Wherever you are from in the world, you have probably heard of the Great Wall of China, and for good reason.

The Great Wall of China is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and was built almost 3000 years ago in an attempt to fortify China’s northern border. Even though the popular belief that you can see the Great Wall from space is a myth, it is still VERY long- totally 21,196 kilometres or 13,171 miles in length.

So, I was pretty excited when I got the opportunity to go to Beijing and visit the Great Wall. But did it really live up to the hype?

It was my last day in China before I flew back to Australia, though more importantly it was the Great Wall day. As it was quite a trek out to the Great Wall from the centre of Beijing, I had to wake up at 5am to get ready. I was meeting a friend I had made on my university trip to China, who had also opted to stay behind after the tour for a while to see some more sites.

Luckily for me, this friend spoke Mandarin, which made my life much easier. We headed into Beijing to try and find a method of transport to the wall which was not going to break the bank. It was around 7am by this point and the temperature was already climbing at a rapid rate.

While looking for some transport, I started to feel a bit unwell. I think it was a combination of the heat and two weeks of Chinese spices hitting me all at once. I had avoided it up until this point. The whole two weeks I had managed to remain in the comfort of my European style bathrooms, but not today. I had to (urgently) find the nearest public drop toilet in the middle of Beijing. Not a great start to the day.

I could write a whole blog post on the culture shock of this one, short but humbling experience. While I won’t put you through that, I will say- make sure you always have some spare tissues or toilet paper in your day bag, because it is not always supplied…

Crisis semi-averted; we were able to secure a taxi out to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. The taxi worked out to be the best option for us as we were able to split the fare between 3 people. In my opinion, it was worth every penny to have a private, air-conditioned vehicle to take us on the one-and-a-half-hour journey. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is the longest and most restored section, boasting 23-original watch towers and fantastic scenery. Making it a great choice to visit if you have made the decision to go.

Once the taxi had dropped us off, we purchased our tickets for the cable car up to the top (to the left is my actual ticket from this trip!). You can opt to hike up the the top of the wall, and while I think this would be a great experience, I would personally reserve it for the cooler months.  You can also choose to toboggan your way to the bottom once you are finished taking in the sites. While I didn’t opt to do this on the day, if I ever get a chance to go again, you can bet I will be zooming my way down that hill.

Once we got up to the wall, I was in complete awe. Looking at the nearly 3000-year-old structure cascading over the rolling green hills was incredible. We wandered through the watch towers, and I glanced out the windows to look at the surrounding sea of green. I was taken aback with the thought that Chinese warriors would have been looking out of these exact windows, as I was now, looking for Mongol invaders.

Every single place you can stand on this section of the wall overs incredible vantage points to take in the scope of the Great Wall. If you are interested in photography, this place is a dream. When I travelled here, I wouldn’t say I was ‘into’ travel photography like I am now- but I still managed to capture some amazing photos on this day. I also managed to secure my status as a photographable spectacle on this day, as I was asked several times to take photos with people or their children because of my blonde hair and green eyes. While it felt odd, it was kind of cool to feel like a celebrity- even if it was for a brief second.

While all of this was amazing, I cannot negate the fact that it was horrifically hot here. My mesmerized stance did not prevent the copious amounts of sweating and feeling unwell for most of the time I was here. In hindsight, I think I was quite dehydrated. I remember my friend trying to force-feed me a banana to try and make me feel better but to no avail.

So, I would advise that if you travel to the Great Wall in summer, just be prepared. Make sure you take your hat and sunscreen, and hydrate to the gods. I think if I had have been more careful to do these things at the time, my experience would have been a bit more pleasant overall.

So, to answer the ultimate question of: is visiting the Great Wall worth it?

100%

Even though this day was filled with trials and tribulations, I would not take back this experience for anything. It is such a rare opportunity to be able to stand on such a significant piece of history, and feel that in some small way, you are a part of it.

The views were spectacular and the history and culture surrounding this wonder of the world are immeasurable. I would say that if the opportunity to see the Great Wall of China for yourself ever arises, you take it by both hands and go for it. You will not regret it.

Abbie x