HOLY F*CKING WALL!!!

It was never in my wildest imagination that I'd end up trekking the great walls of China.

(photo from China travel site)

I've seen the pictures of friends who went up to Badaling (Tourist Part of the Great Wall) but I never really got good words about it. They were saying that the place in itself is almost like a circus.

Lots and lots of people visiting (divisoria on a sunday -like), souveneir vendors scatterred around the path itself, and the wall is reconstructed that it almost looked artificial - like checking out a set on the backlot of a big film studio. There was even a cable car ride up to the wall which was just too Disneylandish for me. I want to see the great wall as it is, minus the tourist trappings.

Nevertheless, it was always with great interest that one day, given the chance, I too would walk the magnificent structure. After all, it's the great freaking wall that can be seen from outerspace right? It was really never in my intention to check it out during my visit in Beijing. I know that it was out of the way and I wasn't really prepared to check it out just yet.

(Photo taken by me)

Last night though, there were these two Australians who took the Secret Wall tour - 2 and a houlf hours north of Beijing. And they were bragging with their pictures how great the trip was, but also how dangerous the entire trek was. Curious, I asked them how they got there and they said that they had arranged this tour with the youth hostel which includes the bus fare, lunch, and a local guide.

(Photo taken by me)

I was amazed with the pictures seeing that there was nobody there except a group of 9 or so. And the walls looked so old, so unrestored, so wild that I knew I just had to be there. I asked Lischuang if it's a good idea, and he said that it's a little bit tricky, because it's really never endorsed by the tourism department because it's a bit dangerous to go. And when he said this, I then became too hesitant to check it out.

But I was having second thoughts. I'm already in Beijing I said, and I'm just two hours away to this secret wall that's not even found in the travel books that I've been reading. So, by instinct, I asked Lischuang if he can hook me up with the group who's doing the trek and if he can put me in. He then called the travel gorup and told me that they'll pick me up at 7 in the morning and the tour will roughly take us 10 hours or so. He told me to bring lots of water, extra food, and a trekking shoes because I would need it.

I woke up early today and I was so thrilled that finally I'll be able to check out the great wall. I was the first guy on the bus and we stopped in two more hotels and picked up nine or so people that will also join in the trek. We really didn't know what to expect because it's not written on the books, nor on the internet. It wasn't Badaling, Mutanyu, Huanghua or Simatai - the four parts open to the tourists. We we're all very excited but at the same time a bit weary that we really don't know where we are going.

2 hours later arrived on this small village. I still didn't see a sign that we were near the great wall. We started to be briefed by the assistant guide, saying that we all need a hiking or trekking shoes because the path is a bit tricky, he also mentioned to us that there's just one way out of the trek, and that is to finish it. There's no cable car to help us if we get tired, there's no hand railings or harnesses to assist us when we go up or down the steep angles of the wall. I was very hesistant to continue really, and I was already thinking what have I gotten myself into.

So we started to climb. It was very, very cold. I was freezing. But the spectacular view of the start of spring up in the mountains was amazing. Flowers were starting to sprout, and wherever you look, it's just so great to take pictures. 350 meters on the way up, and as we went pass the chesnut bushes which covered the hillside, we saw our first glimpse of the great wall... and trully what a great sight it is to behold.

(Photo taken by me)

I thought that that was it. That the trip was just a good photo-op, our guide was pointing to the farthest direction of the wall (which was literally on the otherside of the mountain), I was having second thoughts on what's going to happen next. With his little English, he told us that we're all going there.

My first re-action was - this guy's joking. There's no way we can go up to that part. First, the path is almost unpassable, with big thorny bushes that seemingly occupied the entire way for itselves. Second, the wall is really amazing, beautiful as it is, but it's so unrestored that I think it will collapse anytime if we dare crossed it.

The guide just continued going up so we had no choice but to follow him. I tell you, it's the most difficult thing I've ever done, because first, The climb was just so steep, it's almost like climbing on an 80 degree angle. There was no room for error, a miss on the stonestep or if we slide down the dirt, will find ourselves down 700 meters below. I don't want to end up just like that. The trip for me was haphhazardly done and I just had to hold on dearly to my life and finish this crazy trek that I had joined.

I was probably taking too much time because I can't see the guy ahead of me already. But I told myself it's better to be slow than to fall down. And then miraculously we reached the highest peak - 1500 meters, and the view again was just amazing. More photo-ops and then we finally reached the great wall. We were on the great wall itself, walking and trying to find our way the thorny bushes, trying carefully not to fall the steep wall.

Two hours had passed the trek, and I was really getting thirsty and I was almost having difficulty in breathing because we were just so high above that I thought I was having altitude breathing problems already. So I asked the group if we can stop and just rest for awhile. Two more hours to go our guide said - I thought I will die. My feet was so numb already, and it was just so freaking cold.

An hour and a half later, we went down the wall and I saw this mysterious bright white path down below which was slightly covered by some trees so I really can't see what it was from up above. And to my surprise, as we got nearer, it became more clear to me what the path was. I can't believe it at first but it was a frozen lake. The guide then told us that we had to cross it to get into the otherside. It was so slippery, and it was just so funny because I had to crawl a bit so that I wouldn't fall.

After crossing the frozen lake, we then continued our journey to a number of rock formations. That was neat, I haven't been to Switzerland but the scenery kinda looked liked the ones in the Swiss chocolate bars that you get out of the rack in the supermarkets.

The trekking ended with a late lunch in a small village and I was then dropped off at the youth hostel by around 7pm. I was just so tired that I didn't even bother to grab a bite for dinner. I'm just so excited about the journey and what had transpired today. I really got good pictures too.

I pushed myself to the limits again. The journey was difficult but definitely worth it.

(The Brave Ones)

Mao Tse Tsung once said that if you haven't been to the Great Wall then you haven't been to China at all. Well not only did I climb the great wall, I conquered it... and that's just sweet.