Posted: sam, 2005-06-11 06:03 | Sujet: Great Wall

The Great Wall of China was built more than two thousand years ago. Construction on the first section began between the 7th and 6th century BC The last work on the wall was done between the 14th and 17th centuries.

Today you can easily experience the picturesque walk site from Jinshanling to Simatai. It is beautiful, good exercise, but not always an easy stroll in the park. So make sure you've had a good meal or brought some snacks, water, convertible walking shoes, sun lotion and plenty of film.

Jinshanling and Simatai both have restaurants, guest houses and shops where you can get film, water, clothing and of course "I walked the Great Wall of China" t-shirts and hats. Be sure to bargain lots for souvenirs and even overpriced drinking water.

It is about a two hour drive from Beijing to Jinshangling or Simaotai. The walk then takes between three and five hours. You can do the whole thing in one long day or go to the start of your walk at the end of the day, have dinner, sleep and get up at sunrise and do the walk. It will certainly be less crowded at that time. Sunrise is beautiful on a clear day and the wall can be amazing in foggy weather too.

Simatai is bigger, more developed and touristy than smaller Jinshanling. Jinshanling is better as a starting point because its much easier and faster to get up onto the wall. If you want to sleep up on the wall there is a shop in a watchtower just above Jinshanling. You can contact the shopkeeper and make arrangements for meals and accommodation.

Both also have cable cars so if you don't want to do the walk you can ride up, have a little stroll and then ride back down. Well worth it but do the walk if you can as you'll see more and worked off all those jiaozi (Chinese dumplings).

You can take a public bus and get to Simaotai or the entrance road of Jinshanling from Beijing's Dongzhimen long distance bus station (Dongzhimen chang-tu che-zhan).

Posted: dim, 2005-06-12 03:20 | Sujet: Re:Great Wall.

Thanks Wocca to provide detail information about Great Wall.

Posted: lun, 2005-06-13 03:40 | Sujet: Re:Great Wall.

Great Wall = the longest monastery in the world