The Simatai Great Wall runs along the top of a very steep ridge
Simatai is the only section to maintain its original Ming Dynasty appearance
The wall is ridiculously steep in places
Looking west from Simatai towards Jinshanling Great Wall, where we walked the next day
Looking west from Simatai
Below Simatai Great Wall sits the beautiful Gubei Water Town
Looking down on Gubei Water Town (and a drone show) from Simatai Great Wall at night
Simatai Great Wall is lit up at night and looks incredible from Gubei Water Town below
Gubei Water Town and its pagoda are also nicely lit up at night
We scored a perfect day for hiking a good stretch of Jinshanling Great Wall
Jacqueline, with pockets loaded, was keen for a big walk
A spectacular setting for some lucky diners (not us)
Big Jinshan Tower
This part was more like climbing a ladder than stairs
Jacqueline started at Zhuanduokou Pass, Sven at Taochunkou Pass, and we finished at East Five-Window Tower (4 & 5 km walks)
Jacqueline's well-stocked pockets were starting to slow her down.....
...so Sven explored a stretch of less restored wall beyond Five-Window Tower on his own
We liked Gubei Water Town so much we spent a full day in the town rather than a third day on the wall
Gubei Water Town looks ancient but was only built recently, opening in 2014
We thought the town would be cheap and tacky, but it is surprisingly well-built, extensive and quite stunning
The town has beautiful buildings, narrow lanes, stone bridges and canals, drawing inspiration from Wuzhen, a famous water town in southern China
Despite its grandeur and beauty, the town was surprisingly empty during our visit
It lacked a social vibe, but the surreal, billion $ money-laundering vibe made up for it. It even had a nightly drone show
