Sunday, March 12, 2006
Day 2: Whirlwind sightseeing
So if you have only one off day while in Beijing, what do you do? In my case the decision was pretty clear: do as much as possible!
I woke up at 4:30am (3:30 PM Boston time), had breakfast when it was open and met my drive at 7:30 for the drive to see the Great Wall. I had chosen the most remote site of the Wall because it is a) supposed to be the most stunning and b) it has the fewest number of tourists. I was right on both accounts, but it was freezing cold, with temps in the 30’s and 20 mph winds. Fortunately I brought a hat and gloves.
Anyway, my plan was to run to the top of the wall. With some significant huffing and puffing, I managed to climb about 2,000 vertical feet over a few miles and made it to the top of Simatai!
Description about this section of the wall from About.com:
Somewhat further from Beijing is the Simaitai section of the Wall. Like Mutianyu, it dates back tot he Northern Qi Dynasty and was renovated under the Mong Emperors. Unlike other nearby sections of the Wall, it has not been renovated since in Ming Era. The Wall at Simatai is not for the faint-hearted or out-of-shape.
The Simatai section of the Wall is a little more than three miles long and includes 35 towers. It climbs precariously up the ridgeline of Yanshan Mountain and is extremely steep in places. The steps in this section of wall are not always evenly spaced, some are crumbling, and there are portions of the Wall where sides no longer exist and a traveler could easily fall off. Sections such as "The Heavenly Ladder" and "The Sky Bridge" are just plain dangerous. Portions of the Wall here are only half a meter wide at the top are there are sometimes strong winds.
Simatai is a good place to visit the Wall if you are looking for exercise and adventure.
Approaching the base of the wall
Going Up
Up..
up...
and away!
Goofing off at the TOP!
I woke up at 4:30am (3:30 PM Boston time), had breakfast when it was open and met my drive at 7:30 for the drive to see the Great Wall. I had chosen the most remote site of the Wall because it is a) supposed to be the most stunning and b) it has the fewest number of tourists. I was right on both accounts, but it was freezing cold, with temps in the 30’s and 20 mph winds. Fortunately I brought a hat and gloves.
Anyway, my plan was to run to the top of the wall. With some significant huffing and puffing, I managed to climb about 2,000 vertical feet over a few miles and made it to the top of Simatai!
Description about this section of the wall from About.com:
Somewhat further from Beijing is the Simaitai section of the Wall. Like Mutianyu, it dates back tot he Northern Qi Dynasty and was renovated under the Mong Emperors. Unlike other nearby sections of the Wall, it has not been renovated since in Ming Era. The Wall at Simatai is not for the faint-hearted or out-of-shape.
The Simatai section of the Wall is a little more than three miles long and includes 35 towers. It climbs precariously up the ridgeline of Yanshan Mountain and is extremely steep in places. The steps in this section of wall are not always evenly spaced, some are crumbling, and there are portions of the Wall where sides no longer exist and a traveler could easily fall off. Sections such as "The Heavenly Ladder" and "The Sky Bridge" are just plain dangerous. Portions of the Wall here are only half a meter wide at the top are there are sometimes strong winds.
Simatai is a good place to visit the Wall if you are looking for exercise and adventure.
Approaching the base of the wall
Going Up
Up..
up...
and away!
Goofing off at the TOP!
# posted by Dino @ 5:21 AM 
