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Trip start
February 17, 2017
Our Adventure Traveler
And... we're off!
February 17, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
It's actually happened, we were at the airport! After 2 years of discussions, planning and dreaming we finally made it to the skies to start our own adventure yesterday. Arriving in Delhi was so daunting that we didn't even get any photographs from today!Read more
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One Wonder of the World ticked off!
February 18, 2017 in India ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Just wow. Today after a very interesting first Tuktuk ride, Indian train journey with a toilet that I'd wish I could say was the worse we'll experience we found ourselves in Agra at the Agra fort. It was incredible. It was huge and made even more incredible knowing it was hand carved. To top it all off we saw the Taj Mahal which has topped the list of the most impressive thing I have ever seen. The beauty of the story and the building itself is amazing. We even saw it at sunset from a roof top bar. All in all an amazing first full day in India.Read more
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Monkeys. Monkeys everywhere!
February 19, 2017 in India ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
We survived our first long bus ride in India and finally made it to to the beautiful city of Jaipur after 7 hours. After a rest we headed out around the beautiful markets and up to the monkey temple. As you can see Nick got more than he bargained for when feeding the monkeys! Watching the sunset over Jaipur surrounded by monkeys was the perfect end to our third day in India.Read more
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Love of Textiles came in handy
February 20, 2017 in India ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
Today we headed around to see the sites of Jaipur stopping for photos at the sites before a tour around the Amber Fort. Seeing beautiful elephants being used to transport tourists up the ramps to the fort was difficult but they were incredible to see. After the fort we headed to a textile printing shop where I was picked out of the group to learn how to block print an elephant using the traditional method. It was an amazing experience and I got to keep the sample! Later in the evening we went to a families home and were taught how to cook a traditional Indian meal. A packed day with many amazing experiences and memories.Read more
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Up, up and away!
February 21, 2017 in India ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C
This morning was incredible. We not only went up in a hot air balloon but we did this during sunrise over Jaipur's countryside. The experience was amazing for the both of us; not as scary as we imagined but peaceful and mesmerising. What made the whole thing even more brilliant was we landed in a village and were greeted by all the villagers who came out to see us including a lot of happy waving children. The owner of the land thought we had flown the hot air balloon all the way from England! We then travelled to Tordi Sagar, a remote village in India. We went on a jeep ride around the area which included drinking Chai (now a favourite) overlooking a small lake and was completed by watching the sunset from the top of the sand dunes. It's amazing to be able to say we saw the sunrise and set on the same day in two beautiful ways.Read more
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Calm amongst the chaos
February 22, 2017 in India ⋅ 🌧 5 °C
After a 5 hour ride in the back of a jeep with our backpacks strapped to the roof we arrived in Pushkar. It's a lovely Indian town to walk around with market streets, all surrounding a holy lake in the centre. We headed to our first temple where we had to remove our shoes. We witnessed a man hitting a cow with a stick quite hard, it's surreal to see the people harming animals they find sacred. After a bit of shopping we headed down to an outside table with the group that overlooked the lake where we watched the sunset. The sun going down over the water and town was simply stunning to watch.Read more
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Just one more step to go...
February 23, 2017 in India ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C
Today began bright and early for a morning hike up hundreds of steep steps to a temple on top of a mountain. The climb was hard and the temple disappointing_ more an unfinished empty building site but the view of Pushkar was spectacular as the sun rose from behind the mountains. After an easier descent we went for some muesli breakfast and rooftop coffee. Fresh fruit never tasted so good! The middle of the day was relaxing by the pool before we headed off to meet the others for a camel ride across the dunes. When arriving and seeing the camels and their condition I no longer wanted to take part but was made to by the guy there. To say I was relieved it was over is an understatement! Never again. After arriving at the dunes we dressed in traditional clothing and had a magician, dancers and musicians perform for us while the sun set before some lovely homemade Indian food. After the camel experience the evening did definitely get much better and it was lovely experiencing yet another new aspect of Indian culture.Read more
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Indian sunsets will never disappoint
February 24, 2017 in India ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
After a 5 hour train ride today we arrived in the lovely lake town of Udaipur. After so long on the train it was lovely to just relax over lunch by the pool and have some down time. It was a fellow travellers birthday today in our group so we headed out in the evening for a walk around town and then to the most beautiful rooftop lakeside restaurant I've ever seen. The sun was setting over the water and the views were just spectacular. The food was the best meal I feel we've had in India and the cocktails went down nicely too! A bit chilled out day which was warmly welcomed after being so busy all the time on the trip so far.Read more
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Is it a tiger or a chicken?!
February 25, 2017 in India ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
We started off our first day in Udaipur with an amazing guided tour of the City Palace. Our tour guide that Jai arranged was the best one we have had yet. His knowledge and wit really made the morning great. We even saw the current king of the region! After some lunch we went to a miniature painting art studio, a skill that Udaipur is known for. The fine detail of the paintings was so impressive. The artist also painted one of our nails. I was given a peacock which was for beauty and Nick asked for a tiger. We're not sure if he was given a tiger or a chicken which is ironic when tigers represent bravery in India! We rounded off the day by a boat ride on Lake Pichola at sunset. It was a very cramped boat but the views were amazing. We rounded off our day with a visit to another rooftop restaurant that overlooked the lake we had just been sailing the boat on earlier.Read more
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Going Solo
February 26, 2017 in India ⋅ 🌙 15 °C
Today was our first day of doing activities on our own! We headed off to a cable car ride which took us to a viewing platform that has 360 degree views of Udaipur. The view was incredible. There was a group of young men in the queue who were particularly interested in us but they were quite far back in the line. After 10 minutes of being at the top of the ride they also made it to the top. What happened next was just surreal. One minute we are standing looking at the view the next minute about 30 men descended around us posing and taking photographs with us. At one point I think 10 cameras were aimed at us. It was a crazy experience that they came to see the view and looked straight past that to have photos with us! After that happened we had a lovely walk back into town by the lake after being offered a ride from about 20 different Tuktuk drivers. After some wondering and lunch we went back to chill by the pool and try and teach our tour leader how to improve his swimming skills. In the evening we headed to the Monsoon palace which is at the top of a hill. Luckily you aren't allowed to walk it because of wild animals so we got a ride up. Surrounded by monkeys and amazing views we watched the sunset. It was a particularly hard moment for me as I lit a candle in remembrance of a friend who passed a year ago. We rounded off the day with dinner at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the lake. The whole day was beautiful.Read more
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The longest journey ever!
February 27, 2017 in India ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C
Today was the day that we had all been dreading; a 7 and a half hour bus journey, followed by an 8 hour sleeper train to Mumbai! Luckily the bus wasn't until 10.30 so we were able to get sorted in the morning and have breakfast. The journey was long and the bus had beds above the seats but it was okay. I even caught our tour leader watching fifty shades of grey on his laptop-he claims he didn't know what the theme of the movie was! After a long Tuktuk ride we ended up at Gandhi's former house although I'm not sure everyone was feeling up to reading all the information. It was still interesting to see. We went to a very posh mall after where you were security checked upon entry. After some great KFC we watched a film with the group which made a nice change and for £1.20 each you couldn't go wrong! It then came the time to board our train. It was surprisingly cleaner than expected and although I found it hard to sleep it was a swifter journey than day travelling. Mumbai, we made it!Read more
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A flying visit
February 28, 2017 in India ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C
After arriving in Mumbai after our epic journey to get here we were all pretty wiped out. After checking into the hotel and sharing 3 rooms between the group to shower and freshen up we headed out for a day of sight seeing in the taxis. Nick and I went separately around the sites so I can't speak for him but for me staying awake was such a struggle. We did go to some amazing places though; Gandhi's house (he has a few), Mumbai beach, the richest man's house in India which is more like a sky scrapper and to see the clothes wash houses. It felt such a shame that we weren't more awake to appreciate what we were seeing more. After a rest back at the hotel we headed out for dinner then a bar for some drinks. Nick was tearing up the dance floor and Jai, our tour leader, was trying his best to keep up! A very long tiring day but a great fleeting glimpse into Mumbai.Read more
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Go Go Goa!
March 1, 2017 in India ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C
We headed to the fanciest airport I have ever seen in Mumbai to board our flight to Goa. We had a very long wait at the airport but it was made better by Costa offering a free muffin when you bought a cappuccino! After a rocky flight we touched down in Goa and it felt like we were in another country completely. The temperature had grown from 28 degrees to 35 and instead of sparse fields of dried vegetation, with the odd crop field, we were greeted by luscious palm trees and prolific greenery everywhere. We'd entered a tropical paradise. We checked into our hotel and headed out around the markets for some food. It felt a lot more comfortable walking around on our own here then anywhere else in India. Everyone was pretty exhausted from the travelling of the past few days so we headed home to conserve energy for our leaving night tomorrow! I can't believe tomorrow is the final day with our amazing group.Read more
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Sandy toes and a wet nose
March 2, 2017 in India ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Goa is beautiful. Today we headed off in the morning to explore the old churches of Goa. We were all dying to get to the beach but I'm so glad we experienced some of the history of Goa first. In the afternoon we set off for the beach and after quite a walk from the taxi we finally made it to golden sands, palm trees and rolling blue waves. Jai our CEO (Chief Experience Officer) had not been in the sea before but he braved it with us and absolutely loved it! We had such a great afternoon frolicking in the sea and chilling on the beach with the group. It was so sad to think it's our last full day as a whole group but that made the time even more special. After showers and dressing up we headed to a lovely restaurant which had a guy singing live with his guitar. A few drinks and food later we were all up on the floor with tables moved out of our way. Many shapes were thrown. We even got some of the older tourists and restaurant visitors to join in. The plan was to head out with the group but unfortunately Nick felt ill so we headed back in the end after dinner had wrapped up. Our last meal as a whole group! It honestly has been one of the best experiences of our lives with such amazing people.Read more
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Being beach bums!
March 3, 2017 in India ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C
Today was the last official day of our tour! A lot of the group are staying on for a day or more so we decided to pack up and spend the day together at the beach. Saying goodbye to Jai was hard. He's been so amazing this whole trip and it's unnerving venturing off without him; we'll miss his knowledge, his ability to speak Hindi and him! He has invited us to stay at his house to experience the real India which was so lovely of him. I'm very keen to either organise another tour that he's running or to take him up on his offer of staying at his village. After a few more goodbyes we headed to our first hostel to dump our bags and then to Ashvum beach. It was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. We definitely made the most of the warm water and crashing waves with the whole group. We spent pretty much the whole afternoon there and the factor 50 sun cream was a life saver! We headed back to check into our first hostel, a dorm room with 4 other guys. I'm unsure how I feel completely about this currently but we have to give it a go when dorms are so much cheaper. I'm trying to be open minded and keep thinking that it's just a room to shower and sleep in. I have been reassured that hotel rooms/private rooms in other countries like Thailand are super cheap so hopefully after these next few weeks we can opt for these if the difference in price isn't too great. Fingers crossed it all goes well!Read more
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Sun, sea and cows!
March 4, 2017 in India ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Another day, another beach! We had our first night in a hostel last night! I found it quite strange waking up and seeing random guys in the room asleep and I think because that thought was on my mind I had a pretty restless night. It wasn't helped by the fact that I was bitten alive on my legs and feet during the night- even with insect repellent on! We woke up early but had a lovely lazy morning in the reception; it was nice to just hang out and talk to whoever fancied joining us. We headed down to the local beach with another guy from the tour as well and hung out there for a good few hours. The beach was crowded and lots of people were staring and taking pictures with me without my consent so it wasn't a great first impression. One highlight was when a cow just walked past the end of our sun loungers casually! You would never think that cows would venture onto the beach, even in India. We later met some friends who were further down the beach in another cove before we headed back for showers. Our block had had a power cut so showering in the room by torch light was an experience. We met the remainder of the tour group for dinner at a lovely informal restuarant where you sit on the floor on cushions with a low down table. The whole day was another pretty relaxed day but we feel we needed that after such an intense packed trip.Read more
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Take me home...
March 5, 2017 in India ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
Today was our worst day by far... We spent 5 hours waiting around in the hostel for our washing to be done. Despite us asking regularly how it was going the woman failed to tell us until the end that the machine had broken. We had to rinse all our clothes off in the shower before we would hang them to dry. By this point we just wanted to go out and do something so Nick rented a scooter as he has a motorbike license and we headed to a juice bar near our hostel. At this point I wasn't feeling too great but thought I was just hungry and needed some food. However once we had ordered and we began to eat the feeling of sickness was overwhelming. I lay with my head on the table for a while but in the end had to go to the toilet to be sick, lovely I know. We managed to make it back to the hostel and video call home which initially made me feel better but very homesick. I would of given anything to be able to go with my sisters to take my niece swimming. After chilling out in the room the sickness hit again. At this point we decided we needed our own space. Nick was a God send. He organised a private room in another hostel, sorted out the taxi and packed up all our stuff while I led on the bed feeling helpless. We made it to the room where I just passed out and Nick went out to dinner alone. I've also been bitten 18 times and counting. The day couldn't of gotten much worse really. I've included a photograph which was taken on the last day we saw my sisters and niece as a reminder of much this day made me want to go home.Read more
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Reunited with Dehli
March 6, 2017 in India ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
And we're back in Dehli! I woke up after a very restless night feeling better but not 100 percent. I didn't risk eating anything for quite a while and we focused on just getting to the airport. It's scary to think that this is it, it's just the two of us from now on. I'm sad that I was ill and therefore wasn't able to have a proper goodbye with the remainder of the group but they all seem very understanding of the situation. We managed to negotiate the airport and the whole day without another sickness incident which is a result. Once we landed we had a 2 hour drive to the hotel because it is rush hour but we finally made it. We're having a chilled night in with room service so I can fully recover. At least I was ill for our 2 and a half hour flight and not our longer flight to China!Read more
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Last full day and night in India
March 7, 2017 in India ⋅ 🌫 27 °C
We fly to China tomorrow at midnight so technically today was our last day and night in this mesmerising country. We had the most amazing lie-in which was so needed after being ill and tired from the whole day of travelling yesterday. Our hotel is a stones throw away from the Red Fort so after some breakfast we headed over to see what this had to offer. The fort did not disappoint. We paid extra for an audio guide which was so worth the money to give us information at each point. I particularly love the photograph of Nick with his guide on looking like a security guard! I still won't get over how we pay 500 rupees (£6) to get in and yet Indians pay only 50 rupees (60p). They are really capitalising on foreigners in India! We met a man and his nephew in a museum about how India struggled for independence under British tyranny; he held vast knowledge on the topic. Turned out he was after a photo of us with his nephew- surprise, surprise- but it was worth it after all he told us. We're still not completely used to being asked all the time for selfies. Sitting down is a big mistake as you will get swarmed so it was a long day being constantly on our feet. We briefly walked for what felt like an hour to find the spice market just to see the colours and smell the spices. It felt like we found the real India, off the tourist path with stalls also selling colourful powered paint ready for Holi, the festival of colour, happening next week. It's such a shame we will miss it. We had planned to return to the Red Fort for a light and sound show in the evening but we were recommend by the guy at the audio guide desk not to do their show. He suggested going to one at the Old Fort on the history of Dehli and we were so glad he told us about it. The strength of the colours, visual effects and sound was brilliant when we weren't trying to waft off swarms of mosquitoes! We even managed to flag down a Tuktuk by ourselves! I'll always remember how driving in India is like a race on Mario Kart when you start off from the traffic lights.Read more
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Being proper tourists
March 8, 2017 in India ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Tonight we leave for China so today for our last day in India we hired a taxi for the afternoon with our last stop being the airport. Our driver took us to all the main sites Delhi has to offer, including; the Gate of India, the Lotus temple and Ghandi's memorial. A highlight was definitely the Lotus temple which was of such beautiful design and we were able to go inside as well which really made the experience. We arrived at the airport 5 hours early for our flight so had a lot of time to kill. After lots of games of cards we were able to finally check in which involved queueing for about 40 minutes which was surprising seeing as we were so early for the flight. Once inside we did treat ourselves to a dominoes pizza but have definitely come to the conclusion that they will never taste as good as they do back home so are not worth the money! Our flight was delayed so we didn't board until gone midnight when we were both pretty much falling asleep. A very stereotypical last tourist say in the beautiful but testing India.Read more
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Hello China!
March 9, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C
We've arrived in China! Our flight was delayed so when we arrived in Guangzhou we had to rush through customs and then run to make our connecting flight to Beijing. Of course once we had run there this flight was also delayed but at least we had made the connection! By this point we were both so tired that when we arrived in Beijing we were just so relieved to be sat in a taxi to the hostel. We had to most miserable taxi driver who didn't even try to engage conversation with us but we were quite grateful of that when we were both so tired. We did have a bit of an issue when arriving at the hostel. We had booked beds in a mixed room to then be told they don't offer that anymore and that we would be separated in male and female rooms. One slight plus side was they had overbooked so they had no beds for us which meant we had a private room for the night at no extra charge. But still 6 nights apart will be weird. We plan to hang out in the bar most of the night and just go to our rooms to shower and sleep. We had plan to go out but we were both so jet lagged that we passed out and slept for 4 hours and it was so needed. We ate in the bar for dinner at our first Chinese restuarant but found out that they had run out of rice! Food seems pricey here but we are just hoping it's a Beijing thing but only time will tell.Read more
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The World's most expensive tea!
March 10, 2017 in China ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Today was our first day exploring Beijing together. The first thing we noticed was how clean it is in comparison to India and even the UK! There are road sweepers everywhere and every 5 minutes you see someone picking up litter. We thought we'd start our first day by getting use to the local area and heading to Beihai Park which not only has a beautiful lakeside walk but gorgeous traditional Chinese buildings. The architecture of the buildings is so beautiful and ornate that even the toilet building is a wonder to look at. After am afternoon of strolling around we went on the hunt for a restuarant Nick had read about that was cheap but also had English on the menu, bonus! Could we find this restuarant though, of course not. The walk did lead us around another beautiful lake which began even more impressive as the sunset and the lights turned on. We ate somewhere different in the end and had the most beautiful noodles. I began to regret not practising chopsticks before we came her however. Nick ordered a tea without knowing the price thinking it can't be that much when tea is so popular here. The bill came and it was as expensive as both of our noodles put together so our cheap meal suddenly became less cheap! At least we know next time not to ask if somewhere has tea and just assume they do and ask how much it is instead! We then experienced our first Chinese supermarket which was interesting but quite easy to negotiate. We did see the world's tiniest oranges though! Overall a very good first day in China with no one asking for photos which was a bonus!Read more
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Mastering this chopsticks thing
March 11, 2017 in China ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Our day began with a trip to the Forbidden City which is absolutely huge! You need a good couple of days to do everything they have there and read all the information. The buildings and design was very impressive but the information side of the place was lacking. They just told you about the history of each individual building rather than the significant eras of each emperor and what took place within the walls of the City which was only opened to the public within the last 100 years. We were also very tired from a restless night sleep in the hostel so this didn't help the matter. We did have a lovely lunch though and are now getting quite use to using chopsticks. Once we summed up the energy to move on we came out another gate and stumbled across a park which had a large hill with a temple at the top on the other side of the road. It turns out the hill was created from the earth that was dug up to create the most around the Forbidden City. We climbed the many steps to the top to the see the best views of Beijing from all angles. We even stood on where marks the centre point of Beijing at the top of this hill. Inside the temple was a large golden Buddha which was being worshipped by the local people. We just sat and soaked up the view for a while before descending down the other side of the park. We did try to find a restuarant on the way back with either English on the menu or pictures but did not succeed so we ended up eating at the hostel due to tiredness of trying to find somewhere. The language barrier is a bit of qn issue. Even in the hostel wherw they speak broken English I asked for ketchup yesterday and was given chocolate sauce! We plan tomorrow to head back to the lake where we had noodles yesterday to hopefully find a better restuarant there, so fingers crossed!Read more
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Just keep peddling
March 12, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C
We decided to hire bikes out today so that we could cycle to the train station to buy our train tickets for our journey to Taiyuan on Thursday. On our map we had the station looked only a little bit further from the hostel than the Forbidden City yesterday so we were optimistic we would be there within 20-30 minutes. How naive we were! 2 hours 20 minutes later we finally arrived at the station! Admittedly we did get a bit lost at times so probably made the journey longer this way but we were definitely feeling the pain. Negotiating the station was a challenge in itself but luckily we finally found a ticket desk that had one cashier who spoke English which was fantastic. Before setting off again we stumbled across a restuarant that luckily had pictures of some of it's dishes on the wall. It took us taking zoomed in photographs of the photos to explain to the guy what we wanted. I thought my picture looked like sweet and sour chicken but was more like roast beef and potatoes on noodles! It was delicious though and so cheap which is a bonus. We stopped at the White Cloud temple on the way back which was an amazing temple to see as it is less touristy and used by the community so we got to witness the practices of the local people which felt very intimate and a privilege to see. At the start they had a bridge with a copper bell hanging underneath and you paid for 50 Cooper discs with the hope of throwing one which will ring the bell. Anyone who manages to ring the bell will be blessed with good luck. Nick managed to hit it and I'm pretty sure I did as well. They also gave us incense sticks which you could light and place in many different large vessels outside the small temples for each deity. Seeing a young girl light her incense and bow three times to each temple as the adults did alongside her was so moving. The cycle back wasn't as hard as expected and after a well deserved shower we ordered our first Chinese take away in China! Wasn't as good as the fresh restuarant good here but was still a welcomed well earned dinner.Read more
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What a great wall
March 13, 2017 in China ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
Today has probably been our greatest day since we arrive in China. We headed with a group to the Great Wall of China. Luckily we could avoid the 2500 step climb to the wall and take a cable car up instead which not only maximised our time on the wall but also saved our legs for the wall climbing instead! Walking the wall was spectacular. The views were just breathtaking and every time you looked back it looked even more incredible. Choosing just 6 photos was hard! We were aiming to make it from turret number 14 we came in on to 20 where the wall changes from the restored version to the original ruined wall that hadn't been touched since it was built. From there we hoped to reach 23 which is the highest turret on the old wall and where it becomes impossible to go any further. We were doing well the ups and downs were tough but then we saw it... the biggest uphill staircase climb ahead. To say it was hard would be an understatement but 475 steps and some climbing with our hands later we made it to the top of the turret. Our journey wasn't over yet! We still had more climbing in store to get to the highest tower of the wall or the peak of the tourist section. This is where we discovered the old wall. With trees growing on the path, rubble everywhere and little of the sides of the walls remaining this is what we came to see. We negotiated plants and boulders to climb even further along. We were unsure on our timings but decided to push to one more turret and we were so glad we did. The view of the mountains and beijing was worth every step. We made it! We were 2 turrets off our target but time wasn't on our side; we wanted to be back to make the most of our free lunch that was offered with the group deal. We did hear the last 200 metres to the top turret is pretty much a vertical climb using your hands. It took 2 hours to get up and only 30 minutes to get back. Our knees were tumbling after that 475 staircase down at one point. We rounded off the day with a visit back to the lake we had food at previously and it was nice to just walk on flat ground for a while!Read more
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