A memorable day today, beginning with a very early start at 5:45am - haven't seen that time for a while! We caught the subway to Dongzhimen station and headed outside to try and find the public bus that would take us to the Great Wall. We followed directions that we'd found online around the back of the bus station to a smaller depot where our bus was waiting for us - a lot cheaper than going on an organised tour through the hostel. The ride out to the section of the wall we'd chosen to walk at Mutianyu took about two and a half hours, including a battle with Beijing rush hour traffic! This part of the wall is about 45 miles from Beijing and was first built as part of the Northern Qi dynasty between 550 and 557, before being restored during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).

When we arrived, the bus dropped us off in a car park next to a village at the bottom of the wall, with one street lined with tourist tat stalls. There was also a Subway sandwich shop next door, which was bizarre We headed up the steep street and bought our tickets for the cable car that would take us up the mountainside to the wall itself. It was on the ride up that we got our first glimpse of the stunning countryside, with green forests stretching as far as we could see over the hills. Time for a walk along the wall...

To begin with, we headed west, climbing up and down the many sets of steps as we walked along. The views were incredible and we couldn't stop taking pictures. To see the wall snaking off over the hills and disappearing into the distance was unforgetable, another tick for the bucket list! After exploring several of the watchtowers along the route, we eventually came to the end of this section of the wall - one final tower accessed via some incredibly steep steps! We managed to make it to the top (slowly!) and stood admiring the views again while getting our breath back! We then made our way back along to where we started before heading along the wall in the other direction towards our end point at the start of the toboggan run - yes, we were about to sledge down the mountain back to the village!

It was all very well organised - you sat on a plastic sledge on wheels with a brake and followed a metal track all the way to the bottom. We got stuck in front of some speed freaks in a tour group but managed to get down in one piece! At the bottom, I couldn't resist haggling for a 'I Climbed the Great Wall' t-shirt - the woman seller started at £26(!) but I got her down to £7 (which is still overpriced!). We also paid a visit to Subway - and why not?

Then it was back to the bus stop to join the other budget travellers who were waiting for the 2pm return bus. When it eventually arrived, it was a bit of a scramble to get on, and Laura got stuck without a seat, although she managed to get one before too long!

In the evening, we headed back to Sanlitun to try some fo Beijing's most famous dish, crispy duck, at Bejing Dadong Roast Duck Restaurant. It turned out to be one of the best meals of the whole trip, and the 'experience' from when you first entered the restaurant was fantastic. It began with free help-yourself glasses of wine while we waited for a table. We managed to drink a couple before we were called in! Then we were presented with a vast menu (another one with a contents page), although we didn't really need it - we'd come for the duck, carved in front of you by the chef, at your table. The waitress then introduced the mal to us, showing us how to make the pancakes with the accompaniments (sauce, cucumber, onions etc) and that the skin can be dipped in sugar - delicious! At the end of the meal we were given free fruit and sorbet. A delicious meal and the presentation was amazing - maybe this should have been the last meal of the trip!

We went for a drink in the nearby Bar Street before heading back to the hostel - tomorrow is the las full day of the trip!