Words cannot truly express seeing this site in person. It was overwhelming to be standing on such a historical landmark. The wall stretches approximately 4,000 miles (we thought about hiking the entire wall, but the darn tour bus dropped us off in the middle of the wall! We figured we couldn't do the whole wall AND double back in 1 day, so we scratched the idea). Mutianyu is the spot where we landed.
This part of the wall was built in the mid 6th century and served as a barrier for the Capital and imperial tombs. It is located about 50 miles northeast of Beijing. We were able to see parts of rural China as we took our bus towards Mutianyu.
Once reaching Mutianyu, it was approximately a 30-40 minute hike to reach the wall. Once on the wall, you could walk in either direction as far as your legs and time permitted (figuratively speaking).
40° 26′ 16.86″ N, 116° 33′ 2.84" E is the exact location Mutianyu (I'm not sure if you can get any aerial shots of the area). It is extremely difficult to describe the Great Wall. The wall itself is so incredible, as is the area surrounding (almost entirely forrest). Before seeing the it, I knew the Great Wall was an incredible accomplishment of humanity. After seeing it, I'm truly perplexed as to how it was done. The area is very high up on a mountain and completely surrounded by trees and bushes. How in the world they actually got these stones and bricks up this mountain and put them in place is beyond my wildest imagination.
This part of the wall was built in the mid 6th century and served as a barrier for the Capital and imperial tombs. It is located about 50 miles northeast of Beijing. We were able to see parts of rural China as we took our bus towards Mutianyu.
Once reaching Mutianyu, it was approximately a 30-40 minute hike to reach the wall. Once on the wall, you could walk in either direction as far as your legs and time permitted (figuratively speaking).
40° 26′ 16.86″ N, 116° 33′ 2.84" E is the exact location Mutianyu (I'm not sure if you can get any aerial shots of the area). It is extremely difficult to describe the Great Wall. The wall itself is so incredible, as is the area surrounding (almost entirely forrest). Before seeing the it, I knew the Great Wall was an incredible accomplishment of humanity. After seeing it, I'm truly perplexed as to how it was done. The area is very high up on a mountain and completely surrounded by trees and bushes. How in the world they actually got these stones and bricks up this mountain and put them in place is beyond my wildest imagination.
Map of the wall
Starting the journey up
Arrival at the wall
An old, old canon
From inside one of the watchtowers
After enjoying our time on the Great Wall, it was time to head back down to the base for lunch. As we prepared to descend back down the mountain, we noticed an alpine slide, oh bless this day! For the approximate price of $5 USD, how could we pass this up.
I managed to take video of the entire slide down. It is fairly boring and uneventful, but feel free to see for yourself HERE.
3 comments:
Being out of town, I haven't had much chance to comment on your posts, but am loving them all. What an awesmome and amazing adventure. Great photos.
C&L: Love watching and listening to your comments as you travel through parts of China.You are having a great time. Love'Ya both.
Gm & Gp
Christopher! It wasn't boring. I loved how you tailgated that lady in front of you....you speed demon....you. She looked nervous. What a fun adventure. Thanks for sharing your adventure. Hugs to Lauren.
Pam
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