China - Part 1

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The train to Beijing was pretty uneventful - our carriage was entirely full of Western travellers but there was no vodka fuelled madness. Even the border was simple with only cursory checks, no smuggling of boots or anything else was visibile last time (though maybe in the other compartments?). Once again the wheel bogies had to be changed (as China uses standard gauge) but after Belarus we knew the process and it was all a little tedious really. As we rolled towards Beijing you could immediately tell China is a much richer country than Mongolia, there are visible paved roads and construction happening everywhere. As we approached the capital the smog visibly thickened!

We arrived into Beijing Central Station (which isn't very central) and said goodbye to Cathy and Lianne who were staying in a different part of the city. We then walked off the platform into possibly the busiest station I've ever been in, it was just a wandering mass of humanity with what seemed liked no order. Thankfully Tom was waiting for us just outside and having lived in the crazyness if China for 14 months was a useful guide through the crowds. It was about this point the heat and humidity hit us, it was a horribly sticky and hot day which is a weather we rarely experience in the UK - not a day for lugging a rucksack around to a youth hostel... Thankfully unlike London the underground stations and even the trains are air conditioned which was welcome relieve even from our short walk. Again there's very little order such as organised queues, basically you start pushing your way on before everyone has got off, but if you don't push you don't get on. Still, we got to the hostel after a slight bit of getting lost (thanks Tom ;-) ) we arrived tired and more than a little sweaty.

Our hostel is a gem, it's located is a traditional Hutong (alleyway courtyard) which is something all the guide books recommend walking around. I can see why, they are full of local people walking, riding bikes, electric scooters and anything else you imagine on wheels. I saw a woman pushing a set of weighing scales along on a sofa the other day - only in China. Crazy is the only word I can use to sum up this country and we've only seen a small part of one city. The central courtyard of our hutong, though, is a chillout area with outside tables and a bar - a much needed place to relax and escape the madness of the city outside.

After a shower and a change of clothes we headed out to grab some food and have a quick look at the main sights. Walking and the underground were much more fun when not lugging rucksacks and we headed to Tianaman Square and down to a local noodle bar Tom knows. No English menu, non-English speaking staff and lots of pointing. Tom speaks a little Chinese so we ended up with tasty noodles but I'm not quite sure how we'll cope when he leaves on Monday. The streets are also full of people trying to get you to eat their food or buy their wares, there's a constant background sound of "hello - t-shirt", "hello - chinese beer", "hello something". These hawkers don't actually speak English but just know a few phrases - the best tactic is just to smile and walk off!

We then headed to a local spot that is a cross between Covent Garden and Camden Locks - bars, quirky shops and street food. This was more of a quick preview than a full night out - by this point we were starting to flag. It was just after our first beer that the heavens and down poured some of the worst rain I've ever seen. Lightning, rain and people selling cheap umbrellas. Even with one of these we still got completely soaked on the way back to the hostel - and as everyone who was there will remember I was irrationally worried about my shoes getting ruined (well they are really comfy).

Early(ish) the next morning we hired a minibus to drive us to the airport to pick up the rest of the gang - Alex, Kelly, Ben and Ian. With them all safely arrived, if slightly jetlagged, the next part of the holiday can begin!

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