Hiking on the Great Wall

Yesterday was certainly the highlight of our stay here in China so far – the Great Wall!

We caught the subway very early in the morning to the meeting point of the Beijing Hikers Group. From there we caught a bus (there were about 20 of us all up, some tourists but mainly other expats) out to “Little West Lake” which took about 3 hours! We now know what Beijing traffic jams are all about – today is Tomb Sweepers Day, a Chinese holiday, so Beijingers were wanting to head out of the city, just like us!

After finally arriving, we began our climb up the side of a mountain for about half an hour. The climb was steep and the path overgrown, gravelly and with loose stones so it was bloody hard work! I was worried that if all of the hike was going to be like this, I wouldn’t make it! Luckily it wasn’t – once we were on the Wall it was hilly but not too steep for the majority of the way. This section of the wall is unrestored so it’s overgrown with shrubs and crumbling bricks. Many of the sides had fallen away and there were some sections where we walked alongside a sheer drop of probably 20 metres! We had to be really careful. There were parts we needed to go down on our bums, and backwards – it was great fun! The views from the wall are stunning, the mountains very desolate, and the wall just goes on and on!

I was enjoying the walk so much that I thought it can’t possibly be rated ‘3’ (I’d heard ‘3’s were quite challenging), and of course I was right because the final kilometer was a semi-restored section and uphill – it seemed to never end and it was so steep! I didn’t enjoy that section at all! Then we had a final descent – very steep again – I don’t think the photos do the terrain justice! I was so busy admiring the views of the town and lake below that I missed one of the markers at the turning off point and continued another 100 metres down the steep wall until someone called out to me. Then I had to get back up again! I was so exhausted! Thyson, by the way, was waiting down at the restaurant for 30 minutes. He was like a mountain goat and loved every minute of it. Once we reached the bottom we had a meal at a local restaurant at Huanghua (5 km from our starting point) before returning to Beijing. We got home at 8pm, a very long day! The hike along the wall lasted 4 hours, the rest of the time was travelling there and back, and dinner.

Wow, I’m so sore today!

Lama Temple

Today, Annette (a friend from New Zealand) and I visited the Lama Temple, the most renowned Tibetan Buddhist Temple outside Tibet, and which served as an imperial palace prior to 1744 when it was converted into a lamasery. Most famous in the temple is the 18 metre statue of Buddha reputedly sculpted from a single block of sandalwood. The photograph certainly doesn’t do it justice, it is really quite spectacular to see. The architecture was stunning, as were the statues and other treasures on display. I think this is now my favourite place in Beijing, along side the hutongs. The streets surrounding the temple are lined with shops selling all kinds of worship paraphernalia, ranging from $1 or $2, to thousands of dollars!

We then had a delicious meal at a little vegetarian courtyard restaurant. We ordered a number of dishes including lamb and chicken meals – they were just delicious! We ended up paying $20 each which is a midrange restaurant price, but we had so much food that we had to bring it home in doggy bags!

We then explored some of the hutongs around the area and discovered a huge Confucian temple complex that we will definitely have to return to and explore further. We found two very trendy hutongs lined with shops and bars – with great atmosphere! I absolutely love the hutongs and keep discovering new ones all the time.

This evening we need to do our Chinese homework before our next lesson on Sunday. (Loving the Chinese language!!!) Tomorrow we are joining the Beijing Hikers on a hike along a section of the Wall. Can’t wait but also a little tentative because I think it’s a hard hike, very steep in parts. I hope I’m fit enough!

The Summer Palace

This morning we took the subway out to the Summer Palace in the north-west of the city, where in the days gone by, the imperial courts escaped the summer heat of the old imperial city (The Forbidden City). It’s a vast landscape full of winding, forested paths, temples, gardens, pavilions, lakes, bridges, gate towers and corridors.  It was a beautiful spring day without the ever-present crowds, so we could feel how peaceful and tranquil the area was. Thyson said it was his favourite place in Beijing so far – I think that was because of the lack of crowds!

The Forbidden City and surrounding hutongs

Yesterday we began our day at the Forbidden City, entering through the Gate of Heavenly Peace with the large portrait of Mao hanging on its centre. We then proceeded through one of the 5 doors of the Gate of Supreme Harmony, then crossed one of the 5 marble bridges leading to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the largest structure in the Forbidden City. The vast courtyard was lovely with its old, uneven cobblestones.

 We then visited the other two main buildings, which were the Hall of Middle Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. Including these three main halls, there are actually 800 buildings, which have been home to 24 emperors for 500 years. Behind the three main buildings were the smaller, but equally beautiful, Palace of Heavenly Purity, Hall of Union and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. Most impressive to me was the gorgeous architecture, especially the design of the old roofs and intricately decorated eves.

We spent the afternoon exploring the hutongs, which happen to be my favourite area of Beijing so far. The hutongs are the old alleyways that meander through the centre of Beijing, with their old door fronts and lovely courtyards. Some are really narrow but others are wider and lined with trees. Some of them have become very popular, trendy areas and have a range of quirky shops along them. One beautiful shop was selling antique porcelain that had been broken up and made into jewelry. The pieces were absolutely gorgeous but were priced at over $2000!

Along the way we passed the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower, both beautiful buildings, and we came out at Houhai Lake surrounded by its bars and restaurants. This area gets really busy at night, even during the week. People like to spend the warm evenings outdoors here.

Gate of Heavenly Peace

Gate of Supreme Harmony

Marble bridges

Hall of Supreme Harmony

What beautiful roofs!

The Hutongs

Drum Tower

Bell Tower

Houhai Lake