Great Wall of China

One of my most memorable travel experiences was visiting the Great Wall of China. My first visit was with a group of staff from the Australia embassy in Beijing. We headed north of the city to the Mutianyu section of the great wall. This section is about one hours drive out of Beijing.

On the day I visited the wall it was a glorius day with blue sky and very good visibility. A rare occurence in China. When we arrived at the wall I was amazed at how steep the mountains were that the wall has been built on. This made it even more amazing. At Mutianyu you have the option of walking up a steep and winding staircase to get to the wall or you could catch a chairlift. I took the lazy option and went up in the chairlift.

Once at the top of the chairlift ride I stepped out and then afte a short walk I stepped onto the wall. It snaked off into the distance and many tourists walked along the wall appearing like ants.

Being young and foolish as I was when I went to the wall I decided to see how far I could go in the shortest time. I took off up the steepest section at a hundred miles an hour. It was not long before the heat and difficulty of the climb got the better of me. I was now desperate to get back down, this time I would take things a bit slower. On my way down I got to appreciate the wonder of the Great Wall of China. As I was moving a bit slower I noticed in the distance the city of Beijing. It was interesting seeing the skyline.

Have you been to the Great Wall? Let me know what you thought.