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(note: this is one of my pre-scheduled posts set to appear at 5:00am EST each morning I am in a port city. I will post follow-up information about each trip once I am able to get back on the computer.)
- see description from previous post for today's activities
Update:
This was the specific schedule for today...
Breakfast at hotel
08:30 Depart hotel for Great Wall
10:30 - 13:30 Tour of the Great Wall at the Mutianyu Section
13:30 - 14:00 Boxed lunch
16:00 - 17:00 Stop at some markets for shopping
17:30 Return to hotel and rest of evening at leisure. Dinner on own and overnight.
some longer video I took at the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in Beijing, China
(click here for bigger version of the video)
video driving to the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in Beijing, China
(click here for bigger version of the video)
video of area just before the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in Beijing, China
(click here for bigger version of the video)
I wasn't really expecting the ski lift that took us up to the Great Wall (at least to the portion we went to - the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall - which was about an hour and a half drive away from our hotel).
video on the ski lift going up to the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in Beijing, China
You could either hike up to the Great Wall or take a ski lift. To get down, you could opt to take a toboggan thing down (the only other place I've done this is in Salzburg, Austria), hike back down or get back on the ski lift again.
I'm glad we went to the portion of the Great Wall that we did because apparently other groups were taken to really crowded areas of the Wall and they didn't have the ski lift or toboggan. Our portion of the Great Wall was touristy, but you were fighting for arm room as some people were on their trips.
The Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in Beijing, China
Another thing I wasn't really expecting (or rather hadn't thought much about) was how steep the Great Wall is. On the portion we were on, it felt like a 45 degree incline at times. People had to stop and start several times because it was pretty physically exertive.
steep steps at the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in Beijing, China
At one point, I got to the top of a section I had just climbed and then went to see what was next and it was another equally steep ascent. At that point, I decided to turn around. With all the climbing I didn't really go all that far, but in the two hours we had there, I felt like I had seen enough.
me on the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in Beijing, China
video on the toboggan ride down from the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in Beijing, China
(click here for bigger version of the video)
video on the toboggan ride down from the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu section) in Beijing, China
