Blogless in Beijing!!

I made it! Admittedly I made it sometime ago, but having arrived I discovered that China's was a blogless realm. I have however snuck my way around this dilemma and now hope to be able to blog as I go!

So Beijing was a lot warmer than I remembered it; perhaps this it due to the fact that last time I was here it was in fact a snow covered realm. Instead it was a humid, bustling hive of activity, beeping horns and street venders. I found the hostel and sadly it too was not quite as i remembered it, but Sharon was there and coffee and breakfast seemed like a good start.

We have made a rough plan for the next few weeks and have managed to book ourselves a flight to Kathmandu. Tibet is a no go at the moment, so this was our only way in! We will therefore be taking the train southwards to Hong Kong between now and the 27th September. Hopefully something like this  - Beijing, Xian, Chongqing and Wanjiinglou and then few days in Hong Kong.

So, other than planning the next few weeks we have done a little exploring. Our hostel is situated on the edge of a Hutong, which is like a rabbit warren of narrow streets that wind their way around and around until you have no idea which way to go to get out! We ventured in and explored only a small corner but can easily see how you could be lost for days in here - one of the guys at the hostel said he had, in fact, been lost for over two hours and had to find a police officer to help find his way back to the hostel!

We also visited the Summer Palace, a regal affair, built as an escape from the city for the Emperor Qianlong sometime in the 18th century. We enjoyed a walk along the lake before heading up the hill in search of the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity! It reminded me a lot of the Forbidden City and I may have taken one or two photos! I have included just the one!

Before leaving Beijing there was just time to meet up with a friend for dinner! This was definitely a lot of fun especially as Peter could actually read the menu! (Point and shoot dinner choices do not always work out so well - although we have now identified the Chinese character for meat ...not sure what kind of meat it will be though!)  We caught up over a feast of dishes and for once I managed more or less to get the chopstick thing working! A fun evening out!

So, in the morning we take the high-speed day train to Xian. 

Booking train tickets here is quite tricky...