Adventures in China! The Great WallNi Hao!
Welcome to the journey I took in China. By far, it's one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen.
Let's start this journey where all journeys start...at the beginning. So grab your China map and let's get moving.
I arrived to the Beijing International Airport late at night only to be greeted by one of the BEST guides. Her name is Jessie.
Jessie's hometown in nestled in Southern China in the province of Guangxi. She, and Mr. Chao *our driver" took me to my hotel-the Bamboo Garden Hotel.
Here's the basic scoop on hotels in Beijing, the best ones are either in the Hutong Province OR close to the Forbidden City. I stayed in the Bamboo Garden Hotel in the Hutong Province of Beijing. A total gem. The hotel was once owned by a prince and is now owned by the government. Most homes in the Hutong Province are characterized by the size of their courtyard. In old days, the wealth and status of a family was noted by the size and privacy of its courtyard. The Bamboo Garden Hotel boasts a large courtyard surrounding by traditional Chinese architecture rooms. Stay there if you can, it's lovely.
My second day was all about the Great Wall of China, that and food (but we'll get to the food later).
The Great Wall of China extends from the far East of Inner Mongolia to Liaoning Province on the coast of Eastern China. While there is a spot located near Bejing which would minimize your drive time, by all means take the drive and visit the Jinshanling section. It's about a two hours drive from Beijing, but beautiful beyond measure. Here's an insider's trip: bring trekking poles. I'm an avid hiker here in Missoula, but even I needed to take multiple breaks along the 4 mile stretch. Of course, you don't have to walk a full four mile section of the Great Wall, there are multiple exit points along this stretch...but do yourself a favor and tackle it if you can. You can either start in the further parking lot and hike downwards (the easier way) or park at the lower parking lot and hike upwards (the more difficult path). Either way is beautiful and either way you'll have to pass over the "Stairway to Heaven" which is a very steep portion of the wall (thus the suggestions of the trekking poles). My day consisted of hiking along the Great Wall of China and asking my wonderful guide, Jessie, to pinch me every so often as to remind me it wasn't a dream. Back to Jessie's greatness, she guides hiking trips in China and specializes in more active trips. She was knowledgeable, personable and a great companion for a solo traveler such as myself.
After the hiking, my day ended in the Hutong Province at a local restaurant where they made their own wine.
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
5 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
6 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
1 week ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.