Mutianyu-Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China (Mutianyu), finally we meet face to face.  I had been talking about coming to the Great Wall for nearly 15 years of my life, and now I can say after today another check mark off the “bucket list”.  It is apparent that one would need months perhaps even years to truly see The Great Wall in its entirety.  The section I went to was called Mutianyu, it is nearly 2 hours outside of Beijing.  This only makes sense if you do not want to see the KFC at the bottom of the wall, like you will at Badaling section.

The Mutianyu section of The Great Wall was built along the crest of the rolling mountains and hills.  The wall appears easier to climb  than anyone realizes.  The big catch is the stairs (in some places) are nearly vertical, and were built for small Asian feet.  Well, my size 10 1/2 shoe is not the typical size for the Chinese, unless you are Yao Ming! I found myself side stepping when going vertical stairwells.

The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall has 22 watch towers & is 2,250 meters in length.  This is no casual walking trail.  I was simply blown away at the sheer length and detailed construction work.  It’s rumored that the thousands of men that gave their lives during the erection of this structure and their remains buried inside.

The wall was a sanctuary of sorts for the young and old.  People having spiritual moments and just looking out over the sides, others hiking as far as they could.  This is no question a magical and amazing place for all!

Now with The Great Wall off the bucket list, it was time to eat!  How convenient I spied a local pancake lady!  What a great fill up after a 4 hour journey up and down the narrow stairways and paths.  I made it through 5 watch towers in 4 hours, what does that tell you?

Correct, 2 pancakes please

The typical Chinese pancake is made with a thick crepe like batter poured over a hot cast iron circle.  The chef/vendor then slowly smooths it over with a dough scrapper (come on it’s some borderline primitive shit here).  Depending on the ingredients ordered, they are typically tossed inside and folded up and over similar to a burrito.  The only accompaniment is spicy chili sauce, yes please!

Perfect each and every time! Don’t miss out!  Be prepared for a little shaking in the legs after a trek up The Great Wall of China, each step and view is another layer of history that unfolds right in front of you!

3 Responses to “Mutianyu-Great Wall of China”

1. The Epicurean says:

   January 11, 2011 at 10:28 pm

   Let Jack know he needs to get a brick oven to make his
   peking duck the right way, what does he know since his family is
   from Taiwan. How does Mr Wok’s PD stack up against the real thing?
   I didn’t think it could get much better. Did they make the bones
   into a soup for desert?

   Reply
   • Chef D says:

     January 12, 2011 at 12:54 am

     Mr. Wok takes the cake in the US as the best PK duck I have had… The true Beijing duck is an experience like no other ….just make sure to ask the Locals where they eat! (Always!)

     Reply
2. Bethel Velovic says:

   February 17, 2011 at 11:10 pm

   This helped me out loads, thanks for taking the time to write this!

   Reply