Day 24 - Beijing

15.08.09

7.30am is the wake up time for today's tasks. A breakfast with Xiao's girlfriend in the University canteen and we meet a partner in the tour company who picks us up in his minibus. We pick up Yu, a representative from another tour company and drive to the Great Wall section at Mutianyu, about an hour away.

When we arrive we are bought some food by the rep and then head straight on up in a cable car, so far we have avoided paying the entrance charge and the cable car charge. It turns out that the rep is from a company that run's the cable car and maintains that section of the wall and Xiao's company are starting up a similar operation at the wall in Shanhaiguan, it's basically a research day into how it is run at Mutianyu.

While they talk business, Yu and I take a walk up to the top of the wall which consists of walking the wall up a mountain and by the end of it we are both knackered. So what better way to recover than a free res

taurant lunch provided by the Mutianyu wall company. After lunch we all meet the head honcho for the Mutianyu company and he gives me his card and says if I'm ever at the wall and people ask me to pay entrance, just show them the card. Next we head to an ancient unrestored section of the wall which is in a beautiful valley and the scenery is fascinating.

To end the day we head back into town and pick up Xiao's girlfriend and then the partner in Xiao's company takes us all to a massive dinner in this huge buffet style Chinese restaurant. I end up eating all kinds of things including chicken feet, grubs and locusts along with fragrant roasted duck, sushi and steak.

I really can't get over how nice they have all been to me and I haven't paid for a thing all day; they say I am their guest and Xiao now calls me a good friend and I am like

a brother to him.