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I did it!! Trek complete with no injuries thank goodness. If you would still like to sponsor me then please visit my just giving page.
http://www.justgiving.com/Sarah-Smith79
Well China didn't exactly give me the best welcome. Maybe that is a bit unfair but the first couple of hours were pretty stressful. I arrived into Beijing airport having travelled via Korea with two decent flights. I arrived on time and got through to arrivals in record time. My instructions were to meet at international arrivals at 11am so I settled down for a while to wait. At about ten to I got up to look around for my group. No sign and literally no sign for the group either. I checked the arrivals board and there wasn't even a flight from heathrow listed, I started to get a little worried. 11 o'clock came and went and by five past panic was about to set in when I spotted a little Chinese woman standing away from the arrival gate and low and behold, holding a sign saying charity challenge welcome Sarah Smith. Phew.
So I hovered a bit, it was obvious the woman didn't speak English and there was no sign of the group. After another long five minutes a guy turned up who managed an English hello. He then rang someone and the next thing I knew he was passing me the phone. The guy said I needed to get to terminal 2 (I was in terminal 3) and would need to get the shuttle bus there. So the guy in the airport carried my bag to the bus, popped it down for me, said goodbye and walked off. I sat there with a new dilemma, how would I know when I got to terminal 2??? Me, on a bus on my own in China, total nightmare!!
Much to my relief, we started off and there was a Chinese and then English announcement saying the next stop was terminal 1. All good. We stopped and everyone got off except me and then we set off again...and pulled up next to a sign saying terminal 1. Arrgghh! I went to speak to the driver and managed to establish that the first stop had been terminal 2.
I got off and went straight to the information point. The woman said I coould walk to terminal 2 in 10 minutes so off I went, striding off, worrying that everyone was waiting for me. I figured a group of 12 western woman wouldn't be too hard to spot but I couldn't find them so I then asked where the shuttle bus drop off was. Down one floor, it was now probably a good 40 mins since I had been met. I raced down the stairs, again scouring the crowds but no one to be seen. I had visions of having to negotiate getting to a beijing hotel all on my own! Then, just at the last moment, I spotted another charity challenge sign. I headed straigt over to find that the group hadn't even got through arrivals yet and so I wasn't even late. Within 10 mintues they arrived through and I was finally united with the group. The relief!
We got onto our actual bus and headed straight for lunch, our first (of many) traditional, Chinese, lazy Susan meals. After lunch we continued onto our first hotel which was actually situated right at the foot of part of the wall. Our first view of the wall and we weren't disappointed.
Since everyone had been travelling for such a long time we had a bit of time for a sleep or to relax but then met up again at 4pm to have a little practice walk. The part of the wall that we were staying near is a more touristy area where the wall has been renovated and the steps are repaired. We walked up part of the wall and got our first taste of what the week would be like. It was a great feeling to be stood on the Great Wall of China looking out into the distance and seeing the watch towers stretch out in front of you. We headed back down and had dinner in the hotel before heading to bed for an early night before our big day on Monday.
An early start, breakfast and we were in the bus on our way to the start point for Monday's trek. We had a long incline to do to get to the top and then a shorter decline to get to a late lunch. We had perfect weather for trekking, it wasn't too warm but no rain either. We reached the top in good time and it was actually pretty cold up there, especially as you had stopped moving, but the views were stunning and a real sense if achievement for day one. We also pretty much had the wall to ourselves which was very special. There were parts of the wall that were really in a poor state but then other areas that were less damaged so it made it quite an interesting walk along the way.
We walked back down to the lodge where we had a lazy Susan lunch and also visited the farmer's orchard and picked our own apples to take away. We then got back on the bus and travelled to our next lodge. We were at this lodge for two nights, a family owned lodge.
We had our BBQ dinner (a change from the lazy susans) and then they lit a bonfire for us. We were staying properly in the mountains and the temperature really dropped in the evening but to be honest I didn't mind too much as it meant I actually had a chance to use all the clothes I have been lugging around for the last 2 months! Hurray!! After dinner we sat around the bonfire, toasted some marshmallows I had bought earlier on in the day and chatted, getting to know each other a bit more with a couple of drinks before heading to bed.
Day two, Tuesday, and a different type of trekking to the Black Dragon pools. This is in the area where the Great Wall used to be but you don't actually walk on the wall itself. We walked up through the valley with beautiful scenery of waterfalls and mountains but we were back in a bit more of a touristy area so there were more people around.
Once we reached one end of the valley you couldn't go any further so the remainder of our route was a mountain trail through the trees to the end of our route. We had a packed lunch with us on Tuesday which we ate in a clearing in the trees. The trail finished up at another waterfall where we had a drink at the cafe and a couple of us paid for little dinghies and rowed around the pool at the foot of the waterfall.
We got back on the bus and travelled back to the same lodge from the previous night. Another trekking group was staying there as well so after the lazy Susan dinner we all had a bonfire together. To entertain ourselves we had a hilarious game of blind date, some karaoke and even a dance/sing off between the guides from each group. A really fun evening.
Day three, Wednesday and back on the wall. A popular part to visit of the wall so there were locals waiting for us wanting to carry our bags for money. We didn't want them to do this but they stayed with us the whole day and eventually sold us souvenirs. Wednesday was a tough day, not so much due to the trekking but we were all starting to feel tired from the trekking, it being half way through the week plus it was hard work having the locals there with us rather than our usual group.
We couldn't finish the whole trek on the wall as after a certain point it was too damaged so after our packed lunch at the top we then went onto a mountain trail along the side of the wall. We made our way back to the bus and then travelled onto the next lodge. We were treated to a really nice place that had just renovated it's bedrooms so were much nicer than some of the places we had stayed in. That evening we had another lazy Susan dinner and had a few drinks, chatting and laughing together.
Day four, Thursday and the rain arrived. On the way to breakfast it was drizzling but by the time we wanted to leave it was chucking down. Due to the weather it meant we couldn't do the full planned route which was a loop so instead we walked along the wall and back again. Fortunately, after about an hour and a half the rain eased and then stopped and gave way to a beautiful, sunny late morning. Some of the days and places we have been the visibility hasn't been brilliant and quite misty at times but after the rain stopped we had gorgeous clear views.
We got back from the our trek on the wall and had a late lazy Susan lunch before getting onto the bus to travel to our last Great Wall lodge. We had a lazy Susan dinner and then went to the karaoke bar next to the lodge. It was just us in there and we enjoyed singing along to the tunes they had and also seeing some characters develop in group once they had a microphone in their hand! Not me for a change though!
Day five, Friday and our final day on the wall. Friday was a much shorter trekking day but culminating in climbing the Heavenly Staircase. It is a much busier part of the wall and there were lots of school children and tourists around but we were rewarded at the top with a wonderful sense of achievement. We had some fizz and were each awarded a little medal. It was a really special moment to know we had completed the trek and done what we set out to do. We also had some beautiful views from the top too.
Once we had taken it all in a little, we walked back down to the bottom for the final time leaving the Great Wall of China. The tiredness really kicked in as mentally we all knew that we had done it. We had some lunch and jumped on the bus for our transfer to Beijing and the end of the Great Wall of China trek.
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