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The only thing harder than climbing the Great Wall is ordering dumplings.
Our first full day in China had us learning many a lesson about the tourist scene here in Beijing. The learning curve is steep and it is definitely not without stumbles but we managed to navigate our way to, and from, the Great wall with only a few “tourist bruises”, a great story to tell and one amazing memory of travelling to the Wall.
We met a fellow travel blogger/backpacker who was also on day one of her own journey (see Emily’s?blog here) and started discussing possible ways to get to the Mutianyu portion of The Great Wall. At the hostel in Beijing we are staying at, there are guided tours but we were hoping to spend less and also wanted the adventure and challenge of getting there ourselves.
After researching the route and suggestions from other bloggers, all three of us set off to find our way to the Wall. From what we read, it was possible but tricky as scams and money grabbing schemes are common, so we knew we would very likely run into a few snags along the way. And we sure did!
Lesson #1:?Don’t Act Like Tourists (Even Though It’s Obvious)
It started out pretty smoothly. We knew we needed to get to Dongzhimen station to catch a bus. Easy enough. We’ve only been here a short time but the subway system is pretty simple to learn once you’ve tried it and seen a map, so we knew how to navigate to get to the line transfers we needed.
Our instructions told us to catch the 916 bus to Huairou so we made our way to the bus transfer and found the line we needed. We hesitated. Just a moment where we opened a map and all three of us looked at it with concern, like we didn’t quite know where to go. And that’s all it took.
We were instantly approached by a woman claiming she could take us to bus 830 that would get us to Mutianyu quicker than the one we were waiting for. We followed at first but remembering that the lady at the reception desk at our hostel confirmed our directions for us, we quickly decided that even if it was quicker, we weren’t going to risk it.
We never did see bus 830 on route to the Wall but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist or wouldn’t have gotten us there faster, we just don’t believe that’s the case. We opted for the way we had researched and got back in line for the 916.
Lesson #2: Don’t get off the bus.
Three stops and an hour in and a man steps on the bus, walks up to the three of us and says this is the stop for Mutianyu. Now, we know for a fact this is not the stop the directions indicated and we wouldn’t have gotten off the bus, but two Chinese girls on the bus with us spoke to the man and told us the taxis weren’t running from Huairou (the station we needed to reach).
They said they’d get off the bus with us so we could go together as they were headed there as well. As the bus drove away and we listened to the one girl and the man, who we learned was a taxi driver, talk to each other in Chinese, it became increasingly obvious that this was one of those scams we had read about and by the sound of the girl’s tone, she was not happy about it.
It would have ended?up being a scam and we would have had to pay significantly more. While we wouldn’t have gotten off that bus without the girl, she ended up saving us money and time in the long run by negotiating with the driver and ensuring we all went in the “cab” together.
She was incredibly helpful making sure we got our tickets and gave us instructions and directions for getting back. It was quite the contrast in attitudes to see one person working so hard to work their scheme and another fighting so hard against it. While we don’t appreciate being taken advantage of, we also don’t fault someone for wanting to make a little extra cash, and we sure are thankful for having someone who just wanted to help.
Lesson #3: When Ordering Dumplings, Make Sure You Know How Much You’re Ordering.
The three of us were pretty hungry by the time we made it to the first entrance to get to the Wall, so we stopped in a dumpling restaurant. The waitress didn’t speak English but we tried hard to communicate that we wanted 3 pork and chive dumplings and 3 pork and shrimp dumplings.
We weren’t sure she had completely understood what we had said and were proven correct when we received three of each alright. Three plates?of each for a grand total of 60 dumplings. We were shocked at first and a little upset because we weren’t convinced she didn’t “confuse” our order on purpose, but our frustration quickly turned to laughter at the absurd number of dumplings set before us.
We decided to make light of the situation, pack up a to go bag, pay our bill, and take the dumplings with us. Before we left Macrae joked in English/make-shift signing that since we bought so many dumplings, maybe we could take the chopsticks for free. She smiled and?agreed, so we are now travelling with our own set of chopsticks.
Lesson #4: Climbing the Great Wall is not a piece of cake but it is definitely worth every step.
After lunch we headed, on foot (instead of buying a shuttle ticket), the half hour walk from the first gate through the village of Mutianyu, to reach the stairs that would take us to the Wall.
Once there we started our climb to the top of the mountain and the Wall itself. It was not an easy task. Steep staircase, after steep staircase, we seemed to be climbing for hours but in reality it was probably only one.
By the time we made it to the top we were sweaty, exhausted and had drank more than half of our water. It was hard to focus on much else but the fact that our legs hurt, until we took the final step onto the Wall and got our first real glimpse of the view. It’s one of those views that no lens could ever capture to its fullest extent but regardless, you keep snapping photos in the futile hope of getting just one that may do it justice.
Lesson #5: Tours cost 280 Yuan (aprox. $40 USD). Finding our own adventure is priceless.
We walked along the Wall for a while before heading back down and making our way back to our hostel. The route home was somewhat less eventful since we knew the buses we needed to take and ignored all offers of a “taxi” ride.
Looking back on the day it was completely exhausting, filled with the unexpected, and one of the best days ever. It was only the first day of our adventures but we definitely learned and experienced a lot and it is a day we won’t soon forget. ??
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Awesome. So glad you made it!
There was a point just over halfway when we turned to find yet another set of stairs and it seemed like the stairs just wouldn’t stop coming….we’re glad we made it too
Wonderful and exciting to read.
Felt like I was going on the trip with you.
Great job.
Thanks! We hope to always take people on a journey with us through our words and photos.
Next time you have 60 dumplings, send Mel some. Jeez.
;)
If we could’ve, we would’ve! :)
Great lessons, especially loved reading the dumpling lesson, sounds like you guys are following your instincts! WTG
Thanks! We are certainly trying to listen to our gut feelings and hopefully we’ll continue to be lucky in meeting people who are willing to help when we need!
it is Awesome to see that you made it and have began your journey with a bang the photos are AWESOME and I can’t wait to see where your exciting journey takes you next all the best.
your friend,
Daniel
Thanks Daniel! It was a great start to our journey!!
I would have eaten all the dumplings. ALL THE DUMPLINGS. That sounds like a beautiful mistake. Om nom nom.
The fact that we thought we’d have to eat them all kind of turned us off….we had a hard time eating dumplings after that.
glad you are enjoying your trip and that you are always aware of the many traps that are out there. please stay safe and have fun – love Hermine
It’s really easy to let your guard down when you are touring but we really are trying to stay alert!
Reading this made my day! I am so excited to travel vicariously though you guys over the next few months. I am so excited for you, that your adventure has begun and grateful that you’re sharing it with us!
So great to hear it made your day! We are happy to be able to share our adventure and grateful to have you following us along the way!
guys this is fantastic you will see more of the world then 99% of the population
Bravo!
Thanks Lou! We hope to see as much of the world as we can and hopefully we can inspire the 99% to see more of it!
Wow- looks like an eventful experience. Hilarious about the dumplings- I haven’t eaten breakfast yet so all those plates of dumplings are making me hungry!
We hope to visit the Great Wall of China one of these days- it really looks amazing!
Jess and Chris from http://www.allabouttravelling.com
Sounds a great adventure. Enjoyed reading your blog bought back memories of my trips to China
Thanks! That was actually really helpful! When I plan a trip to the Wall, will definitely consider these tips! Thanks! Keep up the travel :)
Glad they were helpful! Let us know if you have any questions when you are planning – we’ll try our best to answer them and help in any way we can!
I’m sure we’ve all experienced the same kind of potential scams, and well done for negotiating them with success! I always worry that fear of a scam might put me off accepting genuine help though, and I wouldn’t want to be that suspicious traveller who always thinks people are out for themselves. So may you meet many more genuine people on your travels, and good luck!
It’s very true! Hard to navigate between the scams and hustlers and the many, many genuine people out there. If you aren’t open though, you will miss a lot as you said!
I’m jealous, but just added Great Wall to my long list. The Next country to visit. Perfect story and lessons are priceless
It’s definitely worth seeing! Mutianyu portion was especially quiet that day so it was really nice…even with the dozens of dumplings we had to carry up!