Beijing and the beginning of the tourist season

Crossing the Chinese border was a breeze. Left Mongolia without a problem and entered China at night. After immigration the train went into a hall to change the wheels to a narrower rail gauge. The train ride was very smooth and we slept well. Arrival in Beijing at 2pm. We made our way to the hostel after a detour to find an ATM that would let us withdraw money. LEO Hostel is situated close to Tiananmen Square. The closest metro station is Qianmen, which is on the same line as the railway station. One single journey costs 2RMB. We took a bus that was dropping us off closer to the hostel. I have booked 3 nights in the 8 dorm room with shower and bathroom. I did extend my stay twice and ended up staying for a total of 6 nights.

Friday 19th, the day of our arrival, was crazy. We went for a walk along Qianmen to go and withdraw some money. Some Chinese guys were striking up a conversation and told us they were from Shanghai and came to Beijing for an IBM business meeting. They seamed friendly so we joined them for a walk and a place they wanted to show us. We talked a lot and fast and soon one Chinese guy was suggesting to exchange email addresses – why not. I got my phone out but he insisted doing it the traditional way on pen and paper in the bar over a drink. It was only then when I had realized it was a scam so we turned around and left. Unfortunately almost every day in these touristy areas scammers would approach me. It is so bad that the “IBM”-Guys approached me twice in one week. Anyway enough with the bad aspects of Beijing as I had a pleasant stay otherwise.

Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven is surrounded by a lush green park and smaller little temples and buildings. We entered from the south entrance and walked up to the north in the direction of Tiananmen Sq. The Temple of Heaven was built during the Ming dynasty in 1406. Emperors would travell to the Temple to pray for good harvest. These days millions of tourists come here to take pictures.

After the Temple of Heaven we walked to the financial district located north-east of the Beijing Railway Station. The office buildings are tall and modern skyscrapers. We made our way to the CCTV building, which was designed by a famous Dutch architect. Of course this was of particular interest for my two fellow Dutch travellers.

Hutongs, Parks, Drum and Bell Tower

I set of to see the Forbidden City, which was closed so I decided to continue walking up north past the Forbidden City where I went to a park. In Beijing everything has a fence around it and costs to get in or has some security guards checking bags. Entrance fee to this park was 20RMB. Was nice to walk around and climb up the little hill. The view was blocked by the infamous Beijing smog. I continued my walk to the Drum and Bell Tower. Around there are many touristy and well preserved Hutongs. A Hutongs is a street with the typical Chinese houses.

In the evening I have met a Chinese girl I got in touch with on Couchsurfing. She was happy to show me some of the less touristy and more typical sights. We went first to a Hutong in the north and then to her University. She got us some tasty food to try and we talked about the cultural differences. For example slurping a soup and making noises while eating means the food is good. Also leaving a little bit food on your plate instead of finishing it tells the chef you had enough food to eat.

Forbidden City

I have spent around 3-4hours walking around the Forbidden City. Lots of Chinese and Western Tourists happened to have had the same idea as well. Nevertheless I was great to see the various Temples and houses. The audioguide was well worth the 40RMB.

Great Wall of China

It is not advisable to book any of the organised Great Wall Tours as you are going to be overcharged for sure. Rather go by train to Badaling, which is the main visiting point close to Beijing. Unfortunately my train broke down and we had to wait for 90min on the train. It was not a long eait as I have met a guy from Taiwan, who could speak very well English. We split up again at the wall as it was very crowded. However if you walk for 30-60min you’ll be alone on the wall. I managed to walk to the end of the official tourist point of the wall and back. On the way lots of Chinese girls wanted to take a picture with me. One fact to point out; the wall is not one great wall but there are many parts that were built by different dynasties. Some dating back to around 500.

Some more impressions of Beijing.