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Us looking normal before we headed off for the trek (and with the background of the Great Wall!)
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Okay, so we decided to book a tour to go to the Great Wall. It was more for convenience as I didn't want us to catch public transport (bus) to get there, and from what I've heard, their buses to some random stops that aren't part of the route! I also knew that if we were going to go with a tour, that they will take us to places where we will be kinda forced to buy some stuff but I don't mind!
Because we're here in low season, our tour just ended up being my husband and I so it was pretty much a private tour. It was great! Our tour guide Helen was great and knowledgeable, and our driver Mr Gao was so funny!
It took about 1.5 hours including Beijing traffic to get to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. I chose to go to this section instead of Badaling because I knew that Badaling was way more touristy and Mutianyu had great scenery. Helen also said that she personally liked the Mutianyu section as well. When we got there, it was amazing. I couldn't believe that we were there! The history of the wall is amazing (make sure to google it if you have time!) We took the cable car up to the wall and you had 2 options, either to hike the less inclined way, or hike the inclined route which I kid you not the steps were nearly at 90 degrees! Of course I chose the easier way and I was still struggling! I can't explain how beautiful the scenery was. It was breathtaking. Although it was freezing, the air was fresh which was a real difference from the Beijing air! The photos explained it all!! Our tour guide said that you're not a man until you climb the Great Wall, and hence that is why there are still a lot of Chinese people climbing the wall! Definitely an experience that I will never forget!
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| The beginning of the Mutianyu Great Wall |
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| The view while we were walking. We walked most of this.. I think?! |
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| Tired as....! I think we just passed half way! |
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| An amazing view with the sun rays |
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| Me and our Tour Guide. We did it! |
We then continued on to a Cloistonne Museum, where trained workers which have been taught by a master make copper vases and other things from scratch which could take anything from a month onwards. The detail that they put into it is amazing! And you know that it's real and man made because there is a signature (yes we bought a mini vase!) And you know that if it drops it won't break because it's made from copper. So you can tell if it is real or not because most likely the fake ones are made from porcelain (check out the ones at the dollar store owned by some Chinese!) They did chuck in some free meditation balls (the ones you play with in your hand) for free!
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| The process of how the made the vases |
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| One of the workers who was on his lunch break who still managed to smile for us! |
I wanted to go to a silk museum because I wanted to know how it was made and how you could tell the difference between real and fake silk. It was really interesting the way it was made, and the Chinese history behind how they made it and how it was used and who it was for was also interesting as it was mainly for the emperors! I got to be in the process of turning the silk into a quilt. That was fun! Anyway, we bought a silk quilt and some silk pillows which was a good investment because I have bad allergies and it was cheap too. So I'm not going to complain!
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| Me pulling silk to make a quilt. Haha I'm an amateur! |
We then ventured to a tea ceremony, where we got to taste a different range of teas. I love my teas, so I was making the most of the free tea! You can really tell the difference between Chinese tea and normal teabag tea. Did you know that oolong tea needs to be slurped into your mouth to get the flavour out of the tea? I so didn't know that! That's why you see some Chinese people slurping their tea because it brings out the taste! Amazing right?! Anyway, I bought a heap of tea. It lasts up to 5 years so I'm sure i will finish it by then.
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| An area showcasing their tea. The older the tea, the better! |
At the end of the trip, we ended up riding a rickshaw (a bicycle with 2 seats at the back) though a Beijing Hutong. The hutongs are the old style Beijing areas that they still have managed to save. In such a big city, there are these small alleyways where people lived for over 5 family generations. They are historically beautiful, and are a reminder of old Beijing. The houses in the hutong are also built based on Feng Shui which was also really interesting. So hard to explain but I understood when Helen was telling us!
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| Us on a rickshaw. How they used to get around during the old days |
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| A wall that we saw while on the rickshaw |
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| A real hutong. A house decorated back in the day. |
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| Us in the courtyard. All the hutongs were built around Feng Shui |
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| A group of locals playing mahjong on the street |
It was a mother of a day, and we couldn't wait to go home! Our tour guide did manage to hook us up with full body massages in our hotel room. For a 1.5 full body massage including a foot massage costs us 180CNY each, which was about 30 dollars! I know you read right, 30 dollars. How could you not go wrong with that! It was a perfect ending to the day!
The day was full on, but it was all worth it! Beijing you are amazing!
-V
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