Poly Plaza Beijing

... like the High School teacher of Chinese we met as we were leaving the Forbidden City. He traded Chinese history for some English chat!
Beijing has been a hectic, somewhat exhausting but truly fascinating start to our stay in China.
We have seen some amazing sights, have had the privilege of seeing many aspects of Chinese life, and have met some wonderful people. Sadly it has been all too short but the rest of China beckons.

Shirley & John

... looked lost someone would come up to us and offer their genuine help.

On the Sunday the hostel was taking people to the Great Wall about three and a half hours away, leaving at 6am. We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to go to a great part of the wall which is not overloaded with tourists, and we were with four of the Dutch guys so we had wonderful company. We walked from Jinshangling to Simitai, about 10km up and down many steep parts, all in all taking about four hours ...

... and veg in a bubbling doughnut shaped pot that circles a smouldering furnace. Also we had a great introduction to Korean food, with tofu, a claypot rice and beef dish, and refreshing ice cinamon tea; and finally an indulgent stop to an authentic fish n' chip place.

The most memorable of our 4 days in the Beijing area was undoubtably our trip and hike of the Great Wall of China. It was a good three hour minibus ride out of the city. Our starting point was Jinshanling ...

... a T-shirt I wanted with Chinese writing on it so asked the price. She said it was 100 yen (£10) but in the end I got it for £3 which I thought was a bargain. We got quite good at the bargaining as they always started off with stupid prices but we just worked out first what we wanted to pay and took it from there. I got a D&G belt for £2.50, another T-shirt for £2 and a pair of Diesel trainers for £6 (they started off at £48 lol ...

... to the Great Wall. Visited one of the less restored and less touristy sections. We were deposited at Jinshanling and then had a 4 hour hike to Simatai, where the bus picked us up. We left Beijing at 6am in the middle of a thunderstorm and heavy rain :-( Fortunately, by the time we started walking at 10am, the rain had stopped and it had brightened up a bit, although it was still relatively cool, so perfect conditions for walking. It was ...

... equally mesmerizing National Aquatics Center, a square structure with bubbled blue translucent walls known as the Water Cube. International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has called this soon-to-be-completed sports complex "nothing short of staggering." How successfully Beijing has turned the Games into a global coming-out party is-for anyone who, like me, came to know China when Mao still held sway-a mind-bending accomplishment. What has happened here in the ...

... Ritzy shopping center containing both things so nice none of us can afford it, and junk priced so high that none of us can afford it. His restaurant definitely falls into the first category. Think of opening a restaurant in Wang Fu Jing like opening a Restuarant on 5th Ave. NY or Wilshire Blvd in Beverly Hills. You have to be doing quite well. So we get there and it is opening night. Actually, its the night before the grand opening. I tell ...

... half of it! Also got some mixed noodles and veggies and meats...'chilli' the guy at the stall said, 'a little' I said, and gestured with my fingers that I wanted a very small amount...well, the first mouthful and my head nearly blew off!! Managed to eat half of it though and was really tasty through the heat! Might have been my tastebuds had just been burnt off but hey it was good. Gave the other half to a guy that was going through the bins, and got a ...

... no illusion that we are getting a good taste of China and Chinese culture. That'll have to wait for the next trip. For now we'll have to make do with orderly traffic, clean new roads, an efficient subway system and even some signs in English. And of course scrumptious food at every turn... Oh yeah, and we'll probably go and see the Forbidden City and the Great Wall at some stage as well. Apparently, Mao is shrinking slowly in his mausoleum. Can't wait to see that!

... they'll cover up my heiny with a towel or something...no such luck! Oh well...close my eyes and just hope for the best. It's amazing how much dead skin they get off of you with the loofah! Kinda nasty if you think about it. I mean there was just piles of grey skin everywhere. Well...enough said. Then came the milk massage. Let me tell you....it was a VERY uncomfortable experience getting a massage from a male masseuse...while ...