We'd run out of cash, so I nipped out to the Bank. Only thing is, the nearest ATM seems to be in the town of Miyun, more than one and a half hour by bus from He Xi. It's not a comfortable journey either, as it's usually so busy there are no seats - but at least it's cheap, only 35p! I took the opportunity to stock up on goodies (butter, yoghurt, fresh meat, peanut butter) that are impossible to find in the shops here. I also picked up a couple of friendly British guys, Steve and Dan, who had just arrived in China after 3 weeks riding the Trans-Mongolian from St. Petersburg!
A narrow section of ridge on the descent
Steve and Dan had been planning to visit Jinshanling Great Wall, but I persuaded them that our own local piece of ancient history was just as interesting, wilder and more atmospheric, quieter, more convenient and a lot cheaper - this seemed to go down well with the lads, so after lunch we headed up Crouching Tiger Mountain. It was very hot, but we were soon up on the higher towers enjoying the views down to Gubeikou and the Chao He river.
Dan demonstrating his rockclimbing skills
The good thing about these undeveloped sections of wall is that you're free to scramble around at will, undisturbed by T-shirt sellers and annoying health and safety police. At the second to last tower I noticed that there was a hole in the ceiling which must once have housed a ladder - so up we went. There were a few tricky steep moves on small but decent holds to access the lush grassy top of the tower - but coming down was the hard part.
Steve admiring Dan's rearend
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