The Last of Beijing & Mongolia at Long Last!

The second day in Beijing & we headed 2&1/2 hrs out of Beijing to hike a un-reconstructed part of the Great Wall! The trip out there was MAD!! People regularly overtake into oncoming traffic - which in turn just moves out of the way! We saw some carnage - one poor man with a cracked skull who was lying in a pool of blood by his motorbike (no helmets of course!) - but thankfully he got up as we went past. Also a tour bus with it's windscreen smashed and a large truck that'd hit something big in the front.... Thankfully we remained unscathed!!

The Great Wall is breathtaking - both figuratively and literally!! We hiked about 12km along it I think - with very steep sections that you had to scrabble up on hands & feet! No way were those Mongolians getting past all those centuries ago! Then at the end of our hike we got to ride a flying fox back over a large lake - wicked fun :+)

Then that night we went to a "Kung Fu" show - amazing martial arts by buddhist monks - one guy lay across 3 swords, had a double sided board of nails on his stomach, another guy on top of that and THEN another large slab of concrete that a third monk smashed with a mallet! No blood that I could see from my seat!

The next day we were up at 5am to catch an early flight to Mongolia.... But (apparently in true Beijing - Ulan Bataar style!) it was 6 hours delayed! But it was probably good in someways to have some down time just mucking about at the airport given how full on the last few days had been. We finally arrived about 6pm into Ulan Bataar - what a BEAUTIFUL country - reminded me of south Canterbury/Central Otago in the wide open grassy hills & plains but on a much larger scale. The city itself is full of giant Russian style box buildings, with colourful cheap housing around and then on the outskirts a "ger ghetto". Chinggis Kahn (Mongolians call who we know as Genghis by the name Chinggis) is everywhere!! In brand names, in advertising - even an outline on a surrounding hill!

After finding out hotel we headed out to a modern Mongolian restaurant.... I had horse steak.... I hummed and haa-ed about whether I could put out of my mind the past horses I used to ride, but then when I was told that Mongolians eat their horses as a sign of respect - taking a wonderful horse into themselves - I thought bugger it, why not. And it tasted really good! It was like beef steak but with a more liver type texture.... Weird but yum! Then off to drink lots of Mongolian beer (Chinggis beer!!) and even some whiskey (woo!).

Today we spent a good part of the day at an orphanage - unfortunately had a wee cry (along with others) when hearing some of the stories of the children, but man - what resilient wee kids. Really bright & happy - you would never guess what they'd been through. We also got to give a ger to a family living in a really rundown little shack, so that was neat- and we gave them furniture - they didn't know they were getting that too - it was like an Oprah show!!

Heading off tomorrow for a two day drive down south to Bayanhongor where we FINALLY jump on the bikes! We've got specialized hardrocks to ride - so shouldn't be too disimilar to my rockhopper I hope! (Brought my own seat & pedals, so that should make life easier!)

No more internet contact for about 10 days now so will have heaps to blog about then!!