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Old August 14th, 2012, 03:29 PM posted to rec.travel.asia
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Default Beijing China Tours

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.

The downside for some people is that it's a lot of walking, and since
it's not restored the surface is less than optimal, and there are some
very steep steps and no hand rails of course. Not suitable for everyone.
Since the original poster is going on a cruise they may be elderly.