Dandong, North Korea and the Great Wall

We are in the very East of China, in Dandong. This is a border city, which has half a bridge to North Korea, which was "accidentally" bombed by America in the 1950s. Right next to that bridge, however, there is an intact railway bridge, where mysterious trains can be seen commuting between the very communist and rather capitalist communist country.

Today, we had a brilliant walk on the Eastern-most part of the Great Wall (Tiger Mountain), with only a tiny little stream dividing China and North Korea. Midday seems to be an excellent time to see more of the landscape and less of the local tourists. We think they are either eating or avoiding the intense midday heat - and thus us.

Tomorrow we are off to the biggest Nature Reserve in China called the Ever White Mountain and Heaven Lake. We'll have to have an early start (for a change) with a 6.00 am bus, and will entering remote China.

This area has a very nice feel to it. People are very friendly, and appear to be more social with each other. It might be the cold winters that make people bond. Something else which will get lost in global warming...