Beijing Program - 11 Nights Sunday 10 May - Friday 22 May Sun 10May ~ Leave your home town ...on flights you have arranged to Beijing. Mon 11May ~ Arrive BEIJING, China Meet & Greet by our Chinese local hosts and transfer to your... CAPITAL HOTEL - BEIJING a fine 41/2-star hotel centrally located only 10 minutes walk from the famous Tiananmen Square. Settle in at the hotel and relax this evening from your journey. Dinner on own. Tue 12May ~ Beijing Early risers enjoy an optional, easy jog from the hotel to the Tiananmen Square to watch the traditional Forbidden City flag raising ceremony at Flag raising - Tiananmen Square dawn, witnessed every day by several thousand local Chinese. Continue jog during sunrise around the Forbidden City complex and back to the hotel. Guided personally by Kathy. Breakfast at the hotel. 0830 Morning Forbidden City Tour visiting Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City's Imperial Palace. Lunch included. Afternoon at leisure. Start exploring the city on your own for the greatest shopping opportunities you can imagine. Visit the silk alley, the pearl market, the Friendship Store, or any of the many other exciting shopping areas. Optional transfer to Yashua Market. Return on own. Your US dollar is strong

in China, making everything look like a bargain... Optional Summer Palace tour. 1700 Welcome to China "Happy Hour" at our hotel. Dinner on own.

Wed 13May ~ Beijing Breakfast at the hotel. 0830 Summer Palace including lunch. Remainder of day at leisure. Afternoon race bib number distribution. 1715 Acrobatic Show at the famous Chao Yang Theatre. Includes transfers, followed by Peking Duck Dinner at Bianyi Fang Roast Duck Restaurant. Thu 14May ~ Beijing Early morning light breakfast at the hotel. Every traveler to China wants to climb the Great Wall, and today your dreams come true on this "mandatory" site inspection. Full day trip by motorcoach to the isolated section of the Great Wall of China where the runs will take place on Sat 16May. This visit is mandatory for everyone in order to familiarize yourself with the Great Wall and the run route. You will be walking the actual 4-km, incredibly spectacular Great Wall - Inspection Day section of the Wall which is included on the run. Lunch is included. Return directly to your hotel in the mid-afternoon. Eve: A special, exclusive carbo-loading Pasta Dinner is included this evening for our group at our hotel. Fri 15May ~ Beijing Breakfast at the hotel. 0830 Morning Hutong Tour a visit to the Old Beijing section. Includes a pedicab ride and lunch.

Balance of afternoon at leisure. Free shuttle service available this afternoon to/from the Beijing Silk Exhibition Hall. Or treat yourself to a traditional Chinese massage or a foot reflexology, all available at your hotel. Or just take advantage of the hotel's indoor swimming pool (swim cap required!), the gym, or spa. Dinner on own. Plan to tuck in early! Sat 16May ~ RACE DAY! This is surely going to be one of the most exciting and memorable days of your life... Coffee and juices and light breakfast items at the hotel. THIS IS YOUR DAY! Very early morning wake-up call for 2-hour, 130 km drive by motorcoach (yes, you can sleep on the bus) to "our" piece of the Great Wall at Huangyaguan for THE event, the Great Wall Marathon start Great Wall Marathon or Half Marathon or 8.5k Fun Run/Walk, whichever you have chosen. It takes place on a part of the 6,000 km long Great Wall which is not generally visited by tourists. This is an official international event with chip timing, medals, and certificates for all participants. The primary objective is not time, but fun and the experience of having "done" the Great Wall Marathon or Half Marathon or 8.5k Fun Run/Walk. What a thrill it is - just talk to Kathy Loper or Kurt Bodmer who have done it several times, or to some of the over 1800 people who went with us in the last thirteen years. For the accompanying "spectators" and nonrunners, lunch will be provided at the Wall. All KLE participants (including spectators) will be treated to a special 20minute cool-down massage at our own "exclusive KLE massage tent" at the finish line. Afternoon bus back to your hotel, feeling exhausted and yet, triumphant! Dinner on own. Sun 17May ~ Beijing

Breakfast at the hotel. Sleep in and recover! No particular plans today, although adventurous souls may wish to explore the city further and do some more shopping. For those interested, we will offer an optional morning tour to the Lama Temple, one of the most interesting religious buildings in Beijing, originally built in 1694. Includes a visit to a carpet factory, to see how carpet is woven by hand. Eve: Gala Dinner for all participating runners and non-runners. A very special, elaborate Chinese Banquet to celebrate the runners' triumph over the Great Wall. A fun evening, sharing the experience with others. Includes transfers. Mon 18May ~ in Beijing Early breakfast at the hotel. Optional Temple of Heaven Tour. Free afternoon. Last minute shopping or relaxing. Dinner on own. Tue 19May ~ Beijing - Xian Early breakfast at the hotel. 0545 Transfer to the airport for flight to Xian. 0755 Leave Beijing on CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES MU7137, Boeing 757, non-stop. 0945 Arrive XIAN, the east end of the legendary Silk Road. Upon arrival at Xian airport, met by local guide for the 2 hour bus ride to Mt. Huashan. You will need your backpacks as you will challenge yourselves to hike the most beautiful mountain in Northern China today. Your guide will prepare some snack food boxes with soft pack drinks for you to bring up the mountain, a picnic lunch on the mountain after the cable car ride. You are free to choose to climb up either the Eastern or Western slope of the Mount after lunch and ride down the mountain by cable car together. Transfer back to the city & check into your hotel. (Your luggage will remain on the bus for transfer with you to your hotel.) TITAN TIMES HOTEL A fine 5-star hotel, centrally located at the inside the western city wall. 1900 Transfer to Han Tian Xia Restaurant for a delicious 20-course Dumpling Dinner. Transfer back to hotel.

Wed 20May ~ Xian. Breakfast at the hotel. terra cotta warriors 0730 Meet you local guide in the hotel lobby. Morning visit to the Terra Cotta Warriors Digs, one of the most fascinating archaeological sites in the world and a highlight of any China itinerary. Just discovered in 1974 by local farmers (one of them is usually at the gift shop signing autographs), these clay figures resemble actual army soldiers of the Qin dynasty which were buried over two thousand years ago. An awesome site, and they are still excavating burial pits that are expected to eventually unveil a total of 6,000 terra-cotta clay figures. Recent excavations also revealed a formation of infantry, cavalry and soldiers on chariots. Early lunch at a local restaurant inside the Digs compound, including a noodle-making demonstration. On return to your hotel, stop for 45 minutes at a Jade Factory to see how fine jade is made. You may wish to be dropped off at the South City Gate to rent a bike to ride on the wall at your own cost and return to the hotel on your own. 1730 Leave your hotel for transfer to Shaanxi Grand Opera House for a Tang Dynasty Show at 18:00 followed by a Chinese Dinner (if there are two scenes that day or Dinner first at 19:30 with show at 20:30 (number of scenes based on the audience volume). 2030 Return back to hotel at 21:45 if seeing the later show. Transfer back to hotel. Thu 21May ~ Xian - Beijing Early breakfast at the hotel. 0600 Pick up & transfer to the airport by coach with guide, who has the group air ticket . 0800 Leave Xian on CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES MU2101, Airbus320, nonstop. 0940 Arrive in Beijing; transfer to ... SWISS SINO HOTEL

for overnight. Afternoon free for last minute shopping and exploring Beijing. Fri 22May ~ Beijing - USA Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Beijing International Airport for your flight back to the STATES. Fri 22May ~ USA On arrival, clear Immigration and Customs Connect to your hometown.