Destinations

By Guest Blogger, Nishant Bagadia

The Great Wall is synonymous with China, a country that has harbored this 4000-mile stone monument since the 5th century BC. It is almost impossible to return from China without paying a visit to this world wonder. If you go to Beijing, there is of course the option of walking on the recently renovated portion of the wall, complete with tourists, gift shops and hecklers. However, if you are seeking an authentic experience of the Great Wall in the most peaceful of mountain settings, I recommend you take a day trip a few hours south west.

Start early. Hop on a relatively short train to another major city in the Hebei province called Baoding. Here, find a bus to transit over to the small mountain town called Laiyuan County. If you leave Beijing at 6 am you might make it to Laiyuan by noon. Upon your arrival, I recommend you ignore the tempting street markets and go straight to the desperate crowd of private drivers waiting to take people to the base of the Great Wall “hike”. As a tip, I would negotiate a price, around 100 Yuan per person, with the driver before you even begin and ask them to take you to the section of the wall called “Wulonggou”. After another one hour of anxiety, sweat and anticipation, and as the wall slowly grows from a dot in the horizon to a structured object, you can expect your driver to park in a village at the base of the mountain. As you walk past the lone farmer’s house where a few native children are chasing scorpions, understand that you are now one of the few foreigners about to make an incredible hike to one of the most breathtaking views of the wall.

Be sure to wear tennis shoes (although I hiked this trail in sandals and jeans), and keep your camera handy, while climbing the dry, brown stone plateaus that encompass the hike. Although your eyes will naturally stay fixed on the stone watchtowers ahead, certainly take a few minutes to turn around and embrace the never ending stretch of rocky land. Let the cool breeze muffle any distracting sound as it whistles past your ears.

When you approach the wall, be sure to move your hand along the earthy barricade and let the dust settle on your fingers. This is the wall in its truest form. As you traverse on top of the structure, notice the massive width of the wall lined with continuous defensive battlements. There are complete sections of the wall missing and an occasional area of eroded stones exposed by years of wind and weathering.

No other part of the remote wall is as impressive as the watchtowers. When you climb into this barrack, you will have a chance to feel the intricacies of a limestone room where the guards worked their defense. Look up and see the open window leading to the roof, I recommend safely climbing up onto the top. Here, you will find the best view of the snaking wall in all directions, especially if you look through the circular windows from where the archers released their arrows.

Finally, if you have the time before sunset, definitely spend 30 minutes enveloping the environment around you and opening that well deserved six pack of Tsingtao beer.