Today, July 11th, our program took our trip to the Great Wall. We went to the Mutianyu great wall which was an hour and a half bus ride outside of Beijing. When we arrived, there were tons of vendors selling various China and Great Wall souvenirs. After purchasing snacks for the day, we hiked up the mountainside to reach the Great Wall. We hiked along the Great Wall for about an hour before going back to shop and have lunch.
My Great Wall experience has been my favorite of all my China adventures so far. I really enjoyed seeing the greatest Chinese landmark. It was amazing to walk along a wall built over 600 years ago and it made me feel more connected to the Chinese history that I’ve studied.
The absolute highlight though was the toboggan ride down the mountain. To get back down the mountain from the Great Wall to the entrance where our bus was, you could either hike or ride down a toboggan. I chose to take the toboggan since it was an experience I know I couldn’t get anywhere else in the world. After being so hot from hiking all morning, it felt so refreshing to have the wind in my face as I cruised down the course and admired the scenery. All in all it was my favorite thing I’ve done, and the best 40 yuan I’ve spent so far!
