Thrilling toboggan ride in China

By indunil Thenuwara

If you have seen bobsleigh on TV or have splashed down on a waterslide at a leisure park, you have an idea of what it means to career down a slope at breakneck speed. It is an adrenaline rush caused by a combination of fear and excitement. In other words, a thrill ride you will not forget in a hurry!

The Great Wall of China

Imagine that there is no ice, snow or water to cushion your ride. You are perched on a tiny "car" which has just enough room for one person and it is going down from a great height at an almost uncontrollable speed, on a metal track. It's no ordinary ride - and no ordinary place either. It is a 'toboggan' ride from the top of the Great Wall of China. If you like a dash of history mixed with adventure, a toboggan ride is definitely a thrill worth seeking. You get to see the Great Wall in more ways than one, especially if you go up by cable car and come down by toboggan.

This writer got the opportunity to experience an exhilarating toboggan ride during a recent visit to the Great Wall of China as part of a tour organised by the Xinhua News Agency of China under the aegis of the World Media Summit. The toboggan ride came at the end of the excursion to the Great Wall. We visited the Great Wall, which is said to be the only man-made structure visible from outer space, on a bright and sunny, but cold day (if such a thing is possible).

We were taken to the Mutianyu section of the wall, which though not the most popular, was a less crowded section and closest to Beijing, at a distance of 60km. Also, according to our hosts, there were fewer hawkers, who were present only at the entrance compared to the more popular sections where stalls were located along the length of the wall.

Our group comprised 11 journalists from African and Asian nations and our hosts from Xinhua.

After manoeuvring our way around the sales people who were trying to entice us with their wares, we finally managed to reach the entrance gate with tickets (45 yuan each/1 yuan=about 17 rupees) clutched in our hands.

Although some opted to climb the wall from ground level, our hosts had decided to provide us the additional experience of reaching the top by cable car. We packed into the moving cars, two per car, and as they started ascending, absorbed the astounding views all around us - of the wall, the mountains and the village of Mutianyu. After a 20-minute ride we got off (or were rather pushed off due to the momentum) the cable cars and started climbing the wall.

Then we started exploring the wall which had both restored and unrestored sections. We could see the edifice stretching miles and miles, as far as the eye could see, into the thick green foliage of the lush jungle.

The Great Wall of China, we learnt, was over 4,000 miles long and ran across the mountains of the northern part of this country. It was constructed over 2,000 years ago as the northern barrier to protect the land, the capital and imperial tombs, from invading Huns.

Cable cars returning to the station

It was built of stone, wood, soil and rubble held together with a mortar made of lime and glutinous rice.

The Mutianyu section, though much older than the more popular areas of the wall, was better restored. It had been built and re-built many times over the years, and the present wall had been rebuilt of granite, over the existing foundation during the Ming Dynasty (14-17 Century) when many of the watchtowers had been added.

The wall was around eight metres high and six metres wide with the watchtowers adding another four metres in height. The Mutianyu section is unique due to the large number of watchtowers, 22, spread over a 2,250 metre stretch. The watchtowers had been built in such a way that shots could be fired from both sides.

The climb over a distance of around a kilometre was rather satisfying though extremely hard due to very steep and narrow steps in some places. We were huffing and puffing after reaching the top; some of my colleagues had given up climbing and rested their weary limbs some metres below us.

After resting for a few minutes we started climbing down and soon arrived at the toboggan station.

None of the journalists in the group had experienced a toboggan ride before and we were initially a bit wary about jumping on board. The long list of instructions and precautions displayed prominently at the site contributed in no small way to our trepidation.

However, the fact that our hosts had already bought tickets (at 65 yuan each) for all of us made us realise that we don't have much of a choice. So, muttering prayers for our safety we climbed on board the toboggans.

The toboggans, also known as coasters and slideways, were about 100x40 cm in size, made of metal and ran on a metal track which wound around the mountain until it reached the bottom.

Peter Efande of Cameroon on a toboggan, bags clutched in teeth

The 'car' had a handbrake with which the rider could control the speed. With a brief reminder of the instructions, the attendant set us off on the ride. Pushing the handbrake forward increased the speed while pushing it back slowed it down. Veering to the left and right was achieved by pushing the brake in the respective direction. After a while, we all realised that this is not such a scary activity after all and started enjoying the ride, which was thrilling to say the least.

Riders could go 'slow', provided they maintained a safe distance from the riders in front and behind them.

Attendants and safety personnel were placed at intervals along the toboggan track while notices as to what the riders were expected to do at that particular stretch (e.g. reduce speed, swerve to the right ...) were displayed along the way. There was no need to panic as we soon realised that one only had to follow the instructions.

However, riders were advised not to take photographs during the ride as both hands were required to control the toboggan. We were also asked to hang on tight to our personal belongings and it was rather hilarious to see our colleague from Cameroon holding an extra bag with his teeth as he came down the track.

After careering a distance of around 2.5 km we finally came to a stop at the bottom of the mountain and got off the toboggan with legs that seemed like jelly. Despite our initial apprehension, every single one of us immensely enjoyed the ride.

The Great Wall is definitely a 'must see' for anybody who happens to be in Beijing. For anybody climbing this mighty structure, coming down on a toboggan is an absolute must!

Pix: Indunil Thenuwara