I climbed the Great Wall of China two days ago. Without doubt the scariest and most dangerous climb I have ever done in my life. Yet, it was simultaneously exhilarating and beautiful. The hike was over 15k, and we had to climb up the mountain first. At parts we were on our hands and knees crawling up, at some points I really wanted to turn back. I think at one point I nearly shed a tear when the wind caught hold of me and a wasn't fully secure.....hmmm YES. The ice and snow made it more dangerous- and as we went on the hard tour "Jinshanling to Sumatai"- the majority of the wall has not been restored. The bricks were loose, and at parts we were climbing almost vertical faces of stone. One foot wrong and you'd fall. People were slipping and sliding, it was such an adventure to keep yourself upright. The wind made it really hard for me...So I chose to descend the several ups and downs on my bum. If I am completely honest, it scared the shit out of me.
BUT IT WAS WORTH IT. Now that it is over I say this with confidence...
We had to get up a 5.30am as this particular part of the wall is a 3 hour drive out. The early hour resulted in me being a grumpy bugger, but I was soon sleeping on the bus [some might say "snoring loudly".] As it is the middle of winter and freezing cold, there were only a handful of us on the tour. The group ranged from men in their mid-thirties who looked "ready for action" kitted out in full hiking gear...and me wearing Topshop boots with no grip and a fluffy purple hat. I was by no means prepared for the climb which faced me...and when I realised this I was halfway up a mountain sweating profusely [despite the -15 temperature.]
The scenery when we arrived was so stunning and the mountains were breathtaking. We picked a fantastic day, as it was clear and sunny [but freezing.] Okay, the climb itself was scary and dangerous but I did love it [the easier bits anyway- when I wasn't crawling.] We did the Jinshangling-Sumatai hike which is the hard, physically taxing one. We were so high up and there were parts without wall to hold onto and it was so narrow you could fall and pretty much die. Even grown men were scared. There were no other tourists apart from us- given the temperature and the fact the wall was covered in ice. Oh, and the tour guide buggered off so we lead ourselves. The clear day and the snow made the surrounding mountains look even more beautiful... I could just stand and appreciate it when I wasn't too scared and looking at the ground for several minutes for footholds in the ice.
I want to be honest, it was HARD. I am not that unfit, but dear God I felt like a looser being at the back of the group panting and blowing my nose. Jess on the other hand was about a mile ahead of me LEADING the group. I don't know how she did it! Sometimes the steps were so high, inhumanly so- at parts I was spending 10 minutes just catching my breath and drinking my water [which froze solid during the hike.]
...only about 4 of us did the zip-wire at the end of the trek as the death-defying leap was so high up and windy. I LOVED it... A zip-wire to end my climb on the Great Wall?
Yes PER-LEASE.
After paying 3 pounds, a small Chinese lady harnesses you in. [I do not know how she stands on that freezing mountain all day long waiting for idiotic foreigners to throw themselves off it?!] The whole contraption looked a bit ancient and rusty...so I was pretty afraid. The wire was from a high point of the wall, over a frozen lake to the other side where another Chinese lady kind-of "catches" you. As I was apparently too light, she shouted to me [above the howling wind] in Chinese, that I had to do a tandem as it wouldn't go fast enough with just my weight. OH.GOD.
So a huge, fat Australian man volunteered. So we were harnessed in together and then.... we just kind of jumped off the edge of the mountain top...
It was one of the best moments of my life. We shooted down the wire. It was utterly fantastic. Unbelievable.
Overall the experience was the Greatest I have had in China so far. The Great Wall is truely Great. I am proud of myself for sticking it out, as my fear of heights was pushed to its limit. I would advise anyone to do it, as long as they know what they're in for in Winter! I think Summer would have been worse in many ways actually... I am leaving to fly to Tokyo tomorrow so I will save my other adventures in Beijing for another blog entry.
Love to all of you as always! Love hiking wonder-woman Bex xxxx
Tuesday 19 January 2010
Saturday 9 January 2010
I have a hot water bottle shoved under my thermals
Becca's travel diary. HARBIN 2010
Well, what long 24 hours. Guess what, im bloody freezing! Currently I am writing on an ancient computer in a minging hostel lobby in Harbin, it is -28 Degrees outside, and I have a hot water bottle shoved under my thermals.
JOY.
It was quite the eventful trip (isn't it always with me ey?) After exiting the plane in Harbin, we were reunited with our rucksacks (hurrah!) We found a nice corner in the airport where me and Jess [my traveling compadre] could both spend several minutes swearing and sweating to get the damn things on our backs. (They each weigh 15K). A man with a sign was advertising the "Airport Shuttle Bus", and being that he was following us about very closely we decided to ignore him- then we went outside and were greeted with a massive airport shuttle bus waiting for us. (I guess we shouldn't have ignored him.) It was so much cheaper than a taxi which would've cost us 150Yuan- it was only 20Yuan. After a long hour, we arrived at where the travel guide told us to go. It was in the middle of nowhere. We were pretty much lost, and it was UNBEARABLY cold.. so we jumped in a taxi. He didn't have a bloody clue where to go. We told him the address and we went in frustrating circles for half an hour, only to find out that it wasn't even than far away in the first place. Jess was seething with anger whereas I just wanted a KFC.
Eventually, we found our hostel (after ringing up and asking the lady for directions, whom couldn't speak a word of English.) We arrived pretty annoyed, starving, and and dire need of a drink. From the outside our hostel looked promising- very cute and true to its name "Harbin Little Fir Hostel". Inside was a different matter. The first thing I noticed was the strong smell of Brussels Pate. Really strong- it would've made me hungry in any other circumstance except this place doesn't have a kitchen. "PROPER MINGING."
We arrived at 8pm ish, and yet the hostel lady looked rather pissed off like we'd interrupted her nap or something. Everything seemed just a bit dirty and unwelcoming. (The cupboard the size of Maverick's cage behind her with the label "canteen" didn't make me feel better.) We were showed to our room. OK, so it is big and has two beds: They are the only positives. My bed had hairs in it, as did the plugs in the sink, the wall has holes and the window pane was frozen with snow on the inside. Our toilet flush didn't work (and still doesn't) and the public loo's are the source of the Liver pate smell.
We ended the night by getting two warm beers from reception and some instant noodles, then at 10pm we went to bed. Apparently nothing is open in Harbin after 8pm except a shed-like restaurant down the road with sawdust on the floor, where the food was congealed into a hard paste: So we walked in then walked out. I have still not gotten over the fact that in -28 Degrees I cannot get a cold beer at my hostel. What the hell?? I had to stand it on the snow in my bedroom to cool down.
However, we have made ourselves "at home" and stayed happy. A hostel is a hostel- even though this one is a bit shite at least it is warm and we both have hot water bottles!! This is an adventure after all. :D
Today was better! We both woke up starving, but otherwise ready to go. We wrapped up like fatties with our layers and braved the cold. We began by taking the unbelievably cheap public bus (1 Yuan=10p) for a 90 minute journey to Harbin city center. The ride was horrible, and freezing but we got to the gorgeous St. Sofia's Church. Here, we saw the Harbin Art+Architecture exhibit, and also the Harbin Church Choir. Loved it! Everyone assumed we were Russian, and kept muttering in Chinese about it. (e.g "oh look they're Russian,- Ah typical Russian girls). So I kept correcting them- in Chinese that I was, in fact English Thank You Very Much. O how they stared! hah.
We were the only foreigners around, and we had quite the audience photographing our every move. Everything in Harbin is very Russian looking which is why is has the nickname "Littke Moscow." We were the only white people so naturally they expected us to be Russian.
Afterwards, we went to a famous market in a huge city-wide underground bomb shelter. Pretty cool. Then on the evening, we went to the Disney Ice Sculpture exhibit in a huge park. We are seeing the BIG exhibit tomorrow, but the Disney one was pretty fantastic! Jess wasn't too impressed but I was walking around the park happily singing along with the music, taking photos of all the characters and riding the Ice-slides in the "glorious" -28 Degree night. I cannot convey how cold I was...
Now im off to bed, I just ate a KFC [FINALLY!]. Tomorrow daytime we are visiting the Siberian Tiger Park, the Jewish Mosque , and tomorrow evening the BIG Ice Festival. We have to cross a frozen river on Ice-Skates or a Go-Kart to get there so wish us luck.
Love you all tons! Update you again soon, love Bex xxx
Well, what long 24 hours. Guess what, im bloody freezing! Currently I am writing on an ancient computer in a minging hostel lobby in Harbin, it is -28 Degrees outside, and I have a hot water bottle shoved under my thermals.
JOY.
It was quite the eventful trip (isn't it always with me ey?) After exiting the plane in Harbin, we were reunited with our rucksacks (hurrah!) We found a nice corner in the airport where me and Jess [my traveling compadre] could both spend several minutes swearing and sweating to get the damn things on our backs. (They each weigh 15K). A man with a sign was advertising the "Airport Shuttle Bus", and being that he was following us about very closely we decided to ignore him- then we went outside and were greeted with a massive airport shuttle bus waiting for us. (I guess we shouldn't have ignored him.) It was so much cheaper than a taxi which would've cost us 150Yuan- it was only 20Yuan. After a long hour, we arrived at where the travel guide told us to go. It was in the middle of nowhere. We were pretty much lost, and it was UNBEARABLY cold.. so we jumped in a taxi. He didn't have a bloody clue where to go. We told him the address and we went in frustrating circles for half an hour, only to find out that it wasn't even than far away in the first place. Jess was seething with anger whereas I just wanted a KFC.
Eventually, we found our hostel (after ringing up and asking the lady for directions, whom couldn't speak a word of English.) We arrived pretty annoyed, starving, and and dire need of a drink. From the outside our hostel looked promising- very cute and true to its name "Harbin Little Fir Hostel". Inside was a different matter. The first thing I noticed was the strong smell of Brussels Pate. Really strong- it would've made me hungry in any other circumstance except this place doesn't have a kitchen. "PROPER MINGING."
We arrived at 8pm ish, and yet the hostel lady looked rather pissed off like we'd interrupted her nap or something. Everything seemed just a bit dirty and unwelcoming. (The cupboard the size of Maverick's cage behind her with the label "canteen" didn't make me feel better.) We were showed to our room. OK, so it is big and has two beds: They are the only positives. My bed had hairs in it, as did the plugs in the sink, the wall has holes and the window pane was frozen with snow on the inside. Our toilet flush didn't work (and still doesn't) and the public loo's are the source of the Liver pate smell.
We ended the night by getting two warm beers from reception and some instant noodles, then at 10pm we went to bed. Apparently nothing is open in Harbin after 8pm except a shed-like restaurant down the road with sawdust on the floor, where the food was congealed into a hard paste: So we walked in then walked out. I have still not gotten over the fact that in -28 Degrees I cannot get a cold beer at my hostel. What the hell?? I had to stand it on the snow in my bedroom to cool down.
However, we have made ourselves "at home" and stayed happy. A hostel is a hostel- even though this one is a bit shite at least it is warm and we both have hot water bottles!! This is an adventure after all. :D
Today was better! We both woke up starving, but otherwise ready to go. We wrapped up like fatties with our layers and braved the cold. We began by taking the unbelievably cheap public bus (1 Yuan=10p) for a 90 minute journey to Harbin city center. The ride was horrible, and freezing but we got to the gorgeous St. Sofia's Church. Here, we saw the Harbin Art+Architecture exhibit, and also the Harbin Church Choir. Loved it! Everyone assumed we were Russian, and kept muttering in Chinese about it. (e.g "oh look they're Russian,- Ah typical Russian girls). So I kept correcting them- in Chinese that I was, in fact English Thank You Very Much. O how they stared! hah.
We were the only foreigners around, and we had quite the audience photographing our every move. Everything in Harbin is very Russian looking which is why is has the nickname "Littke Moscow." We were the only white people so naturally they expected us to be Russian.
Afterwards, we went to a famous market in a huge city-wide underground bomb shelter. Pretty cool. Then on the evening, we went to the Disney Ice Sculpture exhibit in a huge park. We are seeing the BIG exhibit tomorrow, but the Disney one was pretty fantastic! Jess wasn't too impressed but I was walking around the park happily singing along with the music, taking photos of all the characters and riding the Ice-slides in the "glorious" -28 Degree night. I cannot convey how cold I was...
Now im off to bed, I just ate a KFC [FINALLY!]. Tomorrow daytime we are visiting the Siberian Tiger Park, the Jewish Mosque , and tomorrow evening the BIG Ice Festival. We have to cross a frozen river on Ice-Skates or a Go-Kart to get there so wish us luck.
Love you all tons! Update you again soon, love Bex xxx
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