We arrived in Beijing after an overnight trip on yet another train. This one appeared to be more comfortable, at least outward appearances would suggest it was. However it was actually the worst nights sleep I’d had in a train on our trip so far thanks to the constant vibration that made you feel like your brain was being put through a blender.
On arrival at Beijing it was easy to find a taxi (there’s thousands) and get to our hotel. We stayed at a small hotel in a neighborhood on the northwest edge of the metro called Michaels House. We’d specifically booked it as it’s reviews on Tripadvisor were so good (even though it was cheap). We weren’t disappointed! Some Beijing based entrepreneur had bought an old courtyard house and turned it into an amazing guesthouse. Em said it was the best bed she’d slept in since we left!
After a few hours sleep we went exploring. After our weeks in Siberia and the north the just above freezing temps in Beijing felt positively balmy! We were near a metro station so used it a lot, it’s really easy to use and dirt cheap. First we headed to a big shopping area and checked out the stalls selling cockroach on a stick amongst other delicacies. The shopping area is huge in Beijing and like most of China full of designer label shops. We wandered down just after dark to Tiananmen Square but couldn’t get into the main area as it was closed off by sub-machine gun toting police for some reason. So we decided it was a good time to explore…
We walked around the edge of the Forbidden City through amazing little streets and neighborhoods. These old areas are known as ‘hutongs’. They are more like alleyways and comprise houses, businesses, shops, small restaurants and food stalls. We love these areas in big cities as they feel so much more authentic than the modernised parts. One of the problems with Beijing is that they’ve knocked down alot of these areas and built modern interpretations of the houses and filled them with upmarket, designer style shops. It’s. Real shame as they have no real character anymore. I fear this is going to continue and it will mean Beijing loses what charm it has left.
During our wandering we passed some barber shops so I decided it was time for my first Asian haircut. It wasn’t easy as the barber spoke no English but his son did and was really pleased to have us enter their tiny shop. I don’t think they’d ever had western customers. The visit ended in a very good haircut and photos all round with their family. That’s the great thing about the small neighborhoods. The chance interactions you have are so much better than any you could have in a modernised locale.
Another area we really liked in Beijing was around some lakes to the north of the Forbidden City which are basically a strip of bars and restaurants. Every bar seems to have it’s own live music which could be one person singing, a few with instruments or a full on band. It’s all lit up along the (still frozen) lake sides and the sound clash that comes from all the music bars is hilarious! We stopped in a few bars to watch the talent and drink beer. One band had a particularly good line in covers of American 70’s artists. It was quiet when we were there as it was midweek but still every singer was belting it out a lot of the time to an audience of bar staff and no one else 
We had some amazing food in Beijing. Hotpot where you cook your food in the very spicy stock (like shabu shabu in Japan), amazing stir fry where you chose all the ingredients and they’re cooked up in minutes by the chef with loads of chili and garlic. We had duck which was delicious but we were a little surprised when the first plate to come out was just duck skin and fat (plates of delicious meat came after luckily)! We also ate at a posher restaurant which had amazing food, the presentation was great, if the price wasn’t so reasonable you could have mistaken it for a Michelin starred joint.
We wanted to visit the Great Wall while in Beijing and Em found a company who arranged hikes to the countryside around Beijing. As luck would have it they were doing a 7km hike to a remote part of the Great Wall while we were in town so we booked up to go. Most trips to the Great Wall are a bit of a tourist circus and you get taken to stretches of wall which are heavily restored and swamped by tour buses, other tourists and souvenir sellers. This trip took us to a small village from where we hiked to a section of wall. There were about 8 of us including the guide and that was it! It was so nice to see the wall in it’s natural state. It really is an incredible construction they way it clings to mountain ridges and climbs up and down steep slopes (photos coming in the next post). The views are breathtaking, we climbed up onto the wall and along it a little way. This give you a real feel for how steep it is and how difficult it must have been to build. It was a great day out with our knowledgeable guide who really knew the history and best places to go!
We really enjoyed our time in Beijing, saw lots of sites and explored a fair amount of the place. It’s a city I’d like to visit again as we didn’t really see everything and it had a great feel to it. Despite being so heavily populated it’s easy to explore and if you like slipping down side streets and exploring local neighborhoods it’s perfect!