Hiking the great Hutong

Sunday 19th November 2006

A Sunday morning rise and shine at 6.45am for no reason at all although there was supposed to be Tai Chi happening at 7am but not a soul in sight apart from one of the girls I had gone to the wall with the previous day. The staff were snoring their heads off at their desks (heads on keyboards) as it was a 24 hour reception but probably not on a sunday morning. So geeking was in store as I showed the canadian girl how to compress a movie of herself at the great wall – we ordered breadkfast at the hostel whilst doing this which consisted of a couple of slices of toast, sweetcorn which normally I love (but this was cold and hard so I gave it a miss) a muffin (a little dry for my liking) a very small piece of bacon and some tomatoes.Not something i would really repeat getting but interesting. It was to be my final day in Beijing so I decided to venture out street walking and naviagate my way to the Temple of Heaven. I walked around the hutongs for a while admiring the beijing culture which was a real eye opener, hutongs are little narrow alleys where by the beijingers get on with their day to day life, just beaware of the cyclists. I walked on towards a big shopping centre. If you think that Oxford Street on the day before christmas is mad then times that by about 100 add 1kg of bikes, 500g of buses and 750g of cars and you have nightmare on Beijings Oxford Street. So it wasn’t a place I stuck around long for, and trotted onwards and downwards. Some half hour later I arrived at Tiananmen Square – and wandered around a bit ending up in some back alley market place serving sweetcorn, as well as probably snake on stick and tortoises eye balls. Each alley way was full of exotic smells and vibrant colours as well as scarves, scarves and more scarves. Venturing onwards I found myself down a street where tea and tea and tea and tea seemed to be the flavour of the month, so guess what? I bought some Coffee – only joking, I bought some tea for about 6p (or was that 9p) what else would you do with 9p? After wandering around for a while i found the entrance to the temple of heaven which cost me all of 10rbm which is about 70p. The gardens were stunning, beautifully kept with amazing architecture surrounding. The long corridor was the highlight – a “long corridor” (really?) – locals playing cards, instruments, a local choir singing traditional songs; the upupbeat rhythm added topping to this a magical mix of sounds and virbrant atmosphere. Everytime i walked up and down I came across something new. Back at the hostel it was time to geek a bit more before heading up the street for some tea costing all of about 30p bringing it back to the hostel sitting around watching a dvd off the street that one of the other guys had bought the other day for about 20p, then time for bed ready for another early start tomorrow.

The Wall

Saturday 18th November

My third day in Beijing took me to the abundant, ample, big, colossal, considerable, decided, enormous, excessive, extended, extensive, extravagant, extreme, fat, gigantic, grievous, high, huge, humongous, husky, immense, inordinate, jumbo, lengthy, long, mammoth, mungo, numerous, oversize, prodigious, prolonged, pronounced, protracted, strong, stupendous, towering, tremendous, vast, voluminous wall today – words can not describe it so there!

I had booked a great wall trip over the internet back in the UK a few days before but there weren’t enough people to go on it, all was fine though as I booked it at the hostel instead and it cost me half as much so I am not complaining.

A 6am start with two other girls from the hostel meant a 5.30am rise out of bed (owch). We first had to get a taxi to another hostel – the taxi driver either played silly on us or really didn’t know the way – the hostel was down a Hutong and we were lucky to find it in the dark, but eventually after the driver asking locals where it was we found it. (Not as nice as ours we decided). There were about 10 or so people going on this trip so we had a small mini bus (nothing like the wall). Although totally freezing on the bus I managed to get some sleep as I was still a little jetlagged I reckon. I awoke to the most magnificent site ever, we were up in the hills some 3 hours later and straight infront of me was this site that words can not describe, a long stretch of stone wall going on forever and ever and ever. Just amazing.

Although it had warmed up somewhat it was still a bit chilly when we started the walk, already a few locals were trying to get us to buy books and postcards, “later” we said but the followed us. We couldn’t work out whether these were our guides (as we were told there was a guide) or just people trying to sell us stuff.

The first experience was a stop to the toilet. When you have to go you have to go, to say it was a “shit hole” was an understatement. It was as described in the books – a few holes, and nothing else. Very very interesting. But you weren’t here to read about “shit holes” were you? You were here to read about how amazing the Great Wall is.

later….

Summer Palace in Winter

Friday 17th November

The hostel is still lovely, heating in the rooms which is great – apparently it only came on the other day – the government regulate it so its a good job i didn’t come any earlier.

Today I ventured out to the Summer Palace. I bused it for 4yuan each way – thats about 24p – the price of what I paid for a bottle of water – and paid more for a cup of tea believe it or not! Still prices are so low.

Summer palace was stunning – its huge. I had read somewhere that it would take a good 2 hours on public transport but I thought I would try it as I could have got a taxi back. It only took an hour in the end and I got a seat. The summer palace is an archetypal Chinese garden, Kunming lake is so surreal, it was hazy with the sun shining through a little which put a real mystical vibe onto the lake. Some three or four hours later I headed back on the bus again, which this time only took just over half an hour and was half empty.

Handy tip for this trip, keep your outward ticket as then you can show it to the bus conductor on the way back no you dont get a free ride but it means that you are charged the same, as its difficult to say where you are staying to a bus conductor. So cost me 8y overall to get there and back – that’s about 50p.

Tomorrow I am off trecking on the great wall – waahhhh!

Landed in Beijing

Thursday 16th November I’ve arrived in China via Helsinki – where the plane got delayed due to Santa streaking across the runway – we all know what these Scandinavian countries are like (although Finland is not strictly Scandinavian). Arrived in Beijing this morning to an icy frosty air – the type you get in the UK in February, cold but plesent, know the type? They let me in the country (hurrah!) and I navigated my way onto an airport bus 16yuan (about £1) and then onto a bus which is about 6p to my hostel – Lotus Hostel. I have started liking this place. The hostel I am at is down a Hutong – a narrow alley they call it but its really cute with really nice owners and free wireless broadband so out comes my laptop. Glad my laptop has already come in use. So sat here with tea in one hand and laptop in the other typing away. Theres lots of bikes here, they have their own lanes as wide as the roads, and lots of tea houses (still yet to visit one). Had the tourist thing done to me – taxi drivers trying to rip me off – no i am not paying £2 for a taxi when i can pay 6p for the bus – come on i am a tight fisted northerner even out here!! Also had “art students” approach me, various tour books mention art students – avoid them at all costs, be polite but avoid them. I seem to be one of very few westerners out here which is interesting, but all good and adds to the experience. So today once I got to the hostel I did the sorting out and freshening up etc and then went wandering to Tiananmen square and Forbidden City which is just out of this world. By about 4.30pm jet lag had set in and I was ready to put on my jammies and have a cup of tea. So its really time to go now as its way past my bedtime (yeah ok its like 11am in the UK) still time to go to bed…