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The last leg of our trans Siberian adventure ended on a cloudy afternoon in Beijing. After a hugely enjoyable train journey with the company of Oka and Craig, we were sad to say our goodbyes to the longest train journey in the world. It's mind boggling to think we had travelled over 9,000 km by train and become so accustomed to walking along swaying into things, scrambling around in the cabins trying to make the beds after one shot of vodka too many, and filling in countless customs and border forms! It was with much excitement though that we stepped off the train to crowds, queues and the general mayhem that exists in the country with the largest population in the world. 1.3 billion, eeeeek!
We caught an (overpriced - doh!) cab to our hostel which was nestled among the tiny hutongs (alleys) in the Dong Cheng area of Beijing. The hutong was alive with rickshaws, bicycles, street sellers, backpackers and bars. It was an assault on the senses to say the least.
Our home for the next seven days was the Downtown Backpackers, a fantastic hostel with great value rooms. Our room was not more than a cupboard
but with air conditioning, a good breakfast and a private bathroom for 12 Euros, there were no complaints to be heard! The staff were fantastic, Apple on reception was so helpful and cheap internet was also available.
Our first day was spent wandering around the nearby hutong and getting some much needed laundry done! We met up with Craig later on and sampled some local food which was excellent. A change of cuisine was much needed and what better place to be than China. The smells of local food being cooked on the streets was so delicious!! Kebabs, dumplings, corn on the cob and noodles were some of the delights on sale.
On Friday we walked to the Drum Tower and saw some nice views of Beijing from the top. The views are never that amazing in Beijing though, you can never see that far due to the smog and pollution, something the Chinese authorities are attempting to tackle in advance of the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Wandering through the hutong in the afternoon brought the advice from Ed to our minds! He had cryptically told us to "Keep in by the wall" on our travels which is
a sound piece of advice in China to avoid being mowed down by a rickshaw or a bicycle!
A week in Beijing seems like a long time, but as there was so much to do in the city we picked out the top sights and attractions to try and get a feel for the country's capital city. The parks and temples were beautiful; we took in Beihai park, The Lama Temple, The Summer Palace and The Temple of Heaven. All carried hefty enough entrance fees but were well worth a visit.
No visit to Beijing would be complete without a visit to the ancient Forbidden City and Tienanmen Sq. The Forbidden City was thronged with Chinese and foreign tourists alike, but was undoubtedly one of the most awe-inspiring palaces we had seen so far. As a one-time home to the emperors of the Qing and Ming dynasties, its Ceremonial Halls, Gates and gardens are beautifully restored and wandering around you can really appreciate the grandeur and power held by its former residents.
Tienanmen Sq, flanked by Chairman Mao's Mausoleum on one side and the Gate of Heavenly Peace on the other is so big that it takes
upwards of thirty minutes to walk from one side to another. It is constantly buzzing with tourists, hawkers and beggars, making it one tiring place to hang around! Our attempts to visit Mao ended when the guard realised we were wearing sandals. Chairman Mao might not care in his current state that our toes were on view, but the strict official was not allowing us any further. Ah well, there was plenty more to see in Beijing, so we trundled on to our next destination.
Perhaps the most worthwhile trip we did while in Beijing was a day trip to the Great Wall. Craig had been ripped off trying to get there using the "independent backpacker method" of taxis and public transport so his advice was to use the tour at the hostel which was not only cheaper but far less hassle! We left the hostel at 6.40am and after a three hour journey north west of Beijing we arrived at Jinshanling, the start of our hike. Followed at many stages by enthusiastic hawkers, we clambered our way up and down the steep wall, through 28 turrets, to our final point of departure from the wall at Simatai. The
walk was unbelievably rewarding as parts of the wall were the original wall and not the restored sections that tourists are usually brought to. The views were truly magnificent and the scale and size of the wall was awesome. We arrived at Simatai at 2pm after an 8km walk, where there was a lovely cafe with cool drinks. Bliss!!
A trip to Beijing wouldn't be complete without sampling the world famous Peking duck. The Lonley Planet recommended a place called Li Qun which we stumbled past on the way to the Beijing Underground City, a bunker under the city that could hold up to 300,000 people. The Chinese had built it in the 1970's in case of a Russian invasion. The underground city goes all the way under the Forbidden City, Tienanmen Sq and south to the Temple Of Heaven. It was a really interesting spot to go to and a nice escape from the midday sun.
Anyway, back to the duck! We made a reservation for Li Qun and went back at 7pm to see what all the fuss was about. The restaurant is tucked away in a tiny hutong and the ducks are cooked to a wonderfully
Li Qun - Beijing
Little ducks roasting on an open fire! crispy, melty, mouth-watery deliciousness over an open fire of fruit-tree wood. The duck was melt in your mouth and combined with the little hankies, spring onions, sliced cucumber, hoi sin sauce and a cold Tsingtao, it made for a very tasty dinner. Mmmmmmm. The restaurant was so busy and bustling that after an hour we were sent on our way to allow the next crowd of Lonely Planet duck hunters to get their fix.
So after a packed week in Beijing including an afternoon spent making onward travel arrangements, we boarded an overnight train to our next destination, Xi'an - home of the infamous Army of Terracotta warriors.
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Neil&Anna
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The hawkers on the great wall were like the paparatzi, we had them following us the whole way.