The Great Wall at Mutianyu

We had a fantastic trip to the Great Wall at Mutianyu. I have also been to Badaling, which was great, but it was a zillion degrees and I am the world's worst hiker. I took the easy way out (as long as you're not afraid of heights): along with some students, I took the gondola (just like a ski lift) up and the toboggan down. The toboggan is a small plastic sled with a brake and you ride it down a metal chute, much like a big waterslide, but a lot slower. The day was pure and clear, the sunlight bright, the temperature cool. We could not have ordered a more perfect day. Although it's famous for what the guidebooks call a "strenuous hour-long climb" up steep steps, the students who climbed found it easy. When you get to the ramparts, you can walk along them from turret to turret. Note the crookedness of some of the steps!