"Over the hill" a Beijing Travel Page by CliffClaven

Imperial China was one of the first countries in the world to have an organised postal service, with a network of routes radiating from the capital throughout the country. It was a network which has always impressed old Cliffie, although he wouldn't like to be the Imperial Postman who had the delivery route along the Great Wall. Look at the photo, look at that climb!

Old Cliffie and his guide got out of the car in the valley and she pointed upwards: "Do you want to go over the hill?" Now, old Cliffie has long feared that he is probably already over the hill, but he wasn't going to admit it to his young guide, who was exceptionally attractive even by modern China's stunning standards. She set off and he followed her all the way to the top, where he tucked in his stomach and hoped to impress. But she merely grinned cheekily and said: "Wow, you are pretty fit, for a guy of your age." Gee, thanks - what happened to the traditional Chinese respect for their elders?

The Devil of Debauchery on old Cliffie's shoulder whispered into his ear and urged him to leer knowingly and say: "Hey, wanna try me, Moonflower, wanna see how fit I am!?" But the Angel of Conscience on the other shoulder whispered more sensible advice: "Come on, she's nearly 40 years younger than you – act your age, not your shoe size."

And so they left the Great Wall and chatted quietly about the traffic and the Olympics as they drove back to Beijing, where the only action old Cliffie got that evening was watching Chelsea beat Manchester United in an expat bar in Houhai.