Snow on the Great Wall of China!

Bare trees on the road to Huanghua

The Great Wall of China holds a special place in my heart. I never thought it would, it was always a must-see tourist destination but I never imagined that I would visit it 5 times in just 18 months. Of course, it is obligatory to take visitors to the never-ending wall, so it was high on our travel list when Mum and Libby were visiting.

Snow!!!

Not quite the snowfall I wanted, but it was better than nothing!

After much debate about which part of the wall to go to, we decided to visit the same section that I had recently been to with Dad – it was close to Beijing (just over an hour in the car) and offered stunning scenery, as all the sections do. Mum and Libby simply wanted to see the wall and have the opportunity to walk on it …. I had higher hopes – I wanted to see snow on the Great Wall.

Libby touches the wall for the first time

Experimenting with the mini tripod

It was cold in Beijing and everywhere, there was evidence of the recent snowfalls, so my hopes were high as we drove up to the Huanghua section of the wall. I was prepared for disappointment as we approached the wall, I couldn’t see any snow. However, my wish was granted on the wall, with small sections of snow, laying in the shadows on the wall and beside it. It was enough to whet my appetite for more – of course, a sixth visit is on the cards now, a wall covered in snow is what I hope to see!

Tribute to Michael Jackson on the Great Wall of China - how classy!

Snack time - a couple of kilos of halva!

Snow on the Great Wall of China!

The quiet atmosphere around the wall meant that the small eateries and postcard saleswomen were overly eager about securing our business, banging on the car window as we arrived and departed. The restaurant deck where I had sat last time was bare, with the lake nearby frozen solid. We satisfied them by eating at a deserted restaurant and buying some postcards and a book.

Spectacular backdrop

A dusting of snow in the background

More tripod shots

Video?!

It was amazing to visit the same section so shortly after my last visit. When Dad was here, it was the beginning of October and the trees were full of bright green leaves and the atmosphere on the wall was buzzing with the excitement of enthralled tourists. This time, it was the end of November, there were no leaves to be found on the trees and not a tourist in sight. What an experience, to be on the Great Wall of China by ourselves – a rare experience, I’m sure.

Frozen lake at the base of the wall

A greener Huanghua area

Perhaps one of the loveliest things of the day was the kindness of our driver, Xie. I met Xie for the first time when Dad and Carla were visiting. We were lucky to flat down his taxi and have him drive us to the wall for the day. For this visit, I had kept Xie’s phone number and the hostel called him for us for a second visit to the wall. As we got into the car, Xie proudly produced a business card offering tours to the Great Wall, which I believe he had made after our last visit because last time, he did not have any idea on how to get to the wall! It is making connections like this that make for such memorable travel experiences. Xie did not speak a word on English, I speak very little Chinese, but somehow we managed to get along just fine and have a brilliant day. As we drove back into Beijing, he kindly agreed to drive us to the site of the 2008 Olympics as well as circle the Forbidden City grounds in search of more halva. It was with a little sadness that I said goodbye to Xie. If anyone is planning to visit Beijing and would like Xie’s number, just let me know!

The gorgeous taxi driver, Xie

Birds Nest

Buying the halva

Our action packed weekend visit to Beijing left us all feeling a little weary and it was with great satisfaction that I fell into bed late on Sunday night, with dreams of the majestic Chang Cheng covered in snow.