For self-driving enthusiasts, a smooth driving route, beautiful scenery by the roadside, and a group of avid self-driving enthusiasts are the most important elements. Avid self-driving is an attitude and a way of life. It means to be brave to challenges, to face setbacks, to be indomitable and to finally reach the top. It requires advance preparation of various camping defense items, barbecue supplies, and of course, beer.
In the morning, we gathered with our friends at the toll station of Beijing-Chengde Expressway and met many cars out to take a trip around. When the car arrived at Qinglong Gorge, it was almost nine o'clock. We saw the winding mountains on both sides. The mountains are majestic and the vegetation is dense. The primitive ancient appearance of the Great Wall like a dragon lying on the top of the steep mountains. The mountain valleys are deep, the mountain flowers are splendid and the water is blue. Along the winding stone steps, through the pine forests shaded by shadow, we climb the green hills full of greenery. There are pieces of wild mountain grapes, wild hazelnuts and wild vines and more than ten kinds of natural plant landscape. A team of people are speeding on the water by speedboat, enjoying the pleasure and comfort of the natural landscape, experiencing the passion of riding the wind and waves and bringing a cool and refreshing feeling in the hot summer. The breeze blowing across the cheeks to meet an expectation - "being more scared than hurt" after the relaxation! Playing in the water on the shore, washing your face and taking a shower are extremely relaxing. A group of people began to turn around and drive back. The car drove past Yanqi Lake. The scenery of the two scenic spots was similar, so we drive wantonly on the road and choose not to stop.
It was already noon, and we drove to the B&B near the Mutianyu Great Wall. It can be regarded as the backyard of the Mutianyu Great Wall. Standing here, you can see the magnificent outline of the Great Wall from a distance. And there are a lot of entertainment here, such as playing mahjong, KTV private rooms, barbecue skewers, drinking beer, and growing fresh vegetables in the courtyard by yourself, which can be directly used as kitchen ingredients. A few people picked fresh vegetables from the vegetable garden. A few others started to prepare lunch. We ate a big meal, and took a nap after eating and drinking.
In the afternoon, you can let the farmers take you to experience the local chestnut-hitting activities. This is really a novel experience. Some people must not know that chestnuts growing on trees, like green and fluffy hedgehogs.
I heard a nursery rhyme about beating chestnuts from farmers: small pillars, carry a basket, go up to the hillside to beat chestnuts, crackle for a while, and hit a field of chestnuts. A few simple words sang the fun and joy of beating chestnuts. The farmers said: people from Huairou have their own tree garden. Looking at the lush chestnut trees, from the flowers blooming to the chestnuts ripening one by one, people know more at heart about the word harvest. However, beating chestnuts is a very hard but very interesting thing. Chestnut beating is a technical job, which is undertaken by experienced young and middle-aged men, while women, the elderly and children pick chestnuts on the ground. Tired of beating chestnuts, we sat on a rock under the tree to rest, and the autumn wind blew coolly, making the leaves rattle, and the ripe chestnuts burst open and fell down. The mountain became even more silent.
In the evening, we went back to the B&B, took out the barbecue tools from the car, moved a box of beer and started to eat kebabs whiling chating. And it is also possible to sing on KTV. The starry sky at night echoes the lights in the campsite. It is a different experience to experience open-air movies, to appreciate campfires and to eat fried chicken and beer while sleeping outdoors.
The next day, we went to climb the Great Wall after breakfast. There are many foreigners here. If you are good at English, you can try to greet them proactively. There will be unexpected surprises. If you are lucky, your cable car may be the one that former US President Clinton took. The cable car goes directly to the No. 14 watchtower, where there is a stone tablet with the Mutianyu Great Wall written on it. Then it goes up to another watchtower, the No. 15. I heard that this is where Ge You proposed to Shu Qi in If You Are the One II. Take pictures boldly and casually, because it is really beautiful and there are few people. Try to stand here boldly and shout: This is my world!
At noon, I had a simple lunch at a commercial street restaurant. Beef rice and fried chicken rice are typical signature dishes. Fried chicken rice first fry the boneless chicken breast in a pan until golden. At this time, the skin of chiken is crispy and the meat is tender. Then cut the meat but not the skin, put it in a bowl with cooked broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, poured with brown sauce. The chicken is golden and crispy, the sauce is sweet and salty, the vegetables are tender and dripping, the seasoning is not much but delicious and unique, the whole bowl is colorful and appetizing. After drinking and eating, I started to drive to the city. I was really reluctant to leave. I love the fresh air, simple farmers and novel local experience.
