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Old August 16th, 2012, 05:58 PM posted to rec.travel.asia
SMS
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Default Beijing China Tours

On 8/14/2012 11:03 AM, tim..... wrote:
"SMS" wrote in message ...

On 8/14/2012 2:51 AM, tim..... wrote:

"Commercialised" is a more reasonable description. I.e there is an
excess of stalls selling you tat, there most emphatically is not: people
walking around dressed up in period costumes, nor are there "rides" for
you to go on.


Definitely rides at Badaling, see
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21327369@N03/3079869464. See
http://i46.tinypic.com/fd7vkp.jpg for a comparison of crowds. But
besides the rides, the other negatives are a) the crowds, and b) it's a
totally restored and unauthentic section of the wall.

In any case, it's easy to arrange a tour to one of the less crowded,
more historic sections. I.e.
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/package/beijing/jinshanling-hiking.htm, though

this is a lot more than we paid, but we were in a packed van, not a car
for just the four of us. Also see
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/package/beijing/jinshanling-hiking.htm. I
think we paid about $60 per person. Actually you can do it on your own
for just a few dollars, taking buses, but that would take a lot longer.

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Bloody 'ell that's a lot more than I paid for the Disney (sic) tour (and
we went to the Ming Tombs).

I booked as an individual and IIRC the bus had 7 people in total, so
even if booked together they would have wanted 90 dollars a piece.

I too investigated going on the bus for about 50 cents, but decided that
the time penalty just wasn't worth the savings


It's now very fast and easy and cheap to get to Badaling from Beijing on
the train. When I went to Badaling many years ago on the train (in the
1980's) it was a very slow local train which took 3 hours, plus walking
about 1km. Now it's a 55 minute ride from Beijing North station (there
are four train stations in Beijing) plus a 1km walk. The Xizhimen subway
station is right by the Beijing North Station (which used to be called
the Xizhimen station, but I guess they changed the name to avoid confusion).

If I only had two days in Beijing I'd pass on the Ming Tombs. I think
the Summer Palace is a better use of time. The Forbidden City is another
place worth going, though once is enough and now I've been there three
times. I should have passed on it this past June, but it was the first
time my family was with me on a trip to China so I went again. It was
incredibly packed and they haven't followed Disney's systems of moving
people efficiently through an attraction. I think that they need to tear
it down and rebuild it differently. If they can put in a roller coaster
at the Great Wall, surely they could put in a ride that transports you
through, over, and under, the Forbidden City. We went through a cave
complex near Yangshuo, complete with boat rides, colored lights, and
three gift shops that you must walk through to exit--Disney would be proud.