Chuck wanted to get an early start this morning to beat the crowds and traffic out of the city. We got up at 5:00am, had breakfast at 6:00am, then met Chuck in the lobby by 7:00am. In fact the last 4 days we have been getting up at 5:00am. I look forward to the day we can sleep in.
We did hit a lot of traffic getting out of the city. After that it was a nice hour drive up into the mountains to the Badaling Great Wall. This section of the wall is open to the public, closest to Beijing and the most visited. This part of the Wall got the name Badaling (Eight Prominent Peaks) because the traffic is easy and convenient. In Chinese, Bada means "giving access to all direction"
This section also has a visitor center, cafe, gift shop, museum, and a gondola ride further up the mountain to the wall. As we pulled into the parking lot, it was full of buses and cars. So much for leaving early.
From the parking lot it was a long walk up a slope to the visitor center. I was exhausted by the time we got to the door. This is going to be a long day.
The gondola took us just below the wall with lots of steps to reach the base of the wall. Then the fun started. First you have to climb steep steps to get to the top, then walking along the top of the wall was very difficult. Besides being crowded, the top of the wall was uneven, wavy, and steep in some sections. The stones are very slick - no one could walk on them after a rain or during a rain. There are stairs in some sections that are wide and steep. I had my walking stick, but needed help working those steps. My legs were killing me. Way too old for this. But at the top of the wall you are on top of the world. What a view.
Following along the base of the wall was a paved smooth path with easy stairs. At certain places along the wall you can leave the path and walk inside the wall and walk up some stairs (always very steep) to get back up onto the top of the wall.
After walking along the wall for a few short blocks we gave up and got onto the path at the base. Returning to the gondola station was much easier. Whew. On our way back we came upon some locals who were enjoying the attention they were getting.
The Great Wall is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The building was started in 7th century BC and ended in 1878. It was built during several dynasties and took 2,500 years to build.
We visited The Wall on a beautiful, sunny day. Despite the crowds and the difficulty in walking the wall, the visit was enjoyable and well worth the time and effort. I just wish we had more time to explore at leisure. Yeah, we walked The Great Wall.
Check that one off our Bucket List!!
JADE CARVING FACTORY
As we headed back to Beijing we stopped at a local restaurant for lunch. Actually it was a Jade Carving Factory that had a cafe. From now on any local restaurant we have lunch at will have a gift shop or some kind of merchandise factory.
Lunch here was similar to the last place we stopped at and will be the same with all the restaurants we will be stopping at. A large round table with a large lazy-susan in the middle that will be loaded with dishes and bowls of Chinese cuisine.
After lunch we browsed the gift shop. The place was full of salespeople and one would stick to you like glue and follow you around the store. If you stop to look at an item, they would approach you with a calculator giving you the US price and encouraging you to buy it.
I recognized a lot of the smaller carvings as ones I would buy for my Jo's Jems business. Carvings that I bought from a Asian vendor at the Gem Shows for $4 each. This store was selling them for $15 to $20 each. So no purchasing anything today. Just looking. They had some beautiful large Jade carvings that we enjoyed looking at.
This was our last stop before returning to our hotel. The Ming tombs are a collection of mausoleums built by the emperors of the Ming dynasty.
The Sacred Way or Passage is a road that goes into the mountains to where the tombs are. The Sacred Way is for the spirits of the royal dead to walk on. The Way is lined with stone statues of men and animals as important decorations of the grounds. Each animal are in a prone and standing position on each side.
PEKING DUCK DINNER is an optional event. Today is our anniversary, so we decided to do this event in celebration.
The dinner was delicious and well worth the time and money.
Tomorrow is our last day in Beijing. Tonight we put our luggage outside our rooms for pick-up and tomorrow, on our way to the Beijing airport we visit the hutong neighborhood again. This time we get a rickshaw ride through the neighborhood and visit a local family in the area.
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