Those who are familiar with the TV show Time Bandits may have watched the episode where Qin Shi Huangdi famously said, “There’s a waaaaaalllll here.” His one layer of bricks is not a wall. This guy needs to buy a dictionary. However, the Great Wall of China is one of the seven wonders of the world. Built on top of a mountain, the marvelous wall surrounds a large section of China. We have already visited two sections of the Great Wall: Gubeikou and Mutianyu! This time, we ventured off to another section: Badaling. On our last few visits to the Great Wall, we had hiked during the day, but this time our intention was to see Badaling during the evening and catch the sunset.
My dad booked the Yueli Great Wall View Homestay for the night.
I was impressed to see that our room had a clear view of Badaling. Our room was split into two bedrooms – one for me and one for my parents. Our large bathroom came with two sinks, a toilet, and one huge shower. The hotel provided conditioner, shampoo, and body wash. However, there was one problem with the shower: It smelled a bit funky! Fortunately, it only began to stink when we were packing up to go home. The hotel had some positives. Above the hotel, there was a nice rooftop terrace, but instead of the typical rooftop garden, it was a random plank and deck over some water. Honestly, I would have preferred a garden.
The hotel also had a cute cafe called The Corgi Cafe, and yes, they did have corgis.
By The Corgi Cafe there was a shallow but nice pool where you could take a swim to cool off. Breakfast was included; however, the options were limited. We opted to sit outside in the garden because the dining room had a rather stuffy smell.
The Yueli offered a discount you can purchase to go to the Badaling Great Wall. The regular price for the night tour is RMB 298, but we got the discounted price of RMB 200. After settling into our hotel and doing a little work, we headed out into the town to get some dinner.
We went to a very popular Thai restaurant for dinner near the homestay. The restaurant was in a remote part of the town, with barely any parking spaces. However, you can find free public parking down the road, near the riverfront. Inside, the restaurant was beautifully furnished with what seemed to be traditional Thai furniture. It was a bit stuffy inside the ornate restaurant, so we requested to move to the back garden. It was very cool and breezy back there! After we placed our order, we went exploring.
The garden was very inviting. There were some stone stairs that led to another part of the upper hidden garden. Trees arched over the path, and sweet little flowers grew along it. There was also a rushing waterfall that ran down into the stream that passed our table. What’s more is that, in the garden, there were adorable hobbit houses, with yellow walls and circular blue doors. Exactly like the hobbit homes from the famous movie and book series, The Lord of the Rings.
I ordered some yellow chicken curry served in a big bread bowl. My mom ordered some pad Thai, and my dad ordered pineapple fried rice. My curry was not the best; the chicken was fine, but the curry tasted a bit too much like soup. I prefer my curry to be thicker and spicier! My mom’s pad Thai tasted quite good, though, so I feasted on that instead. Of course, Mom complained, but we must follow the family motto: “A wise man (me) once said, ‛Food tastes better when it is stolen.’” Mother’s (stolen) noodles were no exception; they were delicious.
After all that, we went to the cable cars for the night tour, well satisfied from dinner.
The entrance fee excludes the cable car tickets, so my dad purchased our ride at Badaling Great Wall Funicular for RMB 100 each, one way. The cable cars, instead of the common gondolas, were like small buses attached to rails, which were pulled up the mountain. I was fascinated by how the cables on the ground pull the car up along the hillside. The sun was near setting, and the trees that covered the mountain were a golden shade of green. It was amazing to be able to look over the horizon and gaze at the stunning view. Although aged over the years, the bricks of the Wall were still firm and not loose. It is astonishing how this man-made creation stays up after so many disasters. After walking along the Great Wall, we stopped for a break to rest to watch the sunset. While we sat, we snacked and spent some good family time taking silly photos. Many other families were doing the same. Once the sun had set, and all was dark, lights began to illuminate the wall. I had packed my own little flashlight and had fun using it to make shadow puppets along the wall. To me, the Great Wall looked like a glowing Chinese dragon snaking up the mountain.
When exiting the Great Wall, I noted many traditional performances and shows inside the Badaling Great Wall.
Pro Tip: Though more convenient to bring your own food, there is no problem getting dinner after the night tour. I could not enjoy these beautiful performances or food due to my cranky, sleepy self. So, Super Mom ordered some rice and beef takeout to eat in the car. It was a one-and-a-half hour ride back to Beijing.
So, there you have it, another Yap family adventure. Stay tuned for our next one!
Find it:
Yueli Great Wall View Homestay
12 Shifosi Village, Badaling Town, Yanqing District
6.9 miles from Badaling Railway Station, 15 mins by car
Images: Clark Yap
