Ni hao from Beijing

We had six days in Beijing but were really only able to scatch the surface of this fascinating city. Beijing seems to have so many facets.

The first image that greeted us was of the architypal communist city with its long wide boulevards lined with large hard looking blocks meeting at the huge Tiananmen Square with it's guards and Mao's mausoleum as its centrepiece. We stood in line to see Chairman Mao lying in state which is a strange experience as you are whisked very quickly past the 'great' man and into a Chairman Mao gift shop! Apparently there is debate as to whether it's actually him or a waxwork - our money is on the latter. But its interesting to see how highly he is still thought of by many people here who queue in great numbers to lay flowers at his tomb.

There is still much to see of the old imperial city with amazing sights such as the Forbidden City of the Emperors, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven amongst others. These complexes are all so well maintained it's hard to believe that they are hundreds of years old. The elderly seem to have a great social life here and we would see them hanging out together in the parks around the big sights playing cards and mahjong or dancing and singing.

Later we got lost in the Hutongs, the narrow lanes and alleyways lined with single storey grey brick and tile shops and houses where about 25% of the population still live in the traditional way but which are increasingly threatened by the big bad developers. North of the Forbidden City the Hutongs meet at the drum tower and bell tower which in the past were used to let people know the time, and close by is a series of picturesque lakes which today are lined with cosy bars and restaurants.

Then there is the new Beijing, with it's confident new architecture to match - the high rise landmark offices of the CBD, the massive and very impressive new airport, and the National Theatre which looks like a space ship has landed just behind Tienanmen Square. Last but not least of course there's Olympic Beijing. What a great time to be visiting this city; with the Olympics only a few months away the excitement in the air is palpable. The 'Bird's Nest' stadium and the swimming cube both look amazing, even if the haze of the smog which obscures their view must be a bit of a worry. Hopefully what must be the largest urban tree planting scheme in the world will help - semi-mature trees and shrubs were being planted everywhere whlist we were there.

In China we have decided to travel with a group for a few weeks and so we met up with our nine fellow travellers and group leader on the 3rd day here. We had been warned about the con-artists in Tianenmen Square who befriend people claiming they are students and want to practice their english but end up taking you to overpriced art shops or tea ceremonies; not all of our group were so lucky.

Mark (Jason's brother) and Sue were also in Beijing at the same time as us, on a long planned holiday to China. It was great to meet up with them and catch up over a Long Island Iced tea or two.

Neither of us particularly love Chinese food in the UK so we were hoping that trying the food here would be a revelation. In fact, with one or two exceptions, we have found the textures and tastes quite similar but at about 2 pounds for more food than you can eat including beer we can't complain. Just like home it is often served banquet style on a lazy-Susan, but here it is often served with alarming speed and efficiency.

A major highlight for us lay just a few hours outside Beijing - The Great Wall. We were lucky enough to spend a night at the Wall in a hostel with fabulous veiws over a lake to the dramatic scenery of the wall snaking along the mountain tops. This meant that we didn't have to get back to the city the same day so we were able to explore a more remote part of The Wall, away from the crowds. We hiked a gruelling 10km stretch and once we had shaken off the touts we practically had it to ourselves, which really added to the experience of seeing this great wonder.

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