Goodness Gracious Great Wall of China!

Oh my legs...oh my legs...I can't do it anymore!

I thought we were going to see the great wall.....not do a 10km hike along it in 34 degree heat! Thats wasn't part of the plan at all! Carrantouhill was enough for me!

But alas, a relaxing day wasn't meant to be...So after a 4 hour drive from Bejing, its 10.30 in the morning and we arrive at a quiter section of the wall called Jhiangling. We all get off the bus and before any of us have chance to rethink what we have just let ourselves in for the bus door slams shut and the driver takes off with speed. Nothing for it now only to walk...so onto the wall we get and turn left (thats where the need for a guide finished!).....Long story short over the next four hours as we dipped in and out of hell a number of times we finally made it the 10km to Simatai! The journey took us over 30 watchtower capped points eventually landing is at a little spot called Simatai where the clever little boys charged us another few pence to get off the wall, knowing full well that none of us were going to make the trek back!

The walk was tough, there is no doubt about that but it was without question the highlight of the trip so far (writing this from Bangkok). The views, the sense of achievement, the lack of other tourists there all added to a truley fab day...and it has to be said that the bunch of people that were on the trek with us were a bunch of characters in themselves! You had Clare and Vigo, dutch couple just heading out on the trans-siberian (backwards) and travelling by train all the way back to Moscow, Paul tha Ozzie who was doing a round the worlder in little over a month or so, stopping off at all his old girlfriends along the way??? and then there was Tadieus the Norwegian who's favouite line all day was "Too Much, Too much!" He refused to pay the said price for anything.....Iced water along the trek for example....price was about 80cent, he got it for 50cent....his line "Too much, too much....Iced water is very dangerous in this heat...I had it once, nearly died you know!....too much too much!"

If you ever do come to this part of the world I would advise this part of the wall without a doubt...but you need to be fit...especially if there is heat. The other sections have been "repaired" and are less harsh and therfore attract a ridiculous amount of tourist (mainly chinese it has to be said) everyday. And if possible come on a weekday when its that bit quiter again.

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