That we had to get up before 5am, pay through the nose (though it’s still cheap compared to prices back home!) for a private car and spend 90 minutes driving here was all forgotten the moment we saw stepped foot onto the Great Wall.

It was compounded by the fact that we were the only ones here — in fact, the first ones here for the day — and could not see anyone in either direction. At least for a time.

We decided in Mutianyu as Badaling — the most popular spot — is always busy, no matter what. Simatai, the closest unrestored area, was a bit too far and even though it is “the real deal” it doesn’t have the look of the Great Wall. It’s more like walking on rubble so our choice in the end was probably the best compromise.

The day we visited was also the day I feel extremely ill; luckily though, I started feeling sick while in the car on the way back. I made it back to our hotel, barely, but since we’d assigned little else for the rest of the day nothing was lost. I thank my body for holding out long enough to avoid an extremely uncomfortable and embarrassing incident.

The colours in this series of shots I took are great — the pinky-orange of the sun hitting the bricks makes for beautiful colouring. Shots I took later, as buses of tourists began to arrive, are far duller as the sun began to hide behind clouds.

We really had everything working for us on this day. The ride up on the chairlift was brilliant — our feet skimmed along the treetops — and amazingly silent. We had the Great Wall all to ourselves (which, in China, is no easy task!) with an incredible sunrise. The ride down on the toboggan, which must have been at least two kilometres long, was great fun too. Perfect.