Great Wall of China at MuTianYu (2)

Finding our hotel and actually getting registered were adventures in themselves - but for now, on to our Great Wall experiences.


We were up and hunting for breakfast by seven, and returned to our favorite little neighborhood street where we were greatly entertained by all the activity. There was lots of cooking going on outside: dough being rolled out for noodles, long doughnut-looking things being deep-fried, and some small flat rounds of bread being cooked on a grill. Those looked most appealing to us, along with some bananas that we figured would be safe because of the fact that they are hermetically sealed in their skins before cooking.


We met Vida on our return to the hotel and quickly gathered together our things for the day. When we went outside, instead of the expected tour bus, we found a black audi with tinted windows and the air conditioner running. Our driver, Mr. Guo, opened the doors for us and we clambered into the back seat, thinking that maybe we were going to be delivered to the “coach.” Instead, we soon discovered that for $30 we had a private car with driver and our personal tour guide. On top of that, lunch was included. We were incredulous but happy as clams at high tide.


Vida works as an HR person at her regular 9 to 5 job and does this on the weekends in order to earn some extra cash. Mr. Guo was a very friendly and helpful fellow, and on top of that, he was an excellent driver – something you do not take for granted here in the Beijing area, as I’m sure you have concluded by now. Before long we were out of the worst of the city traffic and heading down a highway that was more pleasant than the route to Lang Fang. We were traveling north of Beijing – new territory – to Hairou County. After a while we could see the faint line of hills in the distance, emerging from the density of the ever-present Beijing smog. Farms started to appear – lots of corn and other vegetables growing by the highway and eventually some apple orchards.


We chatted along with Vida and complimented her on her English, and Mr. Guo on his excellent driving. It was soon time to disembark and run the gauntlet of vendors who line the sides of the street that lead to the ticket booths. Before heading up the hill, it was time for perhaps the least pleasant part of the experience: using the public bathroom. This had the usual pit toilets, which stink, and the added danger of a stone floor (maybe marble) which was totally soaked with…water?


We purchased our tickets and with Cindy and I in one ski-lift type gondola and Vida (her adopted name) in the one behind us, we headed up the hill to the Great Wall of China. Yes, this is Vida. Let me know if you are going to China and want a wonderful tour for a steal of a deal. I will connect you with Vida:)