Jan 23
It was clear we’d be leaving some things unseen in Beijing but we’d saved a couple of biggies for the final day. Worn out feet would have to hang in there a bit longer (they could rest the next day) as we first headed to the Summer Palace – a far more sprawling location than the name suggests. Read more
A really, really long time ago a myriad of wall fortifications began to appear in the north of China, partly to protect against invaders from Inner Asia. Over time some of these were joined up to form one massive Great Wall. We couldn’t go to Beijing and not get up close and personal with one of the most incredible man-made structures ever built. Read more
The area south of Tiananmen Square is a good place to get a flavour of commercial Peking/Beijing from Ming dynasty days. The modernised shopping streets carry a heritage vibe though beyond them are the best bits – old, far more original neighbourhoods. Read more
One of Beijing’s most fascinating historical aspects for me are its fortifications. Most of these have been obliterated from existence but among the few remains is a section of the old inner city wall. Read more
On our third day we spent an incredibly interesting couple of hours at the Temple of Heaven park watching morning exercise and recreation rituals and, as you might guess, seeing temple-y things. Read more
Eating adventurous food in China was not on my to-do list; I’m too much of a girlie wuss. But I wanted to see some and this was easily done. Read more
From Tiananmen Square it was a natural progression north into the Forbidden City. Again due to my own lack of research prior to the trip, I was a bit unprepared for the absolutely stunning scale and architecture of the place. Read more
The first priority on our first morning on Chinese soil was to go to one of the most well-known and controversial places in Beijing. We went back the following night and there would have been a third visit as well had that attempt not bombed. Read more
It was our first afternoon in Beijing and I trotted along after Mike, who seemed to know where he was going, and we duly arrived at another renovated hutong with nice shops and whatnot. At the other end were three lakes collectively known as Shichahai and an area known for its nightlife. Read more
Earlier this month a taxi let us out at the side of a busy road in Beijing, the driver gesturing the direction we needed to head in. Forcing alertness from foggy brains, we crossed the road and trundled up the historic hutong on the hunt for our hotel. Read more
tall tales 