When The Ig and I got up the morning of our last day,

                                                

we weren’t quite sure what to feel; we were both excited, yet apprehensive for the long journey to finally be over.  As we rambled along, we talked about our favorite days, our worst days and what we’d miss.  We were already feeling a bit sad and nostalgic, and then we saw the sign below.

                                          

We thought we were still 9k outta Shanhaiguan, so only having 6k left sparked us right up.  Once we were on the outskirts of town we came across bits of Wall. 

                         

                                 

                                                 

Part of the wall in town was being restored, 

                                       

while other bits were surrounded by garbage or sat in the backround hardly to be seen.

                        

When we saw this next sign we were even more sparked; we’d already mucked up and went the long way around town, adding a quite a few extra kilometers, so with only 4.5k left to Old Dragon’s Head, we sat down for our last break.

                                               

We grinned the entire last stretch as we walked along remains of the wall.

                                              

After walking nearly 5k from the last sign, we came across the next sign;

                                              

First we were a bit irritated by this typical Chineseey guesswork, and then we were laughing at ourselves for thinking we’d taken our last break, walked the last kilometers, and that by now we should’ve known better than to believe the signs.

And then finally, there it was, Old Dragon’s Head.

                       

                       

                                               

Now, it had taken us a few extra hours to find this place, and to make matters worse, we couldn’t find the way in.  It took us a good half-hour/forty-five minutes tromping around the beach until we figured out we’d have to give in and walk further down the road.

And FINALLY, we came to this entrance and were ushered right in, no questions asked.

                                                     

                                            

Unfortunately the “Maze of Terror” wasn’t open,

                                            

but we did laugh while making our way through the “entrance”, as it was hard to believe that once again, we weren’t as close as we thought.   We agreed it was a very Chineseey Epcot center.

                           

                      

                      

On what we again thought was the last stretch to Old Dragon’s Head, I piped, “Oooh, the Great Hallway!” and snapped the photo below.

                                                    

And then we were outside again, without Old Dragon’s Head in sight.  A little old man sitting outside pointed the way; we were at the Great Wall Museum, you see, and the actual Great Wall was next door, where another 45 kwai entrance fee awaited us.  Honestly, we were again befuddled as to how we’d made it as far as we had. 

So finally, without further ado, the photos from the ACTUAL last bit!

        

     

        

Ig contemplates his next move, and decides to give me a present; I’m now the proud new owner of Adventure Turtle.  Before he can jump off the edge and escape into the sea, I schtuff A.T. in his new home, my backpack.

                       

And the last of the on-site pics is of a plane, and I have no clue as to why it’s there next to the wall.

                                              

To celebrate, we stayed in the swanky five-star Holiday Inn in Qinhuangdao,

        

and had a great time ending our day in their pub, laxing about and chatting with the great staff.  

                           

The Ig and I agreed; getting the run-around in Shanhaiguan was the best thing that could’ve happened, because as it was, we were both happy as shit to be done!