The grey gloom we had seen on the train rather set the tone for Beijing- and indeed much of China! The mist, or was it smog, or perhaps smoggy-mist, kept everything a few degrees cooler but boy was it stubborn. For our whole stay it felt as though we were about an hour away from an enormous thunder storm. At first I thought that one good rain shower and the city would be fresh and clean again. Well we got the rain but we didn’t get clear skies- we just got wet. Never mind, the hostel was amazing, a beautifully renovated Hutong (a little like a Moroccan Riad) with a glass covered courtyard surrounded by guest’s rooms. The first spots of rain fell just as we walked in the door so we sat around enjoying the
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