Beijing #1

Year 2016 ends for us shortly after landing in the capital of China. We arrived to Beijing by transit flight from Nagoya, Japan. We have to collect used passengers blankets, but there are still a few passengers on board who continue flying with another set of crew to Abu Dhabi. Our Cabin manager takes the handset and starts to count down: 5, 4, 3, 2 … 1… But it doesn’t move our passengers at all! No reaction, no ovations, screams, kisses, nor wishes for the New Year. Only silence. The majority of travelers are Chinese, and those, in about a month will celebrate their own, Chinese New Year of the Rooster. Maybe they didn’t even understand our announcement, usually they barely speak English. We complete our duties, hand over the flight to the crew who come to replace us and in a short while we are already sitting in the bus on the way to the hotel. As soon as we check-in, we take off our uniforms and we meet in the hotel bar for a New Year’s drinks. We talk fun stories from our travels and laugh a lot, but still, that’s probably the most silent New Year’s Eve celebration I’ve ever experienced…

After short four hours of sleep, I get up. I’m sure that lot of people back home will sleep till late afternoon after a crazy night, but in front of me, there is a trip to the Great Wall of China, one of the seven wonders of the world, which I have been looking forward to for a long time. However, no one from my crew wants to join me, instead they are trying to convince me no to go. The whole city is immersed in heavy fog and smog. And my crew is sure I will not enjoy my trip, because of fog I will not see anything. However, I have heard about temperature inversion: when the fog falls down on the city, it is usually sunny up in the mountains. I risk it, New Year’s resolutions need to be completed and one of mine is to thick off the Great Wall from my Bucket list. I rent a taxi driver for a couple hours. He takes me to the Chinese Wall and will wait for me in the parking lot until I enjoy the Wall and decide to go back. It would be cheaper if I shared the car with three or four other people, but still, it wasn’t such a terrible bat for a solo traveler like me. It’s definitely worth the Wall…

Approximately one hour of drive from the city of smog the weather gets better. Fog disappears and sunlight show up. The more you climb, the stronger the sun shines, the more fresh air you get. The driver drops me off at the parking lot in front of the entrance to cable car. You have two ways how to get to the Chinese Great Wall – either by challenging hike up the hill, or by a cable car. I go for the second, easier option. At least I will have more time to enjoy the Great Wall itself.

When I reach the top, I have to unzip my warm jacket. It is beautiful outside. And there is a fantastic view in front of me! This place is just amazing! I love heights and hills! The Great Wall of China is an old fortification system generally built across the historical northern borders of China. It was being built during the Ming Dynasty from the end of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. Its purpose was to protect China from Mongol invasions, nowadays it is the national symbol of the country. The Wall reaches an incredible length of 6700 km, extending from Hushan in Liaoning to Jiayuguan in Gansu. It is about 7 meters wide at the heel and reaches a height of 6 to 10 meters. Inside the wall there are connecting corridors and storage areas. Every few hundred meters, the wall is reinforced by towers that served as observation spots. Although the wall is listed in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage documents, in spite of all protection, it is falling apart in some places and is being dismantled for construction material. Only a few smaller sections are accessible to tourists. The section from Beijing is the most popular and most visited. Usually it is difficult to make a shot without the heads of other tourists. However, I am lucky at this time of the year. At some sections, I am totally alone enjoying the feeling that the Wall is here just for me. The Great Wall of China is said to be beautiful and interesting in every season. To me, the contrast of the clear sky, the misty valley, and naked trees is perhaps even greater than the greens in summer… I’m so happy that I didn’t let my colleagues to discourage me to visit this place and was following my intuition. Beautiful New Year, my friends!