors.
In between at the watchtowers needed to make frequent stops to catch up breath. It was a hard job climbing all way up to the tower number 8, the highest elevation of this area. So definitely you need to be well prepared for this otherwise, need to give up like many people I saw returning back on my way up.
It was a great satisfaction to make it to the top and enjoy the magnificent landscape from the summit. I saw a number of watchtowers at intervals along the wall as it disappeared upwards into the mist. Such a beautiful scene. If we have an opportunity, then it is something no one should ever miss in their lifetime. Otherwise, life will be meaningless if we miss it knowing that we lead our life only once in this world.
By mid-afternoon, it was time to get back on the van and off to our next site. The Ming Tombs (as part of the trip).
Have you been to Great Wall of China, here are few pictures from Dizzy Traveler:
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