One of those 'pinch me' moments!

Growing up with five siblings and a single mum meant having the bare minimum, just enough to get by. But I never used to want for anything, and it made me the person I am today, which I wouldn't change for anything.

It also meant that I'm not the sort of person that always dreamt of traveling or visiting exotic places. I was happy living my life and was more than happy with what I had. 

In my late teens and early twenties I started thinking about other countries and wondered what it would be like to visit places I knew nothing about. I started seeing traveling in a whole new light. My passion for traveling was starting to grow and I soon wanted to go everywhere and see everything. 

Fast forward to January this year and Scotty and I were on a 5 week trip around Asia and had flown to Beijing to visit the Great Wall of China. Just booking the flight seemed surreal. We were traveling from Malaysia to Hong Kong but decided to add in a few days in Beijing on the way, just because! One of the many things I love about traveling, you can go wherever you want!

The day started with our private guide and driver picking us up from our hotel. Scotty was pleasantly surprised when he realised it was just the two of us doing the tour for the day. He thought we were going to be in a mini van with a whole lot of other tourists.

We traveled for about 2 hours out to the Jiankou section of the wall. This is one of the original sections of the wall that hasn't been restored. The funny thing about our 2 hour drive was that the first 40 minutes or so was spent just getting around the corner from our hotel. Sitting in the car and looking around after 40 minutes and realising we'd done a big circle and were only about 15 minutes walking distance from where we'd started made us laugh.

The beginning of our hike

When you think of the Great Wall of China you picture nicely manicured steps, amazing towers and a fully functioning wall that carries on for miles. But the true Great Wall of China, the section that really makes you feel like you've taken a trip back in time, is the unrestored section.

Our driver dropped us off in the middle of nowhere, a small village called Xizhazi. We started hiking along a trail up through the trees. Every now and then you would see remnants of what used to be. I kept stopping and looking around to take it all in. It was absolutely freezing which I think added to the whole experience. Poor Scotty was on camera duty and his fingers were starting to freeze each time he took them out of his pockets. And that was through the gloves he was wearing! 

We soon came to the first tower and climbed up the ladder to get to the top. Once we'd all climbed up we stopped to take some photos. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I was looking out into the distance at the wall as it disappeared over the horizon and I suddenly had an overwhelming sense of happiness. Here I was hiking along the Great Wall of China with the love of my life. This is what dreams are made of!

At the top of one of the towers

At the top of one of the towers

Scotty standing in front of one of the towers

We continued along the wall climbing up to each new tower as we went. I should clarify that when I say 'tower' you must remember that this is on the original part of the wall where no restoration work has been done. We were climbing up the remains of towers that were built many centuries ago, sometimes using ladders, other times clambering up the bricks!

Hiking along some of the original parts of the wall

I loved seeing the wall making its way out to the horizon

It was amazing to see the contrast once we arrived at Mutianyu, the restored section of the wall. It's so commercialised and 'perfect' looking. But as I said earlier, that's the way I had pictured it would be, until we arrived and realised the true beauty of the wall was in fact where there had been no restoration work done at all. 

Just a few more steps until we reach our destination

Hiking along the wall

Hiking along the wall

One of the most magical views I've ever seen

I couldn't wipe the smile off my face - although my face
found it difficult smiling in the cold!

After completing the hike we were given the option of either catching the gondola down to the carpark (which is what our guide did) or walking further along to the toboggan and riding down that way. Of course we chose to spend the extra time walking on the wall and then getting the toboggan down to the car park.

Our ride back down to the carpark

There's always time for photos with guys dressed in random costumes

Once at the bottom, and after having our picture taken with the funny characters in the carpark our driver and guide took us to a local restaurant down the road for lunch.

This was the perfect way to end our tour. And we'd certainly worked up an appetite after hiking over 10km on the wall. Our guide ordered lots of local dishes for us to try which were delicious! And all of which was included in the price of our tour. 

If you're planning on visiting Beijing I would highly recommend hiking along the Great Wall, and booking a private tour through Wild Great Wall Adventure Tours so that you can experience the difference between both sections. It also means you get to experience the wall without hundreds of tourists around and gives you the opportunity to really soak up your surroundings. 

Our hike along the Great Wall of China is definitely something we will never forget. Next stop... Hong Kong!