Beijing, China / Josh Cleall and Sophie Walker / Tallinn to Thailand 2007/2008 / The North City

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The North City

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Beijing, China
39° 55' N 116° 23' E
Oct 15, 2007 05:30
Distance 1168km

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The North City

Text written in: English

We are getting used to the long train journeys now, 25 hours this one, with 4 hours at the Mongol-China border where the entire train is winched up set down on a different set of wheels to accommodate for the 2 inch narrower railway in China.

So we arrive in Beijing to be set upon by the hoards of waiting sellers and hawkers, we push our way through and out into the street expecting a wall of smog, dirty streets and millions of people, we were very much surprised! Beijing is actually a clean, lively and friendly city. We found our very nice hostel, with an ancient courtyard, and spent the rest of the day in, recovering from our Mongolian adventure, washing ALL our clothes, and catching up with emails.

The next day we set out to Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City. Tianamen was huge, packed with tourists, Chinese and foriegners alike and surrounded by police and army guards. We got our bags searched on the way into the square, apparently the literally thousands of guards are there for our safety but our Lonely Planet guide (A banned book in China) explains they are there to 'squash any tremor of dissent.' Very intimidating, but not as much as the Russian guards! The square was great though with some cool floral displays about the Olympics, bordered at one end by the Gate of Heavenly Peace, with the big picture of Mao on, and the 'Hall of the People' where they were holding the 17th National Congress and more imposing impressive Sino-Soviet architecture mixed with traditional structures. Mao's Mausoleum took centre place in the middle.

The Forbidden City was impressive even through the steep entrance price. The old traditional architecture untouched by hundreds of years of turmoil and the elegance of the Dynasties made this a great place to get away from the gentle bustle of Beijing. We also went for a stroll in some gardens and couldn't believe how peaceful it was.

On the way back we stopped off at a night market to look at and get shouted at by hundreds of stalls selling everything from squid kebabs to scorpions and silk worm larvae to testicles. We decide to eat here and I go for the octopus legs whilst Sophie gets the spring roll, fried banana ice cream and lamb burger. Quite touristy but the price reflects it, the vendors have a board with lots of Chinese Characters and a few latin numbers, 5, 10 and 15. No matter what you buy the price is always pointed at the 15! Sophie can be quite the shrewd haggler now and quickly beats them down. We finish the meal off with glace fruit, on a stick, like toffee apples but with pineapple, cherries, strawberries and kiwi fruit!

The next day we rent out bicycles from our hostel so we can get about easier, the Beijing roads are lethal but we take it slow and follow the cyclist in front, staying as a pack! First we stop off at Mao's Mausoleum to have a look at 'the great helmsman.' Very waxy looking, but has been dead for 40 years so looks okay considering! Didn't take that long to get in but then again didn't get a very long look at him, 20 seconds at the most! We then cycle round the city, weaving through the 'Hutongs' small but busy back alleys. We stop at a Chinese tea house at the shore of a park lake for the most expensive pot of tea ever bought, 90 yuan, 6 pounds. The charming tea girl sold it to us a too late we realised the price, it was interesting, Crysantheum Tea, wouldn't have it again though! We cycle to the Drum Tower and decided not to go up. We then hit the department stores looking for those cheap Chinese bargains, couldn't find any. So we decide to cycle to the Silk Market, on the way we met a nice English speaking Chinese girl who befriended us, giving us advice on the Silk Market. (Ask Sophie about this encounter and how much it cost her!) Armed with our new knowledge we enter the 6 storey market, walk down one aisle and have the vendors pulling us, tugging us, shouting at us to come see their stall. We look around a bit and throw ourselves into the fray. 'How much for this jumper?' '600 Yuan' comes the reply, we end up buying it at 60 after walking away twice... Most sales transaction follow the same pattern! In all Sophie came away with 3 tops, while I had two t-shirts.

Overall I think we both loved Beijing as it has been our first taste of China. It has both the charms of the ancient Chinese city alongside the most advanced technology. However after about six days in the city, I felt we needed to give our lungs a break from the smog and pollution and our minds from the constant busyness of the capital.