My GREAT WALL OF CHINA EXPERIENCE

The Great Wall of China

This post will not be filled with information about the history of The Great Wall of China. If you want to know how and why it was built, go here. Hehe. What I only know is that this loooongggg fortress was built to protect Northern China from those hulabaloos, whoever they maybe. LOL.

The Preparation

Well, we really didn't have any preparations at all. We were all busy with work the week before we went to China that we weren't able to read enough about the place. So anyway, we just asked our friends who went there before us and they advised that it's better to go to the South East wall - which is Mutianyu, instead of the Northern side (popularly known to tourists as "Badaling").  They said that Mutianyu is a little bit farther than Badaling but there are less tourists there so it's a much better place to enjoy the view and of course to take lots and lots of pictures! :)

The Great Wall of China: How to get there?

We left our hotel at 8am and then we took the subway and got off at Guloudajie station. The subway system's interconnected so getting around was really a breeze. We were told by the hotel staff that there is a bus in Guloudajie that will take us directly to Mutianyu. We asked around but we were getting confusing information from the locals so we opted to hire a private car instead.

Luckily, there were alot of cars for hire around the area.  A guy approached us and told us that he can take us to The Great Wall and back for 400 CNY (approx. Php 2,700). He said that he will wait for us while we tour the Great Wall and he would drive us back to the subway station. We asked for a discount and he lowered the price down to 300 CNY (Php 2,000). It sounds like a good deal since three of us will be splitting the fare.

The driver told us that it will take around 2 to 2 1/2 hours to get to Mutianyu. Yes, it's that long! It wasn't a boring drive though because the view on the way to Mutianyu was great. We ate inside the car, joked around and slept and before we knew it, we were already there.

The Great Wall of China: Entrance Fee

 

 The ticket came with a VCD. I haven't watched the VCD yet so I don't know what's inside. :) We took the cable car going up - we only availed of the singleway cable ride and decided to just walk going down. (BIG MISTAKE!) I'm sorry but I forgot how much the cable ride costs. Hee. I got so excited that I forgot to take note of the rates. 

                                                                                                The weather was excellent that day - the sun was up and the wind was very cool. No kidding, but it felt like the whole place has centralized airconditioning. Hehe!  The view's awesome! I can't imagine how they built this fortress.  True enough, there weren't alot of tourists when we got there so we were able to enjoy our walk.  We brought snacks just in case we get hungry from the hike. Nothing healthy - just chips, cookies, bottled water and soda. :)  My friends were wearing shorts and rubber shoes that day. They were super ready for the long hike! While me, of course, I'm a dress kind of girl. So there I was in my pink dress and flipflops! Hehehehe! Yes,  perfect attire for the longgggg walk! LOL! Very smart of me, I know. Hahahaha! 

Camwhoring in The Great Wall (warning: Picture overload! LOL)

 

Hiding from the sun. LOL.

Goofing around inside the cable car

Strike a pose! Sorry for being My Unpure Self, Great Wall. LOL. I just got carried away.

We climbed....

We walked... (I can't walk anymore so I asked my friend to push me)

We jumped... (I told you we love jumpshots! *happy*)

And we walked some more... (No kidding, we were soooo tired! As in!)

Good thing we saw these half-naked guys. I forgot for a second that my feet were aching. LOL!

Poor woman, nabaliw sa haba ng Great Wall. Hahahaha! I don't know why she has leaves on her head.

I Climbed The Great Wall! 

I had a marvelous time walking along the Great Wall. It was made even better because I was in the company of good friends. I wouldn't mind doing it again - but next time, I'd wear my rubber shoes. Hahahaha! That will be a life lesson that I'm going to pass on to my kids and my grandkids - DON'T WEAR FLIPFLOPS IN THE GREAT WALL. *evil laugh*

The Unpure Jumpshot Extraordinaire,

-=K=-

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The driver we hired was really awesome. If you want to go to the Great Wall, you might want to give him a call:

Mr. Zhang - 13718280640

Car No. - KS5306