Beijing
Arrival | Great Wall | Ming Tombs
| Temple of Heaven | Forbidden
City | Lama Temple | Confucian
Temple
The Great Wall at Badaling
MAY 26 -- Our first tourist stop was the Great Wall
at Badaling, about an hour's drive north of Beijing. It is said
that you are not a man until you have climbed the Great Wall.
Most tourists head to the right from the parking lot to climb
a more gradual stretch of the wall, but being Mountaineers we
headed to the left. The crowds were much thinner.
Note the throngs of tourists on the busy side of the
wall in the distance.
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A reproduction of a battlement along the wall.
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An unrestored section of the wall just beyond the
high point to which we hiked.
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The parking lot at Badaling is choked by tourist booths.
A booth to meet all your tourist needs.
Not far from Badaling is this odd sight at the side
of the freeway. The 2008 Olympic Village? No, according to our
tour guide, it's a Disney theme park abandoned halfway through
construction. However, I couldn't find any references on the
web to verify this claim.
On to the Ming
Tombs...
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