Once in a lifetime wasn’t enough for this intrepid OAT small group
By Marcy Hoffman, 3-time traveler, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
I climbed the Great Wall of China twice in one day. Yes, that’s right—twice. It was early on in our incredible three-week trip to China and Tibet. A trip to the Great Wall is a highlight of any trip to that country. We expected it would be for us as well.
Since the Great Wall at one time extended nearly 4,000 miles, there are many places to access it, but the most popular is located an hour or so outside of Beijing at Badaling. Since OAT prides itself on new adventures, they took us instead to the “Wild Great Wall,” which was purported to be more authentic and off the beaten path. It certainly met all of our expectations. No one was in the parking area as we pulled into the remote location 30 minutes further away from the city. It was hard to see the actual wall looming above us because of the shrubbery and hill in the way, but the climb up appeared to be quite challenging. It was steep and dirt-covered with a few rocks scattered here and there upon which to put your feet. Most of us had worn comfortable walking shoes, as logic and our Trip Leader directed. Yet there were two women wearing flimsy sandals. Their choice of footwear boggled my mind.
A group of men in native garb seemed to appear out of nowhere at the base of the hill as we started our ascent. They said nothing but climbed along with us, keeping their distance. Watching them made me a little uncomfortable until we reached a spot on the climb where I was having some difficulty getting my footing. One of the men instantly appeared and gracefully supported me to the next level. As the climb continued and the grass and stones disappeared, the men were called into action several times more to assist me and others in the group until we were all at the top. As advertised, this part of the wall felt completely authentic. There was no one in sight other than our small group. We looked to the left and to the right, following the wall with our eyes until it disappeared in the distance. It’s easy to see how this ancient structure qualifies as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
The walk—or run—down the hill was even more difficult than coming up. Several times I felt that I would end up falling and rolling the rest of the way down. But the helpers again came to my rescue and assisted me till we reached the bottom. I watched in awe as the ladies in sandals made the descent with no problem.
Exhilarated by our successful outing, we stopped for lunch at a lovely restaurant in the town of Badaling. Someone asked our Trip Leader if we were going to climb the wall at this point, too. I thought they were kidding, as did the Trip Leader. She told us there would be time to do so if we wanted to, but since it was not part of our trip we would be responsible to pay the approximately $0.25 entrance fee ourselves.
Sure enough, our entire group opted to do it again. This time the climb had some different features. It was still very steep and arduous, but there were sections with stone steps cut into the side of the hill making it a little easier to keep your balance. We were certainly not alone, as dozens if not hundreds of other tourists joined us along the way. There were also a few flat areas where people could stop and rest, or, as my husband chose to do, stop and take pictures of the rest of us. When we reached the summit, much to our amazement, there were all the trappings of commercialism. A photographer with a costumed camel entreated us to climb aboard and have our picture taken. There were vendors selling all kinds of traditional Chinese souvenirs and works of art. I marveled at how they were able to get up there with all their merchandise. Once again, the view was breathtaking. We could actually see a little further in both directions, and some of us (not me) chose to walk along the wall until they encountered some barriers indicated it was not safe to go any further.
We climbed back into our van at the end of the day, tired but very fulfilled. I must admit that the backs of my legs ached for most of the following week, but it was worth it. How often do you get to have one of the adventures of a lifetime, twice in the same day?
No, you don’t have to climb it twice, but you’ll experience the “Wild Great Wall” during our Imperial China, Tibet & the Yangtze River Small Ship Adventure.