Outside of Beijing - Summer, Fall 2007

There are many places to see in all different sections of China and there is always a new story over dinner of a friend's adventures in Xinjiang or the remote regions of Tibet or Yunnan. But there are a few wise people living in Beijing (actually becoming more and more) who know that a surprisingly short distance beyond the smoky, smog filled skies and concrete ugliness that increasingly defines the Beijing landscape, there are amazing and beautiful mountains, lakes, gorges and old villages that make you question if you are only an hour drive from Downtown Beijing. Because I'll be living in remote Yunnan and Sichuan for a couple of months at the beginning of 2008, I thought I'd put off those amazing adventures to Xinjiang and Tibet until next spring and really take the time to explore the outer reaches of Beijing Shi - the administrative province surrounding Beijing. May 07                 Abandoned Villages Hike, 50K north of Beijing August 07             Cuan Di Xia - an early Ming Dynasty village west of Beijing, Near the Hebei                              Province boarder.                             Two Views of 'Xiangshan Gongyuan':  Inside the old imperial hunting grounds                                                                                    Hike through the outlying Mountains September 07        Abandoned Villages Hike Part II