Sunday 21 September 2014
Back on the blog...
After an email from blogger about T&Cs it got me thinking about my blog. The complete absence of posts in the last three years and what I've been doing in that time. It turns out I've been busy, still managing my epilepsy well and have now been married for ten wonderful years.
Time to start up the posts again, if only to look back in a few years and remember all the good times.
Firstly I'll do a small summary of 2011-2014 so far but for now I must go as my folks are coming for the day and I need to dust...
Tuesday 5 July 2011
Tour of Beijing with the Super Trekkers
Yet another early start at 7am but this time to have a luxury Western breakfast at the Radisson, a welcome change from traditional Chinese fare. The last full day we would be with the trekkers and official guides was spent on a tour of Beijing by coach and foot. We went to the Forbidden City first which was fascinating and a real insight into Chinese history then onto Tiananmen Square which we were marched through without mention of the any of the important historical events which had happened there. This is not an unusual practice by tour guides.
After a quick lunch and break from the sweltering 40 degree heat the rest of the group went shopping whilst Lynsey and I decided we would rather go to the Temple of Heaven The coach driver kindly dropped us off there and we spent the afternoon exploring there. It was really worth the trip, the architecture alione was stunning and the colours and detail simply striking.
It was then time to head back to the hotel to meet up with the others for our final night with the trekkers.
After a quick lunch and break from the sweltering 40 degree heat the rest of the group went shopping whilst Lynsey and I decided we would rather go to the Temple of Heaven The coach driver kindly dropped us off there and we spent the afternoon exploring there. It was really worth the trip, the architecture alione was stunning and the colours and detail simply striking.
It was then time to head back to the hotel to meet up with the others for our final night with the trekkers.
After the Climb
After the thrill of the toboggan ride it was time for lunch. Mutianyu as one of the more touristy parts of the Great Wall had an array of stalls and shops but unexpectedly also a Subway which is where Michael treated us all to a sub of our choice. I devoured a foot long sub in under 10 minutes!
After we had all gathered post lunch, we were last there anyway as we had walked the furthest to the toboggan, we took a few final pictures and got on the coach back to Beijing which was a 2 hour drive away. The coach took a slight detour into a silk factory which sold the most stunning dresses, unfortunately I didn't have enough Yuan to cover one and really I wasn't going to be wearing fancy dresses for the remainder of the trek so I just stuck to looking!
As we arrived into Beijing we were headed towards the Radisson which would be our lodging for the next two nights which was going to be luxury after some of the trekking accommodation. First the driver took us on a slight detour via the Birds Nest which was awesome on first sight (I will cover this in full in a later post) before we drew up outside the Radisson Blu thoroughly looking like we didn't belong there! After Michael checked us all in we headed up to our room to discover a western toilet, shower and bath- bliss! After a short shower and brief lie down it was time for dinner then a trip to the Donghuamen night markets which were an array of weird and wonderful foods and also fake designer gear rather oddly.
After this a few of us had decided to have a massage which proved to be the most wonderful £10 I have ever spent! I came out feeling as though I was walking on air although it was complete agony at the time. If you are lucky enough to go to China one day a chinese massage is a must!
After we had all gathered post lunch, we were last there anyway as we had walked the furthest to the toboggan, we took a few final pictures and got on the coach back to Beijing which was a 2 hour drive away. The coach took a slight detour into a silk factory which sold the most stunning dresses, unfortunately I didn't have enough Yuan to cover one and really I wasn't going to be wearing fancy dresses for the remainder of the trek so I just stuck to looking!
As we arrived into Beijing we were headed towards the Radisson which would be our lodging for the next two nights which was going to be luxury after some of the trekking accommodation. First the driver took us on a slight detour via the Birds Nest which was awesome on first sight (I will cover this in full in a later post) before we drew up outside the Radisson Blu thoroughly looking like we didn't belong there! After Michael checked us all in we headed up to our room to discover a western toilet, shower and bath- bliss! After a short shower and brief lie down it was time for dinner then a trip to the Donghuamen night markets which were an array of weird and wonderful foods and also fake designer gear rather oddly.
After this a few of us had decided to have a massage which proved to be the most wonderful £10 I have ever spent! I came out feeling as though I was walking on air although it was complete agony at the time. If you are lucky enough to go to China one day a chinese massage is a must!
Monday 23 May 2011
New Blog Posts Coming Soon
I am turning over a new leaf and will be starting up my blog again. I am planning on writing about my travels mostly starting with finishing off China trip almost a year on! Next up will be Sicily, Berlin and USA.
Also I plan on writing a few posts about Epilepsy and have a few updates both personal and general. Last week was Epilepsy Awareness week and there have been a few interesting developments recently.
For now I must go and get over my jet lag though but check back soon!
Also I plan on writing a few posts about Epilepsy and have a few updates both personal and general. Last week was Epilepsy Awareness week and there have been a few interesting developments recently.
For now I must go and get over my jet lag though but check back soon!
Monday 15 November 2010
Fifth and Final Day- Mutianyu Section
The week ended how it had begun with yet another early alarm call, 5.30am! It was a really odd knowing that we had one final day to go and that it would be the toughest both physically and mentally. It was time to don my charity t-shirt and get prepared for the day.
We had breakfast, more of the usual Chinese style Western items, and then had a short bus ride to the Mutianyu section. This section of the Wall is quite touristy so it was quite unlike any of the other days. For a start there were three choices on how to reach the Wall. Cable car, chair lift or old fashioned steps. Not wanting to shirk out of a challenge on the final day I naturally headed for the steps along with the majority of the group and began the long climb up, 468 steps in total just to get to the Wall. This took half an hour alone and my legs were screaming most of the way up even with a few rests.
Once we were at the top we discovered the view was well worth the climb. We were at watchtower 10 and our end point was at watchtower 20 and we had 4 hours to get there and then get ourselves back to the coach so there was not time to lose! It was actually quite a luxury to walk this stretch of the Wall after the stretches we had done over the last few days in that it had a paved path with walls encasing us so there was no chance of falling off for once! It was still along way to trek and when we reached the 19th tower we looked up to where the 20th was at it was at the top of another 400 steps known as the Stairway to Heaven, a 70 degree slope!
After a brief refuel and reapplication of sun cream it was time to tackle the steps. This was probably the toughest climb knowing that the end was in sight and my legs were like lead by the time I reached the top but it was well worth it. The views were simply stunning and the sense of achievement was overwhelming. I took a few moments to myself after the initial celebratory hugs with my fellow trekkers and just looked out over the scenery and let the whole experience sink in. It was hard to believe that I had completed the challenge.
After a few pictures it was time to think about getting back to the coach. There were three options for us. One was to walk back to tower ten and descend the stairs we had climbed up, the second was to get the cable car down from tower thirteen or the third was to get the toboggan down from tower four. I decided to get the toboggan along with a few others so we set off on the final leg of our trek. We were all in really high spirits that we barely noticed the distance we had to travel in order to get down and once we caught sight of the toboggan it looked so much fun that we sped up and got ourselves in the queue. It was such an amazing way to end the trek speeding down half a pipe and it took about two minutes compared to the half hour climb up the stairs!
We had breakfast, more of the usual Chinese style Western items, and then had a short bus ride to the Mutianyu section. This section of the Wall is quite touristy so it was quite unlike any of the other days. For a start there were three choices on how to reach the Wall. Cable car, chair lift or old fashioned steps. Not wanting to shirk out of a challenge on the final day I naturally headed for the steps along with the majority of the group and began the long climb up, 468 steps in total just to get to the Wall. This took half an hour alone and my legs were screaming most of the way up even with a few rests.
Once we were at the top we discovered the view was well worth the climb. We were at watchtower 10 and our end point was at watchtower 20 and we had 4 hours to get there and then get ourselves back to the coach so there was not time to lose! It was actually quite a luxury to walk this stretch of the Wall after the stretches we had done over the last few days in that it had a paved path with walls encasing us so there was no chance of falling off for once! It was still along way to trek and when we reached the 19th tower we looked up to where the 20th was at it was at the top of another 400 steps known as the Stairway to Heaven, a 70 degree slope!
After a brief refuel and reapplication of sun cream it was time to tackle the steps. This was probably the toughest climb knowing that the end was in sight and my legs were like lead by the time I reached the top but it was well worth it. The views were simply stunning and the sense of achievement was overwhelming. I took a few moments to myself after the initial celebratory hugs with my fellow trekkers and just looked out over the scenery and let the whole experience sink in. It was hard to believe that I had completed the challenge.
After a few pictures it was time to think about getting back to the coach. There were three options for us. One was to walk back to tower ten and descend the stairs we had climbed up, the second was to get the cable car down from tower thirteen or the third was to get the toboggan down from tower four. I decided to get the toboggan along with a few others so we set off on the final leg of our trek. We were all in really high spirits that we barely noticed the distance we had to travel in order to get down and once we caught sight of the toboggan it looked so much fun that we sped up and got ourselves in the queue. It was such an amazing way to end the trek speeding down half a pipe and it took about two minutes compared to the half hour climb up the stairs!
Thursday 4 November 2010
Fourth Day- Simatai Section
A rather too early alarm call for at 6am for the fourth day of the trek. By this time I was feeling rather tired and a teeny bit drained but after a rejuvenating breakfast including coffee (!) we set off towards Simatai.
Phil had briefed us the night before and claimed this was the most stunning section of the Great Wall that we would see. Unfortunately it was rainy and misty so the views weren't brilliant at first but the cooler conditions were not as punishing as the belting heat so that was a slight comfort. As the sun came up thankfully it broke through enough of the mist to allow us to absorb what would indeed prove to be the most stunning scenery we would see.
Our challenge for the day was to climb up to and down from 12 watchtowers. Both the inclines and declines were extremely challenging as the steps were not as formed as steps can be and the paths were gravelly and crumbling in most parts. I think the toughest sections were the steps that varied incredible in depth, height and width with little warning. Some of them were so high I had to lever myself up with my trusty walking pole, looking back I was lucky I had such long legs :)
This was the day I took the most pictures too as we had several breaks in order for the group to remain largely together. Usually I wouldn't have minded so much but since it was really quite cool after 5 minutes rest we were all really quite cold so resorted to doing start jumps and running on the spot!
After a few hours of stopping and starting the decision was made to cut the challenge short by 3 towers. I was really really disappointed as I believe it would have been entirely possible to complete the challenge and certainly could have been done before the conditions had gotten so bad but with the delays and waits it was necessary to turn back. We were all a bit damp by now and conditions underfoot were certainly a lot slippier so the decision was probably for the best in hindsight. I made the most of the rests on the way down and just took in the scenery knowing that I would most likely never be there again, it was a truly magical day.
Phil had briefed us the night before and claimed this was the most stunning section of the Great Wall that we would see. Unfortunately it was rainy and misty so the views weren't brilliant at first but the cooler conditions were not as punishing as the belting heat so that was a slight comfort. As the sun came up thankfully it broke through enough of the mist to allow us to absorb what would indeed prove to be the most stunning scenery we would see.
Our challenge for the day was to climb up to and down from 12 watchtowers. Both the inclines and declines were extremely challenging as the steps were not as formed as steps can be and the paths were gravelly and crumbling in most parts. I think the toughest sections were the steps that varied incredible in depth, height and width with little warning. Some of them were so high I had to lever myself up with my trusty walking pole, looking back I was lucky I had such long legs :)
This was the day I took the most pictures too as we had several breaks in order for the group to remain largely together. Usually I wouldn't have minded so much but since it was really quite cool after 5 minutes rest we were all really quite cold so resorted to doing start jumps and running on the spot!
After a few hours of stopping and starting the decision was made to cut the challenge short by 3 towers. I was really really disappointed as I believe it would have been entirely possible to complete the challenge and certainly could have been done before the conditions had gotten so bad but with the delays and waits it was necessary to turn back. We were all a bit damp by now and conditions underfoot were certainly a lot slippier so the decision was probably for the best in hindsight. I made the most of the rests on the way down and just took in the scenery knowing that I would most likely never be there again, it was a truly magical day.
Tuesday 26 October 2010
Third Day- Gubeikou Gateway
6am start for what would turn out to be my favourite day of the trek. After a relatively normal breakfast of fried egg on toast we got on the coach for a 1.5 hour drive to the village where our day of trekking would begin. The Gubeikou Gateway, a passageway between China and Mongolia, was historically a site of warfare and was heavily guarded so our task for the day was to climb up to 27 watchtowers in varying states of collapse.
As we set off the sun was beating down and I was grateful for the layers of sun cream I had lathered on myself. There was no sign of any shade is sight just countless towers most of which had no roof so there was no escape from the heat for the entire day. This only added to the challenge of negotiating crumbly and extremely narrow paths whilst facing a sheer drop either side at all times, not for the faint hearted :)
It seemed never ending climbing up to the towers and back down to climb up to another one and so on but it was really rewarding as each time they were different and each had a different view. It was odd to think that there had been so many battles fought and attackers fended off where we were walking and at time a little spooky.
As we counted down from 27 we saw what would be our final ascent of the day up to the largest tower that we had seen. It was also one of the most preserved. It was a real struggle to push up to the final tower as we had been going for so long and the heat was so intense but we did it! We were allowed to have a short break to take in the views and some pictures and my eyes wandered along to the next watchtower which was actually guarded. Our guide told us that it was a real live army base and so we were not allowed to go any further. This was probably for the best as we still had to descend from the height we had scaled.
We set off down a path of sorts but really a track worn through the jungle and got scratched even more to add to the ones from the previous day! I managed to keep my footing, just, which was lucky as the slightest slip and it was a few hundred feet of a drop to the bottom. As Phil said it's a long way for an air ambulance to come and a long way to the nearest hospital, comforting! After a couple of hours descent sapping a lot of physical and mental strength we made it to flat ground again and the middle of a corn plantation which was huge! During a water stop I looked up and saw the stretch of Wall we had climbed up and it looked amazing and so so high up.
After a final push we got ourselves back to the haven of the air conditioned coach and after a ten minute drive we arrived at our lodgings for the evening. They were the most basic of the week so far but there was a shower and a bed so that was the main thing. After freshening up we went out to the village shops were we met some Hello People and bought some presents then it was time for dinner and another early night but not before we arranged our post trek travels with Michael, exciting times :)
As we set off the sun was beating down and I was grateful for the layers of sun cream I had lathered on myself. There was no sign of any shade is sight just countless towers most of which had no roof so there was no escape from the heat for the entire day. This only added to the challenge of negotiating crumbly and extremely narrow paths whilst facing a sheer drop either side at all times, not for the faint hearted :)
It seemed never ending climbing up to the towers and back down to climb up to another one and so on but it was really rewarding as each time they were different and each had a different view. It was odd to think that there had been so many battles fought and attackers fended off where we were walking and at time a little spooky.
As we counted down from 27 we saw what would be our final ascent of the day up to the largest tower that we had seen. It was also one of the most preserved. It was a real struggle to push up to the final tower as we had been going for so long and the heat was so intense but we did it! We were allowed to have a short break to take in the views and some pictures and my eyes wandered along to the next watchtower which was actually guarded. Our guide told us that it was a real live army base and so we were not allowed to go any further. This was probably for the best as we still had to descend from the height we had scaled.
We set off down a path of sorts but really a track worn through the jungle and got scratched even more to add to the ones from the previous day! I managed to keep my footing, just, which was lucky as the slightest slip and it was a few hundred feet of a drop to the bottom. As Phil said it's a long way for an air ambulance to come and a long way to the nearest hospital, comforting! After a couple of hours descent sapping a lot of physical and mental strength we made it to flat ground again and the middle of a corn plantation which was huge! During a water stop I looked up and saw the stretch of Wall we had climbed up and it looked amazing and so so high up.
After a final push we got ourselves back to the haven of the air conditioned coach and after a ten minute drive we arrived at our lodgings for the evening. They were the most basic of the week so far but there was a shower and a bed so that was the main thing. After freshening up we went out to the village shops were we met some Hello People and bought some presents then it was time for dinner and another early night but not before we arranged our post trek travels with Michael, exciting times :)
Tuesday 19 October 2010
Second Day of the trek, where was the Wall??
Yet another early start, 6.30 was to become our official wake up time during trek week. Another interesting breakfast too including curly fries and an egg and tomato mix that would end up becoming a permanent fixture every breakfast time! We were literally going to be trekking all day so we made ourselves a packed lunch. Interesting sandwich, ham on sweet yellowy bread but I knew I'd eat anything after a few hours trekking! We set off on our coach to a National Park which was to be the location for the second day of the trek, no Great Wall today :( but we would get to see the Number One Waterfall in Beijing, the Heavenly Gateway and Black Dragon Pool instead. After a few stretches at the side of the road, and lots of funny looks from the drivers on their way past, we set off into the Black Dragon Pools National Park for our 6 hour trek. 
At first we were mainly on paths but soon diverted off into overgrown jungle and had to battle our way over boulders, through thorny bushes and over fallen down trees with the aid of a local guide. As it had just been the rainy season everything was really overgrown so at times I was just battering away trees and branches with my walking pole whilst trying to to take anyone's eye out! It was very LOST like making our way through the jungle and was fun at first but as the scratched got deeper, the slopes got muddier and the paths stonier it became more of a battle than a trek! At one point we had to negotiate a muddy slope without the aid of a rope and it was really just a case of scrabbling down penguin-like and grabbing onto loose roots and branches as we went down and just hoping that we would not fall and roll down. There would have been no easy rescue as we were in the middle of a jungle, not exactly close to a helipad! After I got down it was a case of encouraging the others down too, not for the faint hearted and not for the first time I was glad I didn't have vertigo.
As we settled down for lunch it soon became clear our group had gotten smaller. It turned out that 6 of us had gotten lost after being taken the wrong way by one of the guides. It was really bad luck and wouldn't have happened if everything hadn't been so overgrown. We felt a bit deflated as we set off again down in numbers hoping the others were ok and hadn't gone too far the wrong way. After a final descent resulting in numerous stings, scratches and falls we made it to the path that would lead us back to the coach. It was along this way that we saw the Heavenly Gateway, stunning and worth the day's effort to see it. As we headed towards the Black Dragon Pools at the end of our trek for the day my thoughts turned to the others and how they were getting on. Michael informed us that they has gone the wrong way for an hour and would therefore be two hours behind us, such bad luck and unfortunately meant they would not see the pools of the Number One Waterfall in Beijing
unlike us. We posed for a few pictures and had an ice lolly then headed back to the bus where we were driven onto our next accommodation.
After a shower and change of clothes we headed out to meet the others off the bus and gave them well deserved hugs, they looked completely drained. We all had dinner together then had a brief for the next day and it was decided that whatever happened we would all stick together, it was to become a theme for the week.
At first we were mainly on paths but soon diverted off into overgrown jungle and had to battle our way over boulders, through thorny bushes and over fallen down trees with the aid of a local guide. As it had just been the rainy season everything was really overgrown so at times I was just battering away trees and branches with my walking pole whilst trying to to take anyone's eye out! It was very LOST like making our way through the jungle and was fun at first but as the scratched got deeper, the slopes got muddier and the paths stonier it became more of a battle than a trek! At one point we had to negotiate a muddy slope without the aid of a rope and it was really just a case of scrabbling down penguin-like and grabbing onto loose roots and branches as we went down and just hoping that we would not fall and roll down. There would have been no easy rescue as we were in the middle of a jungle, not exactly close to a helipad! After I got down it was a case of encouraging the others down too, not for the faint hearted and not for the first time I was glad I didn't have vertigo.
As we settled down for lunch it soon became clear our group had gotten smaller. It turned out that 6 of us had gotten lost after being taken the wrong way by one of the guides. It was really bad luck and wouldn't have happened if everything hadn't been so overgrown. We felt a bit deflated as we set off again down in numbers hoping the others were ok and hadn't gone too far the wrong way. After a final descent resulting in numerous stings, scratches and falls we made it to the path that would lead us back to the coach. It was along this way that we saw the Heavenly Gateway, stunning and worth the day's effort to see it. As we headed towards the Black Dragon Pools at the end of our trek for the day my thoughts turned to the others and how they were getting on. Michael informed us that they has gone the wrong way for an hour and would therefore be two hours behind us, such bad luck and unfortunately meant they would not see the pools of the Number One Waterfall in Beijing
unlike us. We posed for a few pictures and had an ice lolly then headed back to the bus where we were driven onto our next accommodation. After a shower and change of clothes we headed out to meet the others off the bus and gave them well deserved hugs, they looked completely drained. We all had dinner together then had a brief for the next day and it was decided that whatever happened we would all stick together, it was to become a theme for the week.
Saturday 18 September 2010
First Day on the Great Wall
First of many 6.30 alarm calls and a quick shower before getting ourselves organised for the day. My blisters had really flared up by this point so Philip helped me by bandaging them up so I could force my feet into my boots. I was extremely worried by this time that I was not going to be able to even take part as my feet were already pounding but I knew that it wasn't an option to give up so I thought of all the sponsors and encouragement everyone had given me and it drove me on through the pain.
Our first experience of breakfast was interesting to say the least. Rather than the usual toast, tea and cereal there were egg fried rice, cabbage with red chilli peppers and odd yellow coloured sweet bread (for want of a better word!) However knowing that we were about to embark on a day of trekking I tucked in and ate what I could then it was time to get on the coach and head to Badaling for the first day of trekking. It was already over 30 degrees when we set off around 8am and would steadily climb to a scorching 36 degrees in the shade! Almost unbearable! As we walked past the sign saying Welcome to the Great Wall I looked up and saw that we had a good climb to even get to the Wall, I don't really know what I expected but it wasn't that!
At first it was a nice even paved path but after 5 minutes it was on to uneven, gravelly ground and many many steps. The first half hour was almost impossible and I really doubted myself and wondered how on earth I was going to do it but the thought of letting people down spurred me on and got me through the initial struggle. After I got over the initial shock it was time to take in my surroundings and actually think about the fact I was on the Great Wall of China! Truly amazing after a whole year of thinking about it to be actually there. During the next 5-6 hours we had to take regular breaks to make sure we all stuck together and drank enough water but this was a great excuse to take some pictures and take in the awesome surroundings, it was really hard to believe that we were on the Great Wall. My main challenge was that it was so so hot and there were so so many steps. The challenge was to climb up to the watchtowers which loom every few hundred metres in this particular part of the wall and every time we thought we were at the last one another one appeared over the horizon! 
The plan was to keep going and then descend for lunch so we pushed on and on then it was finally time to start our descent. This was actually tougher in a way than climbing up to the towers themselves. Scrabbling down gravelly paths when you can see a drop for miles down would test anyone's nerve. 
My feet were so sore by now and the heat had almost zapped all my energy along with my 4 litre water supply but then we caught sight of our coach at the bottom and got a second wind. I have never been so grateful to climb into an air conditioned coach and flop onto a seat!
After we had all made it onto the bus we headed to Mrs Wong's for lunch in a local village for our second chinese meal of the day. It was actually really lovely and we had all built up a huge appetite after a day's trek. I hadn't managed to eat much either as my chocolate bars had all melted so had just had a banana, a staple of my diet for the week to come! After a lovely lunch and some pictures it was time to get on the coach and head to our accommodation for the evening where we would eat our third chinese meal of the day and be briefed on the following day's activity before flopping into bed at 10pm! Completely exhausted!
Our first experience of breakfast was interesting to say the least. Rather than the usual toast, tea and cereal there were egg fried rice, cabbage with red chilli peppers and odd yellow coloured sweet bread (for want of a better word!) However knowing that we were about to embark on a day of trekking I tucked in and ate what I could then it was time to get on the coach and head to Badaling for the first day of trekking. It was already over 30 degrees when we set off around 8am and would steadily climb to a scorching 36 degrees in the shade! Almost unbearable! As we walked past the sign saying Welcome to the Great Wall I looked up and saw that we had a good climb to even get to the Wall, I don't really know what I expected but it wasn't that!
At first it was a nice even paved path but after 5 minutes it was on to uneven, gravelly ground and many many steps. The first half hour was almost impossible and I really doubted myself and wondered how on earth I was going to do it but the thought of letting people down spurred me on and got me through the initial struggle. After I got over the initial shock it was time to take in my surroundings and actually think about the fact I was on the Great Wall of China! Truly amazing after a whole year of thinking about it to be actually there. During the next 5-6 hours we had to take regular breaks to make sure we all stuck together and drank enough water but this was a great excuse to take some pictures and take in the awesome surroundings, it was really hard to believe that we were on the Great Wall. My main challenge was that it was so so hot and there were so so many steps. The challenge was to climb up to the watchtowers which loom every few hundred metres in this particular part of the wall and every time we thought we were at the last one another one appeared over the horizon! 
The plan was to keep going and then descend for lunch so we pushed on and on then it was finally time to start our descent. This was actually tougher in a way than climbing up to the towers themselves. Scrabbling down gravelly paths when you can see a drop for miles down would test anyone's nerve. 
My feet were so sore by now and the heat had almost zapped all my energy along with my 4 litre water supply but then we caught sight of our coach at the bottom and got a second wind. I have never been so grateful to climb into an air conditioned coach and flop onto a seat!
After we had all made it onto the bus we headed to Mrs Wong's for lunch in a local village for our second chinese meal of the day. It was actually really lovely and we had all built up a huge appetite after a day's trek. I hadn't managed to eat much either as my chocolate bars had all melted so had just had a banana, a staple of my diet for the week to come! After a lovely lunch and some pictures it was time to get on the coach and head to our accommodation for the evening where we would eat our third chinese meal of the day and be briefed on the following day's activity before flopping into bed at 10pm! Completely exhausted!
Thursday 16 September 2010
Time for the Challenge to Begin
After a lovely long sleep it was time to check out of the hostel and head back to Beijing Airport to meet our fellow trekkers. We managed to negotiate another taxi fare of 100 Yuan to the airport and settled down for the 30 minute ride. As we were going we started to wonder what the rest of the group would be like, if we would get on and whether we would be trailing at the back. This was one of the things making me most nervous to be honest, what if everyone else was much fitter?! As we navigated ourselves to arrivals we spotted a guy wearing a Charity Challenge t-shirt so we went over and introduced ourselves to Michael, he would be one of our amazing guides for the week. After half an hour or so we spotted some of our fellow trekkers coming through as we recognised them from facebook! It was nice to meet them in person and they were all as lovely in real life as they had been electronically. After some introductions we were rounded up by Michael and Philip (who was the challenge leader and had travelled from the UK with the other trekkers) and put onto our coach which would be our taxi to and from the Wall for the week expertly driven by Mr Wong. We set off for Badaling which was to be our starting point for the week and arrived at our first night's accommodation 2 hours later. It was quite basic but I was pleasantly surprised by the standard. We all met up for dinner and had a beer or two to break the ice before we were debriefed about the challenge that lay ahead. Whether it was deliberate or not Philip put the frighteners on us all and warned us it was going to be incredibly tough and we should prepare ourselves for a very challenging first day. We would be trekking for 6 hours starting on a paved path but soon leading onto uneven crumbling wall before descending down a muddy, stony hill to the coach which would then transfer us to the next stage of the challenge. We were warned about the isolated locations we would be trekking in and told there would be stages where even the fittest person would be struggling, eeeek! No more beer for me after that and I then made a conscious decision to avoid alcohol for the week to make sure I was not compromising myself and ensuring that I would be in the best condition possible for the week. I feared I would need to be! After the chat we stayed up for a couple of hours and played some ice breaker games including one where we had to go round the circle and recite everyone's name. By the time we went round the entire 23 they were all pretty much drummed in! I called it a day about 10pm as we had a 6.30 start the next day, it would be a pattern for the next 5 days!
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