The Great Wall

This is The Great Wall of China.

Pretty spectacular isn't it? It's even more amazing in real life. This is China. This is the one experience that makes a man in the eyes of the Chinese. To miss this is to miss everything.
On our third day in Beijing we took a tour out to Jinshaling and walked along the wall to Simatai. We were in a big group of travellers from all over Beijing who had signed onto this no-frills, unspoilt-as-you-can-get tour. Once dropped off at the wall we were left to our own devices and could take as much time as we liked for the 10km distance. The groups soon dispersed and we were left almost alone.I say almost alone, for despite it's remoteness and lack of facilities, this is China after all, and hawkers and hustlers were to be expected. At every watch tower were a couple of ladies who greeted us warmly with 'Hello water!' or 'Hello postcard!'. Others picked likely looking tourists and followed them along the wall. Two fastened themselves onto us and followed us to the halfway point of the wall quite innocently, but closely, even waiting for us while I took a ten minute phone call (yes, phone reception even on top of the great wall. Love China).

Then we reached halfway and the hard sell began. 'This halfway. I go home now. You buy. Sank you'. They wanted us to buy a book for 120 yuan, and when we refused offered another for 100 which didn't even have any English. 'But I walk halfway. I go home. You buy book. sank you'.

Whatever. I've suffered far too many pushy sellers this year to be fooled into buying anything out of provoked obligation. We smiled nicely and told them they could go home now, bye bye, and carried on. The man followed us a further three watch towers before he gave up. Got to admire the perseverance, but we really didn't want anything. Sorry.Nothing could detract from the experience of climbing the wall though. After the touts had left and as the group dispersed even further we felt completely alone. The lack of restoration on some parts made it feel like true exploration. I just loved the decrepit appearance of it, although it's a bit worrying when you see the state of some parts. Thankfully workers were busy restoring the really bad parts, but sympathetically, which is unusual, and to be appreciated.To make it even better, as the hours passed the clouds that had brought torrential rain earlier in the morning began to disperse and we were treated to bright blue skies. It was perfect.We all met up again at the end of the wall and after descending a zip-line to the car park, had our dinner and got back in our minibus back to Beijing. It was a good mixed group in our bus and we all had a lot of fun chatting on the way back. The ones who had been in China a long time were exchanging war stories about things like the toilets and the food. Things were said that I cannot repeat. Too funny. Too incriminating. Maybe some other time...