Wanting to buy by the wall....

See below for Mark's overview of the weekend and our very own translation of Changcheng.

Having read many reviews about how to get to the wall (and back) we caught a bus about ten minutes from our flat for 1,40 Euro to Miyun (after one of the 'volunteers' told us that it would be far better for us to spend 60 Euros on a driver). Miyun is a bit of a boring place but the closest you can get from that bus station. There we haggled for a driver to Jinshangling. Afetr several attempts to walk off, we got them down to the guide book price (what would we do without these guiding bibles), the woman drove us all the way up to the wall through some quite remote villages and past the Miyun lake that provides parts of Beijing's drinking water.

We then got our tickets and started climbing up to the Great Wall. What an amazing view!!!! As far as we could see the wall stretches on he mountain summits and used to part Inner Mongolia and China. I took about 90 photos along the way and I don' think a single one can describe the majestic views we encountered yesterday.

We were extremely lucky with the weather too, nothing but sunshine and about 18 degrees, perfect for this walk. After having scared off some of the souvenir sellers (there weren't very many and their selling techniques are very questionable, capitalism has clearly not reached the wall yet), we could enjoy the walk with almost nobody around. One old lady followed us with her souvenir bag and water bottles and wanted to sell us all sorts until she gave up by asking "You walk Simatai, if I walk with you, you buy souvenir?" I would have probably thought about getting something just not to be accompanied by any sellers, but she really put this the wrong way around. Other than that, the sellers were quite cherrful and even wanted to show us shortcuts (that they use to get ahead of tourists).

The beautiful weather lit the wall and landscape in a glorious light and the coloured leaves gave the surroundings a very special feel.

Three hours later we reached Simatai, one of the possible exits. Our hostel was right on the bottom of the mountains and we could see the wall from the terrace. The hostel itself had quite poor reviews and complaints ranging from lying staff to non-English speaking staff and staff eating in teh restaurant that was for tourists. We chanced it and thanks to my colleague at work, Tiantian, had a room reserved in the courtyard. The setting was beautiful and once the girls got the heating going, it was quite cosy (if you didn't look too closely).

We slept for nearly 12 hours (9pm we turned the light off) and the morning was beautiful and sunny again, so we had the remaining biscuits with view of the wall and then walked towards the next town to catch tzhe bus back.

After about 20 minutes, a car stopped next to us and the driver jumped out and showed Mark very enthusiastically his phone. We realised that it was the same car of that took us to Jinshangling and the husband of our driver had just chanced it and went to see if he could pick us up in Simatai. So, for 10 Euros, we were chauffeured back to Miyun, had a walk around town and decided it was a not a place where Westener would have a quiet time living, because people constantly asked it we wanted to go to Simatai. Can you imagine doing your weekly shopping or coming back from work and people asknig if you wanted to go to the Great Wall?! So we got back on the 980 Bus and were back at the flat in an hour.

Becasue the weather was stil lso beautiful (and the upstairs neigbour was practising the piano), we went down to Sanlitun and sat in teh sun, had a little shop and then a drink in the 'Bookworm' (that's another story). Finishing off with some Thai food, we are almost prepared to go back to work. I still have to learn my Chinese vocabulary for the lesson, but other than that this was definitely our most relaxing weekend yet.

And I've been thinking about how we can purchase the hostel and make it carbon neutral and a magnet for hippie tourists and an even greater place to be. Happy for suggestions!