"From the top of the hill at the back of this temple I made a sketch of this strange rock formation, which must have been at least 250' high. In the far distance is the Potala Palace in Lhasa.
 
I had 3 nights in Chengde with 2 full days. On these I rented a bike from a cycle shop near the hotel so that I could visit the temples, palace and other places of interest in the area, none of which were more than 5 miles away.
 
My hotel was a large and ugly grey concrete block built in the '60's, and in the process of having major repairs made. Despite this I found it comfortable. The double room, complete with loo, shower, TV and central heating cost me £4 a night and the food in the restaurant was excellent."- MH