Great Wall of China - from Jiangshinling to Simitai

"You are not a great man unless you have set foot on the Great Wall" said Chairman Mao (or something similar!) We took quite a few steps! Although the plan was originally going to Simitai only a last minute change of plan took us on the same route as a load of other Westerners.

We asked the hostel for a wake up call at 7 am, which we got at 11pm (or were they asking if we wanted hookers?) but such is life! That night we heard UK (Scottish) voices in the hallway outside - I almost lept straight out of my bed to go and speak to someone other than Dave!

The bus took 3 1/2 hours, but despite a numb bum, it was quite a nice ride - saw children going to school, dead fish, rabbits. pheasants (???) and all displayed on hooks by the roadside and random high-rise buildings in the middle of nowhere. At one point it looked as if Vegas was going up - a big new development in the middle of nowhere.

At the Wall we were accompanied by a flock of natives who showed us the path and then accompanied us almost all the way to Simitai. It was quite some trek! The first climb to the entrance of the wall was enough to give us heart failure! It didn't stop! For some reason I fail to understand, we were climbing constantly, despite the wall going up AND down over the ridges. Some of it was a hands and knees job, muttering "I will get to the next tower, I will, I will!"

It was really weird - semi picturesque although the land seemed so barren and dead, and yet at times it was reminiscent of the feeling I got when I went to the Grand Canyon, years ago; "Oh my God, is this for real???". When we got to Simitai, the section of the wall went completely crazy - it just went up, and up, and up! Didn't fancy climbing that far!

Did experience the "You need to pay for everything if we can charge for it we will!" that I had heard about: entrance fee at Jingshanling, fee to finish walk at Simitai, fee to cross the bridge, fee to go to the toilet, fee to have cup of tea (Neccessary expenditure, and justified!), but since I expected it, I can't really complain.

One guy on the walk was this huge black American with his tiny Chinese girlfriend. He kept complaining that his feet/ knees/legs body was hurting. This tiny Chinese girl had just done the same walk as us - in four inch high stilletos! Crazy!