Mutianyu

I had a great time in Beijing. One of the highlights was definitely the Great Wall at Mutianyu. It was an absolutely killer hike up the mountain-- way harder than when I trekked up at the more touristy Great Wall location I went to five years ago. This was not for the faint of heart.

However, I can't even begin to explain how worth it the trek was. The views were incredible. A picture says a thousand words, so I'll let mine do the talking.

There are a lot more beautiful images that I'll show you over the next few weeks from this trip. Needless to say, I fell in love with Beijing for the first time. The weather was great, unlike the sandstorms I experienced on my first trip, and I just had a magical few days.

Also when I ordered my lunch today (mian gao, or noodle cakes... don't know how to describe them but they are little bites of heaven) a Chinese woman told me that my Mandarin was very good. I even held a conversation with her! PROGRESS.