Door bangers

Posted by Mark on Dec 15, 10:24 PM

Today I got a glimpse of the wall that I detoured around. Pretty serious stuff. It may have been possible for a team of mountaineers to cross but I think I would have had zero chance, even in good weather.

Tomorrow I’ll be on the wall again. If I move fast there is a slim chance that I will be in Shanhaiguan in two days time. I’m not too concerned though if it takes longer. After all, what’s a day or two in the scheme of things… especially after nine months.

Tonight I found a basic guest house to stay in. It’s not much. The outside resembles a construction site but the room itself is ok – small with a fresh coat of paint and sheets that haven’t been washed for a while. Despite having one of those wall mounted hot water heaters it’s freezing cold. I haven’t taken my down jacket or beanie off all day.

Have a bit of a headache at the moment. Probably because I didn’t do a good enough job of staying hydrated today. But that’s the cold for you. You don’t feel compelled to drink as much even when you’re physically exerting yourself. Normally I stop to drink even when I’m not thirsty but I got a bit fixated on reaching my target distance. Made it. I’m now in a good position to start tomorrow. All I need to do is drag myself out of bed nice and early. Easier said then done with temperatures well below freezing.

It would be nice to get a good nights sleep but I have a feeling sleep isn’t going to come easily. As is typical of most of the guest houses that I’ve stayed in, yelling and door slamming neighbours come with the territory.