Day 6: Mutianyu

I've done it. After over 1000 steps to the stairway to heaven this 5 day challenge has finally came to an end. I am proud to say that all the efforts put into training paid back, as I am feeling really good. Tired, but positive. I also hope that the money collected will be a great contribution toward research on diabetes and making the lives of those affected easier.
Need 256  pounds more  to meet my target, so if you agree with supporting this cause please threw a penny or more into my virtual money collection bucket on my justgiving page.

From Drop Box

This is my last report from this challenge, and I am looking forward to my paid holiday, which starts soon with a proper foot massage. I think I badly need it.

Day 5: Jinshaling

Today was the shortest (it's 14:39 as I am writing this). We have walked the Jinshaling part of the wall, another clear day, so another day of magnificent views. The reason we were fairly quick today again was due to the fact that this part of the wall has been renovated 30 years ago and the surface is quite even, though it doesn't mean that that it lacked any steep staircases. It was a fun hike and we've done 14.5 k steps today, followed by hello people, who didn't make much money on us today.

From egyszem

From egyszem

After a longer bus ride we have arrived at Nalikshe  resort which is a resort frequented by businessman from Beijing. There was a wedding in the restaurant where we've been booked for dinner (have eaten lotus for the first time in my life). The Chinese tradition at this part of the country is that men and women sit at separate tables, but everything else resembled the weddings I've been to: lots of food and even more booze. :-)

From egyszem

From egyszem

We've been sent a plate full of sunflower seeds, sweets and peanuts, so that we could be part of the celebration and great wishes for the young couple.
After dinner we headed to a bar for our next day briefing where we have been acquainted with Chinese pop music, as the bar was a karaoke bar. Really enjoyed the evening, and listening to one English and then one Chinese song, but as a preparation for the last miles, we went to bed early just after having seen some fireworks.

Day 4: Gubeikou gateway

We had the best views ever today. After the previous day's heavy rain, the sky all cleared up and there was a nice breeze as well which was air conditioning us on the walk.

From egyszem

We've been joined in the morning by what the Chinese call the hello people. Three Mongolian women, who offered their help during our trek. By the end of the day of 17500 somewhat steps, and 2 jungles it was clear that their help wasn't needed (we've managed to complete the walk in 5.5hrs that was scheduled for 8) however they've made us buy stuff we don't really needed (none of us were any good at haggling and wanted the whole thing to end, so I ended up buying some chopsticks I will never use  probably). 

From egyszem

Apart from this,  we've arrived to our accommodation without anything worth mentioning, where we had a forgettable dinner, that was followed by the most spectacular arts crafts demonstration I've ever seen.
We've been to paper cut demonstration, where a guy who was continuing his family's tradition showed us in 5 mins how to make breathtaking decorations. Outcome: a couple of yuens spent, but I believe, the picture of dragon and phoenix I have now, once in a frame will be following me wherever I move.

From egyszem

Day 3: Black Dragon pool

Back at the Impression lodge after the 10 km hike that was scheduled for today. It was an amazing but challenging hike. Amazing as we got to see the ever so breathtaking park where according to legends the dragon lives (dragons are seen as fortunate animals according to Chinese tradition) challenging as the rain forecasted for today never fell (throughout the day, but ruined our bonfire) just stuck around (literally) in form of 80% humidity causing little streams to form on different parts of my body.
The whole park is truly amazing however, it looks like one of those traditional Chinese paintings with mountains and waterfalls.

From egyszem

After walking up a steep hill (and me spotting a black and red snake in the wild) we arrived at the Dragon God's temple so then to be taken up by chainsmoking park guard to an even steeper hill. After a lunch break the fun began again. We have walked an old crumbly part of the wall downhill and my hero, Sonia, who is a 61 year old lady supporting a children hospice from Belfast fell unfortunately, which was a sad spot from an otherwise fun descent on the edge of the wall.

From egyszem

Today's 5 mins about China was about the money and how the Chinese count. Practically the only money that matters has Chairman Mao's smiling face on it, and as for the  counting here's a good guide that explains it.
There was also a thing that reminded me of Poland during communism and shortly after. October 1st is the great national holiday here in China. So instead of partially closing a road an renovating it one by one, they've stripped out the whole asphalt on a good 10km length, and one a can see workers every 500 metres, not being sure what to do. But as we all know the best inspiration is deadline.

From egyszem

Note to my older me: don't forget the lavender oil.:)

Day 2: Badaling

I can proudly report  that I've completed the first day of my Great wall challenge trek successfully.
We've been woken up at 6.30 (23.30 BST) in the morning by the lodge's staff, had an interesting breakfast (there are no cereals in the Chinese breakfast, but I think the most surprising bit was that they served noodles that one usually orders as a side at a Chinese takeaway dinner).




Anyway, well fed we've arrived at 8 to the unrenovated part of the wall and started with some "Chinese" warm up. Why the guide called it Chinese I couldn't figure out as I remember doing similar staff at P.E classes at school, but it was a fun thing to do even if they looked strangely at us from the ticket booth.
Interesting fact from Martin the guide pointed out as we were arriving, that there were already Chinese tourists at the wall practically earlier than we were. That's because people visit Tienanmen Square in the center of Beijing (the parts of the Wall we'll be visiting are mostly part of Beijing) to see the sunrise and how how the national flag is raised, and then go straight to the Wall as chairman Mao advised, that one can only become a true man if one walks all the way the length of the wall, so they tend to  obey what the master said.
According to Lonely Planet the "section of masonry at Bādálǐng was first built during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), and was heavily restored in both the 1950s and the 1980s. Punctuated with dílóu (watchtowers), the 6m-wide wall is clad in brick, typical of the stonework employed by the Ming when they restored and expanded the fortification."

From egyszem

This was true for the first half hour of the trek but as we continued, the bricks were rather upside down and the surrounding flora took over 5meters from the 6. It didn't spoil the amazing scenery, and the mist from the morning shifted BT the time we reached the 600 km high peak. I can't tell whether it was climbing up or descending that I found more challenging, probably the second, as while I was only out of breath upwards at the really steep sections, I remember myself cursing the guy who made me buy those hard soil boots at Cotswolds. (They are completely fine by the way as others seemed to have same issues as me with their feet. It was so steep and crumbly downhill that one had to grip inside their boots, causing the feet to hurt for a while, but my feet are absolutely fine that I am writing this.)

Don't know if it was the compulsory encouragement talk but the guides said that we were the fastest group so far. Not that it matters.
After a short bus ride we arrived at some local farms and orchards, where Beijing's citizens can pick their own fruit, and we had the most amazing Chinese food ever at a farmer's house.

From egyszem

We have just arrived at our lodge called Impression, that did make an impression btw, so looking forward to dinner tonight, and that's depicting clearly where I stand with my plans to lose the kilos that crawled up on me when fundraising. But I can't resist trying more of this amazing food.
Until tomorrow then. Be good folks. 

Day 1: Temple of heaven

Successfully arrived in China today. Am slightly jetlagged, but so far what I have seen is better than expected.
I consider myself very lucky again, as the group I'll be doing the challenge with is very small (there's only 14 of us) and everyone seems really nice and interesting to speak to. I guess this was to be expected, if people are crazy enough to sign up for a Great Wall climbing challenge they would be one of a kind, wouldn't they?
We have been picked up by our Chinese guides from the airport, who call themselves Martin and Jason just to make our lives easier otherwise as the Chinese call the first names their given name is an indication to when and where they were born, e.g Jason's given name is Halo which means born at night at full moon, and Martin's Chinese name means born at daylight and down south.
The airport is truly amazing, it is quite an interesting architecture and at they same time they manages to sneak in something from ancient China the way we'd like to see it.
The same is not applicable to the parts of Beijing that we've passed by which looked like the Chinese part of towns anywhere else in the world with lots of neon and plastic.
We've been taken straight to our accommodation at the Wall, and the whole area and surroundings are breathtaking. Had a really nice Chinese lunch, where our guides were kindly explaining to us what is what, and so far so good no surprises.( Note to myself: loved this aubergine meal )

From egyszem

We had our first walk on, or should rather say up and down the wall. It was funny to realise that I could be a tourist attraction in a foreign country but apparently the Chinese who call us white-caucasians "big-nose" find it fascinating that we are walking amongst them, and were stopping us to take photos of us or with us.

From egyszem

Am back now at our lodge  and have a feeling I won't be up until late, but really looking forward for the real challenge to begin tomorrow.