Climb The Great Wall Of China

Climbing the Great Wall of China has been one of my most favorite life list items that I have completed.  I've seen a lot of old stuff during my travels, but this huge chunk of old bricks was pretty impressive.  The construction of the wall started in 7th century BC, and today it stretches 5,500 miles through deserts, towns, and mountains.  Unfortunately, many sections of the wall are now in ruins, or have simply disappeared.  Around Beijing, you can easily take a day trip to visit sections of the Great Wall that have been preserved.

The section I chose to visit was the Mutianyu section which is a little further away from Beijing and less crowded than some of the other sections.  There are two ways to get up to the Mutianyu section, the first is a 30 minute hike up hundreds of stairs, and the second is a cable car that cost about $10 USD to go up one way.  I knew the Great Wall was filled with stairs, so I chose to do the cable car in order to conserve my energy on the actual wall. 

The cable car ends at Tower 14.  From Tower 14 you can either go left and go up to Tower 21, or go right all the way to Tower 6 to take the Toboggan ride down (yes a toboggan on the Great Wall...more about that later).  

Steps, Steps, Steps!  Get ready to walk, climb and in my case slip and slide!  Not only did I have the obstacle of steps (some VERY steep), but it was also snowing!  In my personal opinion walking around the Great Wall as it was snowing made it only more beautiful, but it also made it more difficult to walk through. 

 

My goal was to make it all the way to the end of Tower 21, but as soon as I got to Tower 18 I knew the snow was going to win this round. The snow from that part of the tower had not been paved and was like a giant accident waiting to happen.

I turned back around and made my way to Tower 6. I have read that during the Summer the Towers are great little resting areas to get a bit of shade and to cool off.  I have also heard that during the summer the wall is infested with people.  Do you see anyone else in the photo above?  Nope.  Several times during my walk around the wall I truly felt like I had it all to myself!  

Well, I wasn't on the Wall completely by myself.  I was sharing it with some new friends.  New friends that loved to photo bomb!   It was the birthday of one of the gals and so we sang happy birthday to her on the wall.  How many people can say they celebrated their birthday on one of the Wonders of the World?!

After our trek to Tower 6 we were ready to ride the Toboggan!  For about another $10 USD I would be able to toboggan down a very unstable looking sled.  I was willing to take my chances because how many times can I say I took a Toboggan down the Great Wall of China!

Before taking our Toboggan ride we watched a few locals make their way down.  They were REALLY slow.  So we waited approximately 10 minutes before getting onto our sleds in order to avoid the slow pokes on our way down.  The first half of the ride was uneventful, it wasn't steep enough to go at a decent pace, but the second half was FAST!  Once I really got my momentum going it was exhilarating, and I even got a few "Slow Down" looks from the workers on my way down.  Jason, who went down first in our group, had gone so fast he caught up with the slow locals that we had waited 10 minutes prior to going!

If you aren't keen on Toboggan rides they even have a ski lift option that you can take down.  After our Great Wall adventure we treated ourselves to some hot chocolate and coffee, and bargained for some "pancakes" (more like crepe wraps) that many of the food vendors sell at the bottom of the hill.  In China, you can bargain for just about anything, including the pancakes! Can you believe they even have a Subway at the Great Wall of China?  True Story!

Despite the Great Wall having some very touristy quirks, it was still a wonderful experience! Definite must do!

Date Accomplished:  March 5th, 2012

See The Fog Roll Through Machu Picchu

 Machu Picchu & Wayna Picchu

Machu Picchu is a 15th century Inca site located in Peru.  It was brought to international attention in 1911, when an 11 year old boy led an American Historian to the site.   Since then it has become a popular tourist attraction.  In 1983 it became an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and then in 2007 Machu Picchu was voted as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. 

 Houses of Factories

We had an arranged tour guide to show us around Machu Picchu, but before meeting with the guide we hiked towards the Inca Bridge.  On our way to the Inca Bridge we attempted to take our "postcard worthy" pictures.  Fog is notorious for engulfing Machu Picchu...and here is proof of that...

You think the fog is bad in this photo...just one minute later...

I swear Machu Picchu is there!

After hiking to the Inca Bridge we were a bit exhausted.  We had a few minutes to kill before our guided tour so we decided to relax and just soak in our surroundings.

Me with Machu Picchu as my backdrop

 Becs relaxing with the views of Machu Picchu

We then headed for our guided tour.  The guy was extremely knowledgeable but not very engaging.  I have a rough time listening to guided tours, so after following him through the obligatory stops I went off on my own to discover Machu Picchu. 

Poncho Mania.  Steph and I are in the purple and pretending to be teletubbies.

Discovering Machu Picchu on my own

 The fog really gives Machu Picchu a real majestic feel

Machu Picchu is scattered on life lists all over the world.  I agree it rightfully belongs there, and it is one of the main reasons why I went to Peru.  Some people I know that had been to Machu Picchu told me that it would change my life.  I don't know if I could say that it had that same effect on me, albeit beautiful, personally I thought it was a tad overrated.  It was much more crowded than I thought it would be, and that kinda killed the vibe for me.  Granted, I am one of those tourists infesting the area, but I think that's why my favorite part was when we were at the outlook overlooking Machu Picchu.  At that spot it was peaceful, and serene like I had imagined Machu Picchu to be.  Besides my underwhelming review, I'm still glad I was able to see it, and would still recommend friends to visit.

 Inca Building

Date Accomplished:  October 7th, 2009

Visit The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is easily one of the most recognized locations on Earth, and rightfully labeled as one of the 'Seven Natural Wonders of the World.'  You probably would have expected that I had made several trips to the Grand Canyon growing up seeing as that Arizona is geographically so close to California.  But in actuality, I had visited several other continents before finally making my way to the Grand Canyon.

 The Grand Canyon and the Colorado River

I had a friend from Australia visiting the U.S.A. for the first time, and we had conveniently planned a trip to Las Vegas for my birthday.  She had expressed wanting to see the Grand Canyon, and I remember seeing helicopter tours from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon advertised online.  I went on Viator and found a great package to see the canyon.  We had a limo pick us up at our hotel, and then we took a 45 minute (each way) helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon (with a flight over the Hoover Dam on the way there).  Once landing at the bottom of the Canyon we had a champagne lunch overlooking the Colorado River.

Me and the Colorado River

 Having champagne at the bottom of the Grand Canyon with Aussie friend, Claire

It was absolutely stunning, and not your everyday Grand Canyon experience.  I think my favorite part of the trip was following the stream of the Colorado River via helicopter.  I saw tourists at the top of the Canyon thinking how lucky I was to see it from this perspective.   After lunch we headed back to Las Vegas airport, only after flying over the Las Vegas strip.  When we got back on the ground we had our limo waiting for us to take us back to our hotel.  :)  Talk about a first class experience!

A video of my Grand Canyon experience.....




Date Accomplished:  October 25th, 2010

See Victoria Falls From Zimbabwe And Zambia

 Entering Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls is considered one of the largest waterfalls on Earth, and is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.  When planning my trip to Africa I knew that Victoria Falls would have to be placed on the "must-see" list.  Victoria Falls borders both Zimbabwe and Zambia, and I was determined to see the Falls from both sides.  One thing to know about this area of Africa is that it is quite humid!  I think I got soaked more from my own sweat than from the actual Falls.  It is also a high-risk malaria zone, so I made sure I lathered myself with DEET several times a day!  

Walking path around Victoria Falls

When entering Victoria Falls you immediately hear the roar of the Falls, and a slight mist hits your face, and the mist turns into larger droplets as you get closer to the falls.  Thankfully I opted to wear my Keens over my flip flops which was a smart decision considering all the slippery rocks that covered certain areas of the path.  We were given a small map and were told which parts of the path were the best for photo ops of the falls.  I threw the map in my bag and decided that I would be the judge to where the best spots were to take photos.  I was told that baboons were quite prevalent around the path, however I didn't spot any, but did hear a few running through the trees and bushes. 

At Victoria Falls with some new friends

To be quite honest, I was a bit disappointed by Victoria Falls.  I felt that Niagara Falls was a lot more impressive, but Victoria Falls was ridiculously wide.  I walked for nearly an hour and never even made it from one end to the other.  When nearing the end of one of the paths (in the Zimbabwean side) we reached these huge boulders.  I sat gazing at the falls for about thirty minutes.  That spot was probably my most favorite part of the path!    When it was time to head back towards the entrance a few of us broke out in song and started dancing to Shakira's "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)."  Our background music was the roar of the falls...I bet you can't beat that Shakira! 

 Entering Zambia

So two days later as I was packing my bags to head to the airport it crossed my mind that I still hadn't gone to see the Zambia side of the Falls.  I had arranged a taxi ride to the airport with James (a lovely taxi driver that I met two days prior by the recommendation of someone at the hotel...he was the BEST and took me and two friends to a ton of restaurants till we found one we liked!).  I asked him if it would be possible to go to the Victoria Falls Bridge and quickly cross over to Zambia.  He told me he couldn't cross over to Zambia, but that he could drop me off at the border and would wait for me there.

So he parked and told me to go through customs to get a visa across.  He told me to tell them that I was just crossing over to see the Bridge (so that I would not have to pay for a visa).  The lady stamped a piece of paper, handed it to me, and off I went.  James pointed to the taxi drivers that specifically bring people to the bridge and back.  One guy approached me, and I turned to James to see if he approved of that driver.  He nodded yes, so I went in this guys shady car (trust me...I did not tell my mom this part!).  The taxi driver zoomed down the road, and we quickly crossed the very narrow Victoria Falls Bridge.  He stopped at the Zambia end and told me he would meet me back at the Zimbabwe side. 

 The Zambezi River

There wasn't a huge view of the falls, but I was able to see a bit of it, and the bridge had an amazing view of the Zambezi River....including a great view of crazy people jumping off the bridge towards the river!  I quickly found myself surrounded by shady men trying to talk to me.  I tried ignoring them but they were quite persistent.  The taxi driver that took me to the bridge proved to not be so shady afterall, he saw the guys bothering me so he hopped out of his car and protected me from them.  He kinda played as my bodyguard the remainder of my time there.

Watching a person jump off Victoria Falls Bridge...I don't even remember who I was talking to.

I watched a few people jump off the bridge before I checked my watch and noticed it was time for me to go!  I headed back to Zimbabwe, and when I went through customs the man gave me a hard time, he said, "So did you jump off the bridge?"  I said, "No."  He then says, "Well we only allow people to cross for free if they jump off the bridge."  I worriedly say, "Well the lady that let me through said it was fine!"  He began laughing and said he was just kidding.   For a second there I thought he wasn't going to allow me through!  He did, and when I told James about it he told me that they play "jokes" on the tourists all the time.  Someone needs to tell him that he's the only one that thinks it's funny!

Date Accomplished:  September 26th, 2010