What a Wild Wall - Beijing, China

I came across something I wrote several years ago. I've been to China a few times, but this was a story about my first trip there. I had been teaching in Ilsan, Korea and this was my first second trip, using Korea as my "base of operations." I stumbled across it this eveing on Bootsnall.com; a great travel website.

What a Wild Wall - Beijing, China
The first thing that struck me as I deplaned in Beijing was the cold. It was not the mild form of cold I had been dealing with all winter in South Korea, but a bitter, bone-chilling frigidness. I arrived in the central Beijing area and planned to spend my Christmas morning looking for accommodations and something to eat.

I would be in Beijing for four days before my friends from South Korea were to meet me. I would travel with them or another four days. During my time alone, I saw many of the "must see" major tourist destinations. I toured the "disappointing" National Museum of History, Tianamen Square, The Great Hall of the People, The Forbidden City; equipped with its very own Starbucks, and the breathtaking White Cloud Temple. The White Cloud Temple was once the center for Taoism in Northern China. Founded in AD739, it is an elaborate series of passages and corridors. The light dusting of snow on everything gave it a surreal fantasy-like feeling.

My three friends arrived on the morning of the 29th. I met them at the International Hotel and brought them back to our guesthouse off Wangfujing Dajie. As a group we toured several more sites of the next few days including; the Temple of Heaven, the Silk Market, Panjiayuan Market, the Summer Palace and the circus-like Lama Temple with its hordes of tourists. We were all most excited about seeing the Great Wall.

One of the most famous landmarks in the world, the Great Wall was originally constructed during the Quin Dynasty. It's purpose was to keep out bands of plundering nomads and bandits. The Wall stretches from Jaiyuguan in Eastern China to the Gobi Desert. Today many parts of the wall frequented by tourists have a Disney-like feel, with restaurants, souvenir shops and more kitsch than you can shake a stick at. This was everything we wanted to avoid when seeing the Wall.

Aaron and I began planning the "ideal" area to see. After pouring over guidebooks and a little debating, we came to an agreement on the area we would visit. Simatai is more than 100km outside of Beijing. It is a rural area and truly off the beaten path. The decision to see this area was only a small portion of the battle. Getting there would be a strange adventure in itself.

After a quick breakfast, Aaron, Laz, Hoa and I piled into a small taxi. We made our way to the central bus terminal in northern Beijing. Dongzhimen Bus Station is a sprawling and confusing area, spread over several blocks. We slowly made our way through the maze of narrow streets, buildings, buses and a sea of people. We were attempting to find a minibus to Miyun. What followed was confusion, panic and a lot of running. Eventually we found our bus. It was more than an hour to Miyun, but the bus was warm and that was more than enough to make us happy.

Once we arrived in the town of Miyun we had to hire either a taxi or a minibus to Simitai. A group of taxi drivers was milling about on a sidewalk, waiting for travelers to employ their services. We bargained and argued and eventually a driver agreed to the 100 Yuan that we were willing to pay. We also collected two more travelers, a couple teaching English in Japan. The six of us wedged ourselves into the microscopic white van and prepared for the 75-minute drive to the wall. The taxi had no heater so being crammed together was actually beneficial. We all suffered from icy cold feet though.

The countryside we drove through was beautiful. Small farming villages popped up along the way. These villages were a stark contrast to the flashy streets of Central Beijing or the Hutongs that surround them. It looked as if life in these villages had not changed in hundreds of years. Read More...