The Great Wall of China
April 19, 2010  

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Driving towards Mutianyu ....a section of the Great Wall
See Trip Plan Below

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I was in Beijing for a week, and of course I had to come to see the Great Wall of China. I chose the section of Mutianyu, because it tends to have less tourist and have more opportunity to feel the countryside. The forecast for the day was rain, so I was worried and dressed with full gear.

It turned out to be a very nice dry day. It started breaking up when we arrived at the site. By 1pm, cloud moved out and we had a bluebird day.


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Foundation Stone, Calligraphy by Chinese President Jiang Zemin

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The whole section was about 12 km, with 24 platforms.
There are now cable cars to go up and down.

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Going up the market alley to get to the trailhead.
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We chose to hike up to the Wall rather than taking the cable car.

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This guy is newly built for the tourist to rest.

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We started at Platform 8, and ended our hike at 24

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Original stone paved walkway.

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Yes, we were hiking towards there, up there !!

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The further we went, the less tourists followed us !!

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I noticed this boundary stone, the engraved words were so worn out. Even the tourist guide didn't know there was such a stone.
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Noticed the left wall is taller than the right wall. It was because the left is the north, where the intruders would be. Smart !!

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Shame !! A pyramid of graffiti shame !

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Patrolling the wall wasn't an easy job.
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Yes, it is this steep !!!

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I am standing on the Great Wall ... (3.9 MB file).

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On platform 24, this was where we ended the hike.

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Miles of miles of the great wall, you have to admit that it wasn't easy to build.

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Do you think if it can still fires ?

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What the heck ? An amusement park ?

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Yes, they built a track for tourist to slide down on a toboggan.
I bought the ticket.

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Lucky that I read the 'stipulations'.

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Man, Tobogganing is so simple. (Lower left corner).

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Here we go !

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Watch me slide down the Great Wall (3 MB file).

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How can they mis-spell 'Emergency' ? What if ... ?




Location: The Great Wall of China, Mutianyu, China.




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