Peace and Quiet

With 1.6 billion people in this country, it's hard to find anywhere that you can actually be alone, let alone find peace and quiet. However Ben, a veteran Beijinger and fellow nature lover, has gone to great lengths to find camping sites and hiking trails out of reach of pollution, peddlers, and phone coverage. Don't ask me how, but with current road maps, topographical maps, old CIA maps, and google earth, Ben leads us fearlessly down dirt roads and farmer's footpaths.

Last Saturday we boarded a bus out to the countryside, where we rented out a bread car (named for its loaf-like shape) and headed into the wilderness. After almost two hours of veering scarily close to the steep embankments on the mountains of the northern Beijing prefecture, Ben decided that we had arrived. On a random curve, on a random road, he steps out and finds a footpath that leads up through terraces, some abandoned and some currently tilled, and eventually up to the Great Wall. I still don't know how he does it, but I'm glad that he does. This amazing discovery led us to a beautiful unrestored section of the Wall and wonderful terraced (and therefore flat) land on which to pitch out tents and build our campfire.

Ahhh, finally, peace and quiet.

Well, as long as you don't count Dutchess, the miniature doxen who runs full speed and leaps into the side of your tent at 5:30 AM, apparently imagining that a door will magically appear if she hits it hard enough.

Aside from this, peace and quiet.