Old Dragon's Head.

MONDAY OCTOBER 14th THE START

At Old Dragon's Head with an old dragon	The First Pass Under Heaven

It seems an age since we left Shanhaiguan over a week ago and a lot of water has passed under the bridge. It has been at times tiring and frustrating, but spirits have essentially remained high in spite of all the setbacks, and we have been progressing quite well, if not fast enough for Mr Ren's liking.
It has been very difficult in terms of time and location to get to a wang ba, or internet café, thus the big gap in diary entries, but hopefully I will be able to keep a little more in touch from now on. We have been joined by Mr Peng, who is able to access the internet to a degree on his laptop via some sort of mobile phone connection which I will have to look into.
Xinlian and husband very kindly drove me up to Kangzhuang on Friday 4th Oct to meet the lorry with the horses. The lorry turned out to be an open topped livestock truck with all the feed loaded at the front under a tarpaulin, which was where all my luggage went as well. The horses travelled without partitions side by side with their heads over the sides - all very no nonsense. I was amazed at how unflappable they were on the 7 hour journey along the expressways, through tunnels and over causeways, and with all manner of heavy traffic roaring past within an inch of their noses, but that is Chinese horses for you.

Horses, fodder and baggage are loaded onto the truck at Kangzhuang for the journey to Shanhaiguan	Mr Ren and Guo Sheng loading fodder onto our SUV at Shanhaiguan

Mr Ren met us in the dark outside Shanhaiguan - he had found a place to stay quite near to Laolongtou, or Old Dragon's Head, where the eastern end of the Great Wall reaches the sea, and from where we planned to start. The lorry was backed up to a low wall to unload without fuss, and they were tied up in the courtyard overnight.
Day 1. Saturday October 4th
Rowena and Guo Sheng arrived in the SUV late the following morning, which gave me time to sort out my FnE saddle adjustments and groom the horses a bit - I got the impression it was not something Jing jing was used to!
Shanhaiguan local media turned up, so we were filmed tacking up. I thought we were about to go, but no, the obligatory stop for lunch - a delicious Chinese meal in a nearby restaurant courtesy of Shanhaiguan TV, before we rode along the crumbling remains of the Great Wall down to the beach at Laolongtou. Interviews and photo calls with local press, (plus a couple of shots with the Welsh flag), before we set off in grand style up the beach and along the wall, Mr Ren reliving his days in the army with a military style charge. Made our way through Shanhaiguan streets to the famous First Pass Under Heaven gate for more photos. Noticed worryingly that Jing jing had become a little unlevel. Then a long tramp to our first overnight stop in a coalyard on the outskirts. It seemed to take forever, and we ended up walking in single file for an hour in the dark along the main road with heavy traffic rushing past a whisker away - not a pleasant experience.

First night's stabling - a coalyard!	2nd night - hotel courtyard We slept in the overlooking rooms opposite

Day 2 Sunday October 5th
Next day dawned cold and wet, and we spent a miserable day trudging round the Qinhuangdao ring road. We could hardly hear ourselves speak for traffic noise, not helped by the fact that everyone honks or klaxons to warn you they are coming, and additionally in our case as a maniacal form of greeting. The horses are treated like vehicles, and the only time anyone slows down is to stare at the crazy foreigners. While all this is going on, the horses act as if they were on a peaceful stroll in the countryside - but that is Chinese horses for you. Unsurprisingly we attracted an inordinate amount of interest, and Rowena commented wryly that it was only a matter of time before someone fell off their bicycle. Jing jing started off sound, but was a little unlevel in the afternoon again. Found a nice little Chinese hotel in a small town to stay overnight, and the horses were tied up in the courtyard.

Mr Ren sees to Rowena's aches & pains - or does he cause them?	On the road Mr Ren in homespun sylvan headgear

Day 3 Monday October 6th
Decided to press on slowly with Jing Jing and hope she had sustained a small knock, as she was sound in the morning again. This day we were at last out into the countryside along quieter roads, though still on concrete. Everyone busy harvesting, mainly maize but also a wide variety of other crops such as grapes and apples. Stopped at a peaceful grassy spot by the side of the road to rest and graze the horses in the morning. After Mr Ren's lunchtime massage for Rowena's aching back, we made good progress to Yanheying, where Guo Sheng found us a house in a village with a big yard to tie the horses. The local officials were not too happy, as they wanted us to stay in a foreigners hotel 30 miles away, and even called in the police. Guo Sheng managed to fend them off, though there was a rather grim looking group standing outside in the morning to see us off.

Mr Ren leads the way	Harvesting maize

Day 4. Tuesday October 7th.
Lovely ride in the morning along country roads and through little villages - we even got off the concrete roads for a while, and began to ride back in sight of the Great Wall at last. Apple country, so Mr Ren was able to indulge in a bit of scrumping -(he was keen to point out it was only for windfalls) - inevitably we were then given apples by the very people he had scrumped off. Crossed a river and rode along small roads through villages below the Great Wall. Villagers are mostly astonished by our appearance - some suspicious, some agape, but others breaking into wide smiles at a 'Ni hao'. 'They're friendly' I heard a surprised response to a greeting.
A long day and we eventually got into Jianchengying in the dark, riding between two long lines of Chinese shophouses with sparks from small welding premises lighting up the busy unlit street. Guo Sheng had found us a well kept little lodging house but with only a small yard for the horses. Jing Jing and Zorbee were expected to cram into a kind of tiny pig pen with a narrow gateway by the toilets - (they are Chinese horses). Unfortunately Zorbee tried to follow Mr Ren out, and jumped out over the wall, demolishing it in the process. Kept a low profile as the local officials apparently again wanted us to stay in a foreigners hotel miles away.

Apple lady	Beneath the Great Wall

Day 5. Wednesday October 8th -
Jing Jing now as sound as a bell, but Zorbee a touch unsound from his wall demolition. We decided to carry on slowly and hope he rode through it as with Jing Jing - Mr Ren led him quite a bit, and he did not get worse. But it turned out to be a much longer day than we had anticipated.
Quiet countryside roads through villages in the morning, and we climbed up along a dirt road to a splendid old painted gateway just below the Great Wall. The road then wound round the side of the hills with views of the valleys below, as well as a couple of lakes and the occasional ubiquitous factory. Guo Sheng unable to meet us for lunch as we were a bit off the beaten track, so we stopped at a small village to buy some corn for the horses at midday, attracting the inevitable small crowd. Then came to a very grand new building which turned out to be a residential school, complete with English teacher standing at the gates who pressed bottles of water on us. The rest of the afternoon was mainly along a quiet gravelly road below the Wall, and we came down happily into a small village with expectations of making our destination Taipingzhan well before dark. Unhappily the villagers took it upon themselves to give Mr Ren wrong directions all the way up a hill, as a result of which we wasted nearly an hour - not amusing with tired horses at the end of a long day. The fact that Mr Ren vented his anger on every villager within shouting distance on the way back did not improve our situation. The growing dark meant that we could not appreciate some of the lovely countryside we were riding through, and to cap it all, when I asked a by now flagging Jing Jing to trot on a bit, she tripped over and cut her knees on the road.
Eventually reached the hotel in the dark, and had to string the horses up to a rafter as there was nowhere to tie them properly (Chinese horses). Cleaned out and treated Jing Jing's cuts, which were fortunately only surface, and then saw to my grazes!
The good news was that the hotel room had a shower, so Rowena & I were able to boost our morale with a thorough wash and brush up, and we all felt better after a Chinese meal washed down with local beer.

Rowena and Bei bei the Great Wall runs along the horizon	Maize for the horses at lunch stop

Day 6 Thursday October 9th -
Had already made the decision to insist that we slow down considerably due to tired horses and Zorbee's unsoundness, but this was compounded in the morning when it was apparent that he had been badly bitten on the wither and was too sore to put a saddle on. (the fight no doubt instigated by him). Rowena and I proposed that we should all take turns to lead - however Mr Ren resolutely insisted on leading him the whole way in spite of our protests. Chestnut country, and we travelled along some quiet earth tracks to begin with, eating chestnuts as we went. As instructed, Guo Sheng had found somewhere to graze the horses in the afternoon at our destination Jin Cheng. Then came the usual problem of finding somewhere that would take both horses and waiguoren (foreigners) the alternative being to risk camping at our grazing spot. Luckily Mr Ren managed to organise a hotel across the road after chatting up the proprietor.

Mr Ren reduced to Shank's pony.	On the outskirts of Jin Cheng Typical litter strewn grazing stop.

Day 7.Friday October 10th.
Put crupper too tight on Jing Jing the previous day, and it had caused the saddle to rub her back , so Rowena and I took turns to lead her - as Mr Ren still leading Zorbee, steady Bei Bei was the only one in action. The local Chinese could not understand why we were walking when we apparently had perfectly good horses to ride, and kept commenting on it to the extent that Mr Ren got quite shirty. GouSheng also took his turn with Zorbee. Slight saga of misunderstandings during the day, as I had requested another short day to give the horses more time to recover, and had determined we would rest at the next town and only continue to Santunying if the horses were up to it. A boring yomp along the main road and a few hours later, we somehow arrived directly at Santunying, to be told not only that Mr Ren had organised lunch two miles back along the road, but that accommodation had been arranged another six miles on at Jian Ming. Having planned to graze the tired horses during the afternoon at Santunying, our expected destination, we certainly did not want to retrace our steps, so we said we needed to carry on a little way to graze them in the direction we were already going. Unfortunately we had not appreciated that Mr Ren had gone to trouble to organise a special lunch for us with a local Chinese, so he went off in high dudgeon and left us with no tethering ropes, water or feed, and only turned up a couple of hours later with a late picnic lunch and an apology. So another late arrival into town, although via the police Guo Sheng managed to find a good hotel and yard.
Day 8. Saturday October 11th -
Mr Ren definitely in sergeant major mode today, and we seemed to do nothing right! Had been hoping to follow a scenic route nearer the Great Wall recommended by Mr Chen, but due to the fact that Mr Ren was still leading Zorbee, and we had a lunch appointment to keep with the Zunhua Women's Federation, we ended up suffering another long and noisy trudge along the main road. As we set off there was not only the roar of trucks and cars, chugging of agricultural three wheelers, honks and klaxons, police car sirens, but also fireworks exploding for a Chinese wedding. Hardly a rural idyll and things a little disheartening between everything, though Jing Jing's rubs healing well and I was able to ride.
Things cheered up a lot at midday as Guo Sheng had contacted the Chinese Equestrian Federation, and they met us along the way. It transpires that they are very interested in some form of Sino-British cooperation in the project, which might make some of the logistics easier. Accompanying Mr Wutzala who came to discuss the venture was a Mr Peng, who has ridden/driven round China with some Mongolian horses, and he offered to bring along two of them (and ride with us) to replace Zorbee, whose wither is still too tender to carry a saddle. After a leisurely lunch, we set off a bit more cheerily to Zunhua, where we found a fish restaurant to stay. The horses were tied up under trees on a narrow strip by the fish ponds, while we dined in one of the little private dining rooms round a low table on a kang. They then put bedding for us on either side of the tables in a couple of rooms to act as bedrooms overnight!

How to transport a bed On the Zunhua ring road	An unusual bedroom

Day 9. Sunday October 12th- Mr Ren had continued to insist on leading Zorbee in spite of our pleas to take turns, and it had not done his temper any favours. Rowena then had the bright idea that I could lead Zorbee off Jing Jing (why we didn't think of it before I have no clue) as since we were going along the main road in any case, Mr Ren and Guo Sheng could follow closely in the SUV to keep an eye on us as is necessary! Horses in fact feeling more energetic, and we made good time to the entrance to the Qing tombs - what we had not realised was that the spirit road leading to the tombs and our hotel was another 7 kms. Which of course inevitably sparked comment about the need for spirits of another kind to tackle it. However we were now in pleasant park like country, and were able to trot on a little through the trees on either side. Stone animals line the spirit road at one point, so we had to have the obligatory photo by the horse statue.
Two Mrs Lius from the Zunhua Women's Federation turned up and treated us to a feast of delicious local dishes including crunchy bees and chestnuts in toffee - I discovered this morning that they had also paid for the hotel! The horses were tethered under the trees to relax, and as there is a stud farm attached to the hotel, there was plenty of hay available for them. Unloaded Mr Peng's two small skinny Monglian ponies, Qing qing and Xiao Hei in return for Zorbee who disappeared back to his place to recover from his wounds.

Market day	Zunhua Ladies Federation treat us to a banquet

Day 10 Monday October 13th-
A relaxing day looking round Qing tombs and catching up on diary, washing etc. Shown round the stud farm, where they have thoroughbreds, a German warmblood stallion, an arab stallion, and two extremely expensive Akhal Tekes.
We have a quiet comfortable room in the hotel with a small lobby overlooking a central courtyard with vines.
Have now decided to change the launch date back to the 25th October as Mr Wu would like to involve some Chinese riders who would not be able to attend during the week, and this will make it more of a media event.
A note about our FnE saddles which have been marvellous. They were slapped on unfit horses, who were subsequently ridden for long days over the last week, albeit mainly at a walk. Amazingly we have had absolutely no problems except those caused by our own mistakes e.g. too tight crupper.
The Airflow numnahs have also proved totally invaluable in circumstances when it is virtually impossible to wash out saddlepads. We need do nothing to them but put them on the horses in the morning! And Mr Ren found the new pockets very useful for stuffing with scrumped apples.

On the spirit way to the Qing tombs	Mr Peng's horses have shoes made out of rubber tyres.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 18th

Another week has flown past and it is a struggle to find the time to keep the diary up to date. For a few days we were back in more hilly country with not so much heavy traffic.
Day 11 Tuesday 14th -
The effect of food, rest and in Jing Jing's case, a thorough worming, caused the mares to set off with new vigour, and placid Bei Bei even threw in a buck. Mr Ren now rode Xiao Hei while our new companion Mr Peng rode Qing qing. The ponies are amazing - they do not look up to anything, but can scuttle along endlessly with their peculiar (to our eyes) running walk which easily outstrips the bay mares. Pleasant ride through the hills although along a road, and we made a little trip right up to the Great Wall. We are now in persimmon country, and everywhere there are the bright orange globes of ripe persimmons. In the late afternoon we found a farmhouse to stay where we could tie the horses outside among the agricultural implements .
Day 12 Wednesday 15th.
Lovely ride in the morning along a quiet road up a little forested valley, and over the hills. After lunch at a restaurant in the countryside we carried on past a so called scenic spot, which meant people and tour buses, but the road grew increasingly quiet the further we went. Rode along the side of a pretty reservoir hemmed in by steep wooded hillsides and on up the valley which became more gorge like further up. Mr Peng found a tidy little farmhouse to stay with a friendly family who welcomed us with persimmons and chestnuts, and trees to tie the horses on the other side of the road.

Gourd stall	Me and Jing Jing

It was evident that the horses shoes had worn down a lot more than we had realised over the previous couple of days and were paper thin. Getting a proper farrier is a nightmare in China - there are only six in Beijing, and a few desperate phone calls produced no success. Unfortunately the spare sets of shoes that were supposed to come in the lorry had not materialised, which did not help matters. We did consider the shoes made out of rubber tyres that Mr Peng puts on his ponies, but he did not have the proper nails with him. In the end Mr Peng drove off and found an elderly gentleman who purportedly had 30 years shoeing experience and who could come in the morning having made the shoes.
Day 13. Thursday 16th.
The farrier arrived with Mr Peng and I was a little horrified to see the shoes which were essentially narrow home-made donkey shoes. However, beggars can't be choosers, and we decided to have a go. Replaced Jing Jing's fronts with no problem, but Bei bei was more of a struggle and had to be strapped to the equipment in the village exercise ground with our tethering ropes.
Beautiful ride in the afternoon along an almost deserted road running up the gorge and zigzagging up a steep hill past a temple. Stunning views from the top down the deep valley with its precipitous rocky sides, before we plunged into a tunnel - quite scary as it was pitch black inside though we could see the light at the other end. Long scenic descent on the other side and we led the horses. Guo Sheng was having a go at riding, and unfortunately somehow managed to drop his bridle on the road and had to go back for it.

Bei Bei strapped up to the village exercise equipment.	Into the hills

Mr Peng had found us an extraordinary place to stay out of town with a restaurant designed like a river boat in its own small lake. The place was deserted apart from a couple of staff, and was a bit like a sort of Chinese version of The Shining. The staff were also unhappy about us tying the horses to trees, so 'the boys' ended up constructing a kind of cats cradle round an empty pond to tie the horses to.
Day 14 Friday 17th.
Bei bei definitely unsound in the morning, and Rowena and I were convinced it was the donkey shoes, in spite of everyone's doubts, including a local vet. Eventually Guo Sheng managed to persuade Mr Zhao to bring a farrier out to meet us in the afternoon - we walked on slowly along a road over another lovely mountain pass, the descent lined with flaming red trees. Stopped at our hotel, the horses tied up in a central courtyard reached across a kitchen passageway through two fly flapped doors! Mr Zhao and the farrier arrived and it was apparent the moment he started on Jing Jing that he knew what he was doing - he had received proper training at the Hong Kong jockey club. Bei Bei difficult again, so we led her to the vet's down the road to be sedated and immobilised in his cattle crush. She is always quite relaxed about it, but just knows her own strength a little bit too much!
In the evening we drove into Miyun to have dinner with Mr Ren's brother at a superb fish restaurant - much alcohol and horse talk, particularly about the qualities of Menggu Ma or Mongolian horses

High and dry? Semi abandoned restaurant.	Over the mountain pass

Day 15. Saturday 18th
Today our verdict on Bei bei was vindicated when she strode out perfectly sound again, and even Jing Jing seemed perkier. Had hardly gone a mile down the road when the hotel proprietor roared up in his car, demanding compensation for a tree in his courtyard that the horses had chewed a bit - of course he claimed it was some precious foreign variety that he had had to import at great expense - I suspect he was in fact rubbing his hands in glee when he saw the minimal damage - particularly when we forked out 400rmb, which was more than the hotel fee.
Depressing ride into Miyun. The countryside around was lovely, but we were stuck on a dangerous narrow main road with traffic hurtling past. Kubi of the China Horse Federation met us in Miyun, and Micheal, a retired Chinese businessman who is interested in joining us next year, rode with us on Qing Qing through the villages to our overnight stop . The horses tethered in a large yard, and we stayed in hotel down the road with ensuite, heating, TV etc - very luxurious. Dinner with Kubi and Michael and a chance to discuss the ride and the launch next Saturday.
Mr Peng is turning out to be a treasure. Unfailingly polite and cheerful, he is up at five oclock in the morning to feed the horses long before my alarm has gone off!

Bei bei negotiates the flyflaps.	Typical landscape in northern hills of Beijing province

MONDAY OCTOBER 27th

Mission Accomplished! We successfully reached Badaling on Thursday October 25th.

Day 16. Sunday October 19th.
In the morning we had a glorious ride along a quiet gravel path running beside one of the canals carrying water from the Miyun reservoir to Beijing. Cool breezy sunny day with leaves fluttering down from the poplar plantations on either side and birds singing. Guo Sheng found an idyllic picnic spot among the trees and we sat in the sun by the canal eating left over breakfast buns and fruit. That night stayed in a farmhouse down the road from Mutianyu Great Wall, with the horses tethered among fruit trees near a small stream. Delicious evening meal at a top restaurant nearby, though we gave the 'Stir-fried Dishcloth Gound with meat' (?!) a miss.

Canal ride 1	Canal ride 2

Day 17. Monday October 20th.
Obligatory team photos when we reached Mutianyu Great Wall, before Rowena and I braved the stall holders and made the compulsory cable car ride to the top. Strange to suddenly encounter the first foreigners we have seen since Shanhaiguan. Stayed at a very neat and clean guest house down the road run by a Miss Houseproud who initially had second thoughts when the horses actually turned up in the flesh. A large proportion of people have solar powered hot water systems,and we were amused here to be warned to have an early shower before the cold water pump was turned off - but hot water was still available from the solar heated tank.
Day 18. Tuesday October 21st.
A day riding along quiet roads over forested hill passes and through pretty villages of traditional brick courtyard houses. Stopped for lunch in a restaurant by a wide pebbly river - Bei Bei managed to slip her bridle and wander out on a gravel bank, but was soon retrieved by a surprisingly dry Rowena. Horses tied to trees in a lovely orchard that night, and Guo Sheng cooked a delicious supper for us at the guest house, so everyone happy.

	Guo Sheng takes his cooking very seriously

Day 19. Wednesday October 22nd.
A dull hazy day. Rode through the Ming tombs area in the morning and over a quiet forested pass, before coming down to a horrendous road which we had to lead the horses along for about half a mile. A nonstop convoy of heavy lorries in both directions, roaring past within inches. The only plus was that because of the amount of traffic, they could not get up too much speed. Stopped in the rain for lunch at a dismal truck stop, though brightened up by jolly petrol pump girls who insisted on posing for photos with us. Quieter roads in the afternoon, though Mr Ren managed to get us lost in the middle of a corn field, much to the amusement of construction workers on a nearby expressway project. Rather surreal stay at a chicken farm where they laid on a karoake and disco evening, which enabled Mr Ren to regale us with stirring songs of Mongolian steeds.

Truck stop girls	Waving to bemused construction workers.

Day 20. Thursday October 23rd.
After crossing the Badaling Expressway, we followed the old road to Badaling. It was in fact one of the more hairy road experiences we had, as there was no hard shoulder, and coaches swished past in both directions with no attempt to slow down for the horses - whenever we gesticulated at them to reduce speed, they waved back cheerily and blasted their horns. An icy wind from Mongolia was blowing down the valley, and we were glad we had wrapped up warmly - quite a sudden change from the balmy weather we had experienced almost all the way from the coast. Eventually we started to mingle with the crowds walking up to Badaling, and before long we were at our destination - a little bit of an anti-climax as these things always are, but also a sense of relief. Mr Ren shepherded us round to pose for photos in front of every monument or plaque he deemed remotely relevant - but including the China Children's Monument which is the official starting point for the ride.

On the Oympic cycling road race route Won by Welshwoman Nicole Cooke!	The team arrive at Badaling

After a day off on Friday, on Saturday we had a pre-launch of the official ride with the Chinese Equestrian Association. Mr Wutzala and Kubi had arranged for a large group of members to join us riding out from below Badaling to our final stop at the Yihe stud back in Kangzhuang.

With members of the Chinese Equestrian Association at Cha Dao village near Badaling Great Wall.

And on Saturday evening a last supper with all the important people!

All the people that made it happen L to R : Mr Ren, Xinlian, Rowena, Me, Mr Peng, Mr Ji, Guo Sheng, Mr Zhao.

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