People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most all.
Jim Morrison
Each day after trekking I wrote a general description of what was happening usually on the way back to my hostel/lodge on the noisy bus, on all levels, what I was doing, thought patterns and how I was feeling here goes the journey!
Day 1 Travelling & Pure Exhaustion.
I set off after calling to see my mum she appeared with one of her holy relics to keep me safe on my travels she prays a lot, her generosity for this trek knows no boundaries it’s been immense she’s a constant light for me even though I know she worries I did feel myself going a bit emotional, unexpected yes, I suppose no one knows how to feel I’d never done this before I was glad I called. This experience was gonna be a lonely one but rewarding.
House locked, kit packed and just the wait on my good friend Terry & family for my lift to Belfast city airport first flight to London Heathrow a great bear hug from them and I’m off. First flight on schedule I knew the waiting at airports would be tiring and even having to make conversation with people draining I got to London shortly after 1.30pm after a 12noon flight and once there the wait for my bag and move to terminal 2. It’s crazy busy so many people, so many flights so many different destinations were is everyone off to?
I found a quiet corner for coffee and 3 hr wait until some of the others arrived I was sure it was gonna be interesting meeting my group of 14 other trekkers. I suppose on meeting 12 (2 had gone straight through to departure they know who they are) the thing that struck was the sheer age gaps (16-49) of everyone I knew everyone would have stories and hopefully I could connect to a few. Most of them had come as a pairing so a lot knew each other, my thoughts of alone growing but thinking was always a good trait of mine as long as they remain positive, I was focused and determined and couldn’t wait to endure the 11hr flight. After meeting everyone it was clear, nerves of fitness and endurance of the daily treks ahead were foremost in everyone’s thoughts a few were a bit blazay about everything and a bit unaware of everyone else, with lack of awareness a pet hate of mine it was good to run this test on myself.
Emotions were running high within me in London and a bit of realism of the situation ahead finally hit, thinking of home and the people who “have my back” my late dad never far from those thoughts I knew I needed this moment, a definite sense of anxiety in me and a disappearance out of the draining thought of making conversation with the others, was it rude? Who knows….I broke off for some meditative breathing and some resting of the eyes before boarding the plane.
On the plane we were spilt up all over the place so we got stuck beside other travellers all heading to the Great Wall a group from HSBC banking were there and I was in the middle I’ve never been on a plane this big and basically everything was Chinese, writing, food and loads of Chinese people they shout really loud which hurt my head so I got comfy and put headphones on choice of pre loaded podcasts and a recent interview with Russell Brand & Dr Jordan Peterson the psychologist, it killed a few hrs it was just after 11pm Saturday night it had been along day and I was expecting a longer night it would be 8pm on Sunday Beijing time before I got to my destination 2pm back home id been on the go for over 24hrs, 2 flights, 2 and a half hours getting through security in China a total experience one im sure that will stick with me and a further 2hrs bus journey to my first nights stay in a recently renovated hotel no hot water but a clean bed and my first notion of bugs and their heartyness there tough to kill or stun or just get rid of, not what I’m used to. First thoughts of outside China wasn’t much it was dark, bit smoggy and generally a bit dire to look at tomorrow was a new day. Dinner at the hotel/lodge was a banquet of many different Chinese meals and the first use of chopsticks or lack of, every one of there meals was spicy, chillis in everything, vegetarian, egg, chicken, beef and a-nother oh I do hope it wasn’t dog!! So many stories about the food most of my packing bag was rations of food mixed for the days trekking nuts, seeds, dates & protein bars enough to sustain I didn’t really mind about the food, my thinking being it wouldn’t be a bad thing to drop a few pounds before Dublin Marathon in 2 weeks time. It was off to bed thereafter to get bags ready for 1st trek considered the easiest and nice to ease us into the wall by our guide for the week ‘Hastings’ who briefed us at the nights’ feast!?
Up early breakfast for 7am and again a basic feast like dinner the night before, rice and more rice it’s not my cuppa so opted for badly made coffee and what looked like eggs of some sort, the walk-in to the dining room was an experience vastly filled with Chinese people and reminiscent to those uncomfortable looks you get back in Ireland when you walk into an old mans pub we’re folk have their names on the chairs and you just grunt to get a pint ordered. Anyways again the Chinese don’t talk to each other it’s a shout and their plates are piled high of some of the weirdest food I’ve ever come across full on soups with noddles and chillis it was just after 7am!?
Our bus journey out to the first part of the wall was just over an hour. The landscape was a bit uninspiring if I’m honest and it seemed I brought some of that recent storm from home it was cold proper bone-chilling cold I was well up for it though and couldn’t wait to get started. Off we set and the first part was really steep so much so that a few from our group had been sick dizzy and struggling to get a breath I remember thinking gee if this is the easy day a few are screwed. The wall is itself very eroded due to the elements and of course the sheer numbers on it at any one time it was a really difficult first day with many losing their footing and others struggling with the heights and pure massive drops either side, if this was at home it would be closed due to health and safety the danger of it is frightening my mindset was pretty good throughout. I’m not great with heights but looked at things differently seen it really as a point to point walk with some high points, a few pics, quick selfies and some group shots I relaxed and just got on. My piste de resistance was a full-on rocky style run to the last high point full gas it was like rock climbing at the end it was that steep it defo give the heart rate a good rattling. We had regrouped and stopped in one of the lookout towers for a weirdly hot lunch probably the best meal of the week, rice, beans and sauce cooked by the form of water, a heat satchet and steam it was truly lovely, the company was fine too I had started to bond and the craic was mighty. (More on the group later)
On the minimal clear times of the bad weather, the backdrop of the undulating Great Wall is impressive, that word probably doesn’t even come close to describing it, it has a presence an awe about it filled with a sometimes menacing look and feel, the energy on it is unfathomed though and you can’t help be inspired by what’s around you. I probably didn’t communicate very much that day with the group during the walk…..they might say different….
It was pretty bleak at the bottom waiting for everyone to gather. We finally got off the wall and got the bus back to our residence it was basic if not a little cold not much personality, the mood on the bus from the group was certainly shock we would have dinner, a beer, an early night and get our shit together for day 2 I was secretly buzzing with excitement for it after the briefing of what was in store!
Catch you soon. G