Day 15: Campfire and sunset....

...on the Great Wall of China!
Okay, so it's illegal to camp ON the wall, but Peter assured us we were within our rights to use it as a wind shield

After another night train arrived in Beijing's second largest rail station at 6am. Necessary for the 25 million inhabitants of the city. Met our next guide, Peter.

Dropped bags at Leo's hostel - Gill reckons it seems a bit touristy, but will wait until we've spent the night to offer her critical appraisal.
Enjoyed a relaxing mandarin lesson learning calligraphy with wolf hair brushes and parchment. Gill won the challenge for her neat and and accurate handwriting, donating her prize of a beginners calligraphy set to Marissa.

After freshening up, set out on the 2 1/2 hour drive to our secluded campsite for the night, an unrestored section of the 5000km long Great Wall. All feeling pretty exhausted - fell asleep in minibus in bustling busy Beijing...woke up in countryside surrounded by mountains. Soon after we got our first glimpse of the Great Wall, a tiny distant structure snaking through the hills.

An hours hike to our wall-side oasis. Gill struggled a bit due to sore throat, and the shady green pills given by Chinese pharmacy had not yet kicked in. Emma stuck close by the keep an eye and offer encouragement. Very pleased and emotional to make it to the top.

Pitched tents and had our first mosey on the wall. Emma particularly enjoyed foraging for wood, and Gill cremating her marshmallows on the fire. As the sun set over the rolling hills, we got an early night with every intention of getting up at 4.30am to watch the sun rise...

Gill & Em xLeia mais