In the winter of 2011 Beijing gave me smog-free sunshine, clear blue skies and temperatures so cold that they chilled me to the bone and almost froze the marrow within. This time I came prepared with layer upon layer of Marino wool and possum fur, so my bones were warm and snug, but Beijing forgot to turn on the sun. Although the smog rating was relatively low due to a cold front clearing it somewhat, the skies remained grey and some rain and snow fell.

Not to worry. This is another adventure and the bargain priced holiday has begun with bargain priced weather, but not bad enough to stop us getting out and about and enjoying ourselves.

Sue and I began our Trans-Siberian adventure here four years ago and it has been great for us to revisit many of the experiences we shared then. This time Reg has joined us, as well as our good friends and neighbours, Frank and Helen.

This retirement life is great for taking advantage of holiday bargains and we have joined a tour we booked on Trip-a-Deal. So far, so good.

We have done all the popular tourist things like taking a rickshaw ride through the hutongs, visiting Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden Palace, the Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall. We have bargained our butts off at the Silk Road markets, eaten like emperors at banquet after banquet, notched up quite a few kilometres to walk some of the calories off and enjoyed traditional Chinese foot massages to reinvigorate us.

Of course the highlight was the Great Wall, even if we climbed it in pouring rain and heavy mist. This time we visited a different section of the wall to our last visit, which was great for Sue and me. We got to see a section that was very different in look and structure. This was the Jugongguan section, set in spectacular scenic mountains (or so we are told). While we were there the mountains were shrouded in mist and the glimpses we caught of them looked lovely. Autumn colours draped the trees and the Wall followed the mountain ridges like a gigantic jagged snake. Fortifications here can be traced back to 770BC. As we began to climb the Wall, the rain began to fall, but we donned our ponchos, raised our umbrellas and met the challenge with a smile.

This section of the Wall is an arduous climb with thousands of steps of various heights - some tiny and some so huge you have to haul yourself up with the railing beside. All that strenuous climbing caused much sweating under the poncho and several layers of clothing I had intended to ward off the cold with. During the ascent I peeled off layer after layer, but it got very awkward carrying the growing bundle of clothes in my arms under the poncho while taking giant steps ever upwards and holding an umbrella. Be warned - any photos you see of me on the Wall will look like some giant purple monster looming through mist and rain. Coming down was not as strenuous, but far more dangerous - negotiating wet, slippery, uneven stairs.

They offer Hero certificates for those who climb this section of the wall and I can understand why. I was too wet and bedraggled to bother with getting one, but I certainly earned one. We would have gone further and enjoyed it far more in better weather, but we climbed so high we were treated to snow before we turned back.

Snow has continued to fall in Beijing for the past day and more is predicted, but we are about to leave on the fast train to Yichang where we will board a river cruise on the Yangtze River.