THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA AT MUTIANYU
At
the break of dawn, we were prepared to leave the comforts of our bed. Wrapped in layers of clothes, thick jackets,
bonnets, gloves and closed shoes (no tsinelas),
the below zero temperature pleased us.
It is the kind of weather I have been waiting for sans the snow. The misty morning is never annoying.
Picked-up
by a van at our hotel, we were bound to witness an architectural wonder – on a
not so touristy section of the Great Wall of China. Our destination for the day is the longest
fully-restored section of Mutianyu.
Spring
of 2012, we stayed at a youth hostel and there were offers of organized tours
to the Great Wall of China. For time
constraints (so we thought), we opted for the most tourist-friendly and
accessible Badaling section of the Great
Wall. In our group of six, with four
Vietnamese and us Filipinos, my friend and I paid only half of their fees,
maybe because they stayed in a 5-star hotel while us in a hostel. At that time, I generalized that rates depend
on the type of accommodations.
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| YEARS AGO AT THE BADALING GREAT WALL |
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| SPRING AT THE BADALING GREAT WALL WITH FRIENDS |
Winter
of 2015, while on a coaster enroute to Mutianyu
Great Wall, I overheard the Europeans converse soliciting information from
each other as to the amount of fees paid and they all answered the same. Rates must have been standardized. For 280RMB (approximately PhP2, 000.00), the
tour includes both breakfast and lunch meals but surprisingly water is not
included. It is advisable to purchase a
liter at a nearby convenience store since rates are high at restaurants within
the vicinity of the Great Wall.
Though
travelers can actually commute going to the Great Wall, the inevitable hassle
is attached to it not to mention the communication barrier it poses. Joining a private tour is still the most
practical way to visit the Great Wall of whatever section it is.
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| Photo grabbed from travel buddy Kirk |
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| WINTER TIME AT THE GREAT WALL |
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| WINTER AT MUTIANYU GREAT WALL |
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| MUTIANYU SECTION OF THE GREAT WALL |
The
Mutianyu Great Wall is in Huairou Country, 73 km north of Central Beijing and
is of a maximum of two-hour drive. As we
passed through snow-capped mountains, I began to feel the excitement - of
wandering around the walls of Chinese ancient civilization.
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| TOURISTS' ENTRANCE |
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| AT THE FOOT OF THE MOUNTAIN |
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| THE SNOW-CAPPED MOUNTAINS |
As
soon as we arrived at the foot of the mountain where registration of visitors
is done, an orientation followed from our guide as to the history and of course
the passable routes of the wall.
Entry
tickets are arranged by the guide and it lessens the hassle of queuing. There are three ways to do the ascent and
descent at the Great Wall of Mutianyu.
These are: the hike, which takes hours to climb the more than 4,000 steps;
through the toboggan, for those who
really wanted to trek miles for the experience and single-rider toboggans are
available for descent from the east end of the wall to the valley; and of
course, the tourist friendly, cable car.
For an additional fee of 100RMB for round trip (approximately 700
pesos), we took the cable car without any second thoughts. The cable car will drop-off the visitors at
tower 14, which is noted to provide the most beautiful scenery in this wall.
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| MAP SOURCE: CHINAHIGHLIGHTS WEBSITE |
The
walk from tower 14 to the peak of tower 23 is a walk in the park. The watchtowers are densely spaced and a good
vantage for photography apart from serving as rest areas. On an ascending mountain ridge, there is a
watchtower on very hundred meters.
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| MY FIRST VIEW OF THE MUTIANYU GREAT WALL |
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| ARRIVAL AT TOWER 14 |
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| WATCHTOWER 14 |
Since
the Mutianyu Wall is surrounded by woods covering almost ninety percent of the
area, the natural scenery while we rest at times is indeed breathtaking. It turns green during summer, red in autumn
and on our visit, it may look dull but charmed by the snow that surrounds the
forest and even the sides of the wall.
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| THE WOODLANDS OF MUTIANYU |
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| SNOW-COVERED PAVEMENTS OF THE WALL |
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| WINTER AT MUTIANYU GREAT WALL |
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| INSIDE THE WATCH TOWER |
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| LESS TOURISTS SIDE OF THE GREAT WALL |
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| THE TREK CONTINUES |
The
Mutianyu Great Wall is dubbed as “the Grand Pass on the Precipitous Ridge”
because it was a military stronghold in the ancient times. With this masterpiece, I am but privileged to
have been given the chance to visit again the Great Wall of China on another
section of the wall. This time with less
tourists and a more breathtaking natural landscape.
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| THE WINTER BACKDROP OF MUTIANYU GREAT WALL |
2 comments
Grabe may nag motocross sa great wall hahahha. bakit di mo pinost yung picture natin dalawa na split frame? hahahhaha
ReplyDeletegrabi ka hahahahahaha
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