[BACK] [NEXT]
English Version 3
Friday 04.04.08
I’m in a bus on my way to the Great Wall. Not the most tourist like spot at Badaling, but at Jinshanling, where we’ll have to walk 10 km on it to a place called Simatai. We’ll be hiking? The bus has just turned around, cause the driver obviously doesn’t know the way, so he had to ask.
I’m with a German girl, who also stays at Far East and also wanted to do this trip. It’s a “package” where breakfast in the bus, lunch and 2 entries are included. We started 5.50 this morning from the hostel. The bus couldn’t enter the hutong, so we had to walk quite a bit. Afterwards it picked up people from a number of hotels and is now full.
 |
 |
| On the way from Jianshanling to Simatai | Angela is preparing for the big jump |
09.45 p.m.
Back in Beijing after an incredible day on the wall. A day much harder than the others, but in a different way which I really needed.
It was a long, hot trip in the bus, but eventually we arrived and then had 4 hours to walk the 10 km from Jinshanling to Simatai. Angela, which is the name of my German girl friend was a wonderful companion. We both wanted to get the most of it and she managed to jump 2 m down one place, where I because of concern for the family chose to take the safe route back. No broken limbs this time. But I got a minor abrasion some other place where I – also due to safety considerations – chose to turn around to jump down backwards, where she just jumped forwards. But besides her need of doing dangerous things, we took it easy and took a lot of photos. She working in Shanghai and is only in Beijing for 5 or 6 days. She’s staying in China for 3 month. A period that soon will be over.
This part of the wall don’t have many tourists, so there weren’t many people except our group and postcard-water and t-shirt sellers.
I – who just happened to need 2 more t-shirts am now the happy owner of two black ones with the inscription: I climbed the Great Wall. They just have to wear for the rest of my trip.
Now I sitting exhausted waiting for her – we’ll exchange e-mail addresses – she’s probably fallen asleep. I’ve prolonged my stay in Beijing for another day. I want to see The forbidden City tomorrow and buy what I’m still missing. Then I’m ready for take off Sunday morning.
11.45 p.m.
At last I went up and knocked. She’d been taking a shower, but would be there in a minute… Women! I wanted something to eat, so we went down the street through the hutong, but ended up eating at KFC the Chinese counterpart of McD. Now I’ve tried that.
Can be done again as emergency.
We exchanged addresses and chose to find our way back through the hutong by our own – not as when I was led through by the rickshaw man the first day.
It was a long walk, where we from time to time ended up in dark dead ends and had to go back. But with never failing confidence we came at last into our own street not 100 m from the hostel – some masterpiece.
We’ve parted and I say goodnight after another day full of adventures.