Great Wall Trip Part II

This post was originally from November 15, 2008.

Good day everyone! I thought I would just make a quick post about what I've been up to in Beijing recently. I'm really loving it here and I'm glad I still have several months left. Two weekends ago I had an opportunity to return to the Great Wall. This time my classmates and I went to the 金山 (Jin Shan) and 司马台 (Si Ma Tai) portions of the Great Wall in the 河北 (He Bei) province. It was a really amazing experience. The parts of the wall that we walked across were all restored for the most part, so it was nice to see what the wall might have looked like 500 years ago.

We started our trek at around noon in Jin Shan, making our way towards Si Ma Tai. It was so amazing! I took a lot of pictures which you can look at here if you want. One of my favorite parts was on top of one of the watch towers. Sitting from the edge, I was able to witness just how beautiful that part of the country is (see picture on the right). I don't feel that pictures can truly capture the beauty of the view from up there. It is something that everyone must experience for themselves.
It was the perfect day to climb, not a cloud in the sky and it wasn't too cold or too hot. We were also able to enjoy a beautiful sunset from the peak of Si Ma Tai. If anyone is planning a trip to Beijing and would like to visit this part of the Great Wall, let me know and I'll tell you how to get there. It's definitely worth the 3 hour drive!