Friday, October 29, 2004
Beijing
Welcome in China! Our first experience of the "Empire of the Middle" couldn't be more positive. The atmosphere of Beijing is rather laid-back and the people are helpful. We ended up staying 11 days there, which, for such a huge metropole is hardly enough to scratch the surface.
We in a backpacker hotel in the lively hutongs near Qianmen and Tiananmen square. An ideal location to meet travellers, get good food (including the famous and, in our opinion, slightly over-rated Peking duck), organise trips and explore the city by foot, bus or underground.
... on Tiananmen square:
Of course, we did the usual tourist program: temples, palaces, gardens... We started with the forbidden city, which needs a whole day to visit well:
South of the forbidden city, surrounded by a beautiful park, lies the so-called heavenly temple, where the emperor performed in the ceremonies for good harvests.
Outside the centre, the new summer palace is also a must. Huge lake and park, and, on and around the hill, temples , an opera, official buildings... Unfortunately, like often in Beijing, there was a bit of smog on the day we went there.
But beside those showcase remants of the imperial ages, Beijing is also a very lively place. The people are, on the whole, a joyful lot who, on weekends, gather in masses in the park for impromptu recitals, dances and other outdoor games.
On the really smoky days, we did some shopping at the places where designer wares and DVDs are cheap, getting some precious experience at hardcore bargaining. And having fun in the process!
The Great Wall
One can't possibly stay in Beijing without doing at least a day trip to the Great Wall. So we did this as well, trying to find a spot to avoid the crowd. We went to the less renovated portion at Jinshanlin, from where we walked on the wall to Simatai. A beautiful and scenic 10km hike that seems to discourage the masses.
We in a backpacker hotel in the lively hutongs near Qianmen and Tiananmen square. An ideal location to meet travellers, get good food (including the famous and, in our opinion, slightly over-rated Peking duck), organise trips and explore the city by foot, bus or underground.
... on Tiananmen square:
Of course, we did the usual tourist program: temples, palaces, gardens... We started with the forbidden city, which needs a whole day to visit well:
South of the forbidden city, surrounded by a beautiful park, lies the so-called heavenly temple, where the emperor performed in the ceremonies for good harvests.
Outside the centre, the new summer palace is also a must. Huge lake and park, and, on and around the hill, temples , an opera, official buildings... Unfortunately, like often in Beijing, there was a bit of smog on the day we went there.
But beside those showcase remants of the imperial ages, Beijing is also a very lively place. The people are, on the whole, a joyful lot who, on weekends, gather in masses in the park for impromptu recitals, dances and other outdoor games.
On the really smoky days, we did some shopping at the places where designer wares and DVDs are cheap, getting some precious experience at hardcore bargaining. And having fun in the process!
The Great Wall
One can't possibly stay in Beijing without doing at least a day trip to the Great Wall. So we did this as well, trying to find a spot to avoid the crowd. We went to the less renovated portion at Jinshanlin, from where we walked on the wall to Simatai. A beautiful and scenic 10km hike that seems to discourage the masses.
