16.07.2019: On the Great Wall

Further west of Beijing, today we were able to take a walk on the Great Wall. Once again, we joined millions of Chinese people on the restored section of the Wall. The only advantage was that we could choose between a slightly flatter or steeper section (and steep here means really steep). We chose the more challenging option, as there were significantly fewer people here. With our experience in hiking, we had a slight advantage when climbing up and down the stairs.

After the effort, we drove over 200 km westwards to Datong. Once again, we stayed in a purely Chinese hotel, which means that nobody speaks a word of English here. Placing orders is a bit more complicated. Outside the hotel, we were welcomed by a dance group with a lot of enthusiasm. The local tourism chief then invited us to a reception, which means that the drinks are on him and in return, we had to listen to a few flowery words.