China, Beijing 3 (Great Wall)

October 15, 2010: The Great Wall of China is probably one of the most famous structures ever built. Ever since David Copperfield magically walked through it in one of his tricks all those years ago, I’d wanted to go there. More than 20 years later I’ve finally made it, and I’m absolutely thrilled. I booked a combined tour to the Ming Tombs and the Great Wall. The hardest part was getting nice pictures with as few tourists in them as possible. It’s unbelievable how many Chinese people can be in one place at the same time. First up, one of the many tombs of the Ming Dynasty.

After a hearty lunch - Chinese food is really delicious and actually completely different from your typical „Chinese restaurant“ back in Germany - we drove on to my childhood dream. Reality hit me pretty quickly. Endless crowds and queues like at an amusement park.

Once we got to the top by cable car, we shuffled along the Great Wall of China with the masses.

…that’s not quite how I’d pictured it. OK, time for a new plan. I really wanted to enjoy the wall in peace and quiet. The Great Wall of China is several thousand kilometers long, so there had to be a quiet spot somewhere. The tour had scheduled two hours on the wall. In other words, after all that relaxing over the last few days: exercise! The tourists cluster around the cable car. –> Time to make a run for it - forwards! On the tour I’d met Mohammad and Efrat, and I suggested we hurry along the wall at a brisk pace. No sooner said than done, off we went… If you think (like I did at first) that the wall is pretty much flat, you’re in for a big surprise. In some places you practically had to climb the stairs…

Besides some pretty steep climbs, there were other obstacles eating up precious time. Photo sessions with me. ;) Being the friendly guy I am, I can hardly say no when yet another little group wants a picture with me. :D With every hurdle we cleared, the view got better and the crowds thinned out.

Finally, a bit out of breath, we reached an almost deserted spot. Given history and current politics, it’s quite an interesting picture: Efrat from Israel, me from Germany and Mohammad from Iran. Pure harmony!

After a few quiet, relaxing minutes we had to rush back so we wouldn’t miss the bus. On the way, Efrat and I picked up a little souvenir: a gold medal for „conquering“ the Great Wall of China. The vendor wanted 100 yuan for a medal including engraving. Sly as I am, I said „10 yuan!“ and got ready to haggle. The vendor replied: „OK!“ …so apparently even 10 yuan (about 1.08 €) was too much… One more quick photo as proof and then down from the wall - which, once you hike a little way along it, really is fascinating.

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Fancy more China? You can find a beautifully written article with professional photos [here]. The experiences it describes, with amusement-park-style crowds but also everything that makes China so unique, make me look back with real longing.