The Ming Tombs And The Great Wall At Badaling

Inner Gate - Ming Tombs.
see all photos »

The Great Wall Of China has been turned into a tourist circus! Beautiful scenery and some good photos but bloody busy! We arrived at the bottom and had to walk up a hill for a bit because the car park was full, I think. When we got there we were hassled by people selling things at stalls etc. (not that unusual) It`s a bit intimidating at first, but we`d learnt to just smile and walk off. They did grab us from time to time though! There are black bears kept in pits there just before the wall, which is a bit upsetting. They looked healthy though, and fresh fruit was put out every so often for slack jawed yokels to throw to them. That said, the wall itself was awe inspiring, and the main reason it was so busy was the Chinese Labour Day week long holiday. We didn't manage to hike to the highest point because of the crowds, but I got some really nice pictures. I enjoyed the trip, but wish I'd gone to one of the other parts early in the morning to avoid the crowds and see the Sun rise. Don't go with a tour group from a hotel, unless you know the exact details. We spent more time in the Jade factory than on the wall, which wasn't even advertised on the itinerary! Apparently, there is another section of the wall that is empty and non-restored. Maybe I'll go there in the future. There's a 15km hike from one hostel to another, that's the juice.

The wall itself was awe inspiring,