23 hours in Beijing to see the Great Wall

1030

August 16, 2017

On our flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Ulaanbaatar, we did a 23-hour layover in Beijing which of course meant we needed to do a quick run to the Great Wall. Because why not?

Not sure if everyone knows, but there’s the option to visit China, visa-free if landing in certain airports for under 72 hours. Check out the information here.

We booked a tour through Beijing Private Tour and were picked up by our tour guide Linda. We jumped in the car with the driver and took off toward the wall.

Naturally, an unknown part of the trip was a stop at a Jade shop so we could learn about “special Beijing Jade” and it’s a craft. We knew we were being sold something and it was probably due to being caught up in the exhilaration of the “we only have 23 hours in Beijing” rush that we fell victim to and bought some nice Jade for my mother.

Fast forward we were at the wall. We took a cable car up to the wall.

Pro Tip: If you pay a round trip at the bottom of the cable car it’s 100 RMB cheaper than paying for two one-way tickets at the bottom and top.

Finally, we made it to the top. Took a picture of us jumping on the wall and then slowed down to take it all in. Something about the wall awoke wonder in us. We were here. Standing on one of the most famous landmarks in the world. Stretching across the huge country of China.

Jumping up and down at the Great Wall.

We joked that the next day we’ll fly to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Then about 45 minutes later our guide told us to hurry up and leave if we wanted to take the cable car down the wall and just like that our wall visit was over.

On the way to the hotel, we stopped at a tea house (whose name I forgot) but it is located next to Nanmencang Hutong West Crossing and drank some samples of tea.

Somehow we ended up buying waaaayyyy too much tea. Caught up again.

Nevertheless, as we nestled into our hotel for the night we realized that somehow in less than 23 hours we had spent more money on souvenirs in Beijing than we had in Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam combined.