The Great Wall ..... again!

The Great Wall is, of course, a ‘must see’ when visiting China and I needed no convincing to visit for a fourth time. I was keen to head to a more unknown section of the wall for two reasons – to see the wall in a different setting and to avoid the National Day crowds. We decided upon Huang Hua, a section of the wall 60 km north of Beijing and hired a taxi driver for the day, a lovely man who was a fantastic guide for us.

Spectacular mountain scenery

Dad enjoys the solitude on the Great Wall!

Upon arriving at Huang Hua, the visitor is confronted by a huge sign announcing that ‘This section of the Great Wall is not open to the public.’ Hmmm, try telling that to the people already climbing it! We paid a 2rmb entrance fee and began the scramble up the scree to the wall. Along the way, we were met by an old Chinese woman announcing that we had to pay another 2rmb because we were crossing private property. We wondered how many more ‘private’ properties we would have to cross?! Thankfully that was the only one.

Blue skies and fresh air!

The Huang Hua section of the wall winds its way towards Mutianyu

The wall was once again spectacular and it was made even better by the clear blue skies and few tourists. The further we walked, the less people we came across. I left the old ones behind to stroll along with their bung knees and hips, whilst I marched ahead, determined to reach a tower that I had spied in the distance. Being the slightly stubborn person that I am, I refused to turn around, despite the fact that I was on my hands and knees scrambling up a nearly vertical incline. But, my perseverance paid off – I reached the tower and had a lovely few minutes of solitude on the Great Wall of China. I scrambled back down to meet Dad and Carla who had stopped for lunch while they watched me disappear into the distance. We headed back to the little village where our lovely driver was waiting for us to return us to Beijing.

Lunch on the Great Wall

Exchanging business cards with the lovely owner of a local restaurant

Another trip to the Great Wall completed, the fifth visit is coming up at the end of November when I go up there with Mum! I am also already planning a 6^th visit as I am very keen to do a 2-3 day walk along the wall, beginning in Huang Hua and ending in Mutianyu.

Enjoying a beer after the tough climb!