Day 119
Sunday, April 7, 2024
Bejing, China
Part two - Great Wall
After dinner (which was a waste of daylight if you ask me, because I wasn’t even hungry after having a huge lunch earlier) we went to see the Great Wall.
“He Who Has Never Been to the Great Wall Is Not a True Man"
Badaling has a stone engraved with a famous line from one of Mao Zedong's poem.
Badaling Great Wall section about 40 miles long (60 km) northwest of central Beijing, was the first restored section open to tourists in 1957. It is easily accessible and has easy walking conditions.
Badaling is the most representative and magnificent section of the Ming Great Wall and has been visited by over 500 state leaders and VIPs, including presidents Nixon and Reagan, Prime Minister Thatcher, and Queen Elizabeth II.
We got a special treatment and Royal Caribbean arranged the whole event for us. Multiple folkloric groups welcomed us with music and dancing, with special light effects. It’s was an amazing experience.
As usual we didn’t get nearly enough time as we would like to enjoy the show, village, gift shops, not to mention take time to hike the wall.
Interesting fact about the Great Wall:
The Chinese name for the Great Wall of China is Chángchéng (长城), which translates to "Long Wall"
