BRILLIANT Beijing & that GREAT Wall

Beijing has been the best. After arriving off the bullet train we waited in a taxi line for at least an hour, watching over one hundred taxis pass before it was our turn. (We know this because we counted them and turned it into a rhyming song.) Arriving at the 365 Inn we checked into a ten bed dorm room before sitting down to a feast and a bottle of red. It was a cool hostel, great vibe with very friendly and helpful staff. We were sharing a dorm with a diverse group of people from Ireland, Sweden, Pakistan and even a Melbournian! Beds again a plank of wood, we slept as best we could before a day of exploring. After breakfast at the hostel, we walked to Tiananmen Square. To look at it was a just a public meeting place, somewhere the Chinese go to celebrate patriotism and communism and it was full of Chinese tourists doing this. But at the same time the area was heavily patrolled by uniformed guards and a ridiculous amount of security cameras pointed in every angle, signaling the unmentioned but unforgettable atrocities committed in the past. 

We then taxied to the Silk Markets, which were everything I imagined - stifling hot, packed with people and shop attendants yelling at you from every direction “Excuse me Lady, you want Louis Vutton?” We managed to haggle a few hot buys before heading back to our hostel area for the Dunch (dinner/lunch) of a Thousand Chillis. In a very authentic little restaurant playing what looked like an insane Chinese opera from the 1970s we ordered a cold mashed eggplant and garlic dish which was delicious and what we thought was shredded beef and vegetables. What arrived was a plate of whole red chillies, with a few pieces of meat thrown in. It looked so good though and without much hesitation we dug in. Within about 2.5 seconds our noses and eyes were running but we enjoyed every mouthful.
After checking the weather forecast, we booked a tour to hike up The Great Wall the following day. 

Our bus left at six am so we called it an early night. Needless to say, the entire experience was incredible. Taking the advice of a fellow dormie, we rugged up; layers of singlets, shirts, jumpers, beanie hats and scarves then were bundled onto a bus with an unfulfilling McDonald’s breakfast before a four hour journey to Jinshanling, one of the last parts of the original wall still intact. We didn’t know what to expect but all of a sudden there it was, stretching as far as the eye could see across the horizon, just like you see in history books. Seeing it in person though is something totally different, it isn’t just a wall. We caught a cable car up the mountain and began a treck along the ancient wall, a combination of rocky, disintergrated steps, rocks and gravel, some at a seventy to eighty degree angles. Towers with windows and spectacular views across the region were a welcomed reward between each set of stairs. While we didn’t make it to the “Five Window Tower” we had an amazing day with incredible weather, we couldn’t have hoped for better really. The layers of clothing were stripped off almost immediately and I even managed to catch a singlet tan. We caught the cable car back down the mountain for an average Chinese Banquet lunch with a group of guys we befriended on the walk, also on the our day tour. 

After a few well deserved beers and egg tomato we started the long trip back. We headed straight to a restaurant next door to our hostel for Peking duck . Not impressed, Eri went back for something from the hostel. Chloe and I dug in though, attracting an audience from the tables of Chinese families either side of us. It was delicious and well worth the wait. We then left for the next hostel, the one booked for our Vodka Train tour. After an hour of confusion and a few tense moments we made it and went to bed. 

A sleep in and a slow start to the day, we caught a few buses through the city and made our way to the Art District. Being the awesome travelers we are, we forgot it was a Monday and realized most of the galleries were closed. However an impressive collection of street art and sculptures through the area kept us entertained before we found a cafe with three for two beers and pizza. Time had got away and before we knew it we were late to the first meet and greet with our tour group. Tearing through the streets and subway stations we arrived hot sweaty messes and forty-five minutes late. Good first impression! 

Luckily it seems we have a great group of people. There are twelve of us, mostly australians but also some from Finland, Holland, Denmark and Northern Ireland. After the formalities we went out for dinner for another night of Peking duck, hey I wasn’t complaining, this place was fancy and splitting the bill between our large table was much kinder on the wallet compared to two of us. Our honcho Alex then sent some of us off in taxis to a beautiful bar area. First we found an odd roof top bar with ger- style tents on the rook, we squeezed in and ordered a round before heading to another strip of bars on a lake call Hohide Park where we had more beers and sheesha. It didn’t take long to get to know one another. 

The next morning we woke to the worst rainy, windy weather we have seen yet. And it was washing day. After putting a load on we met our new friend Jane for breakfast at the hostel before heading out into the terrible weather complete with colorful ponchos enroute to the Pearl Markets. After so much difficulty trying to get a cab we jumped on the subway. While taxis are ridiculously cheap here in Beijing, no one wants to take us and I still haven’t figured out why… I think the Markets were a success. Erica and I gave in and finally bought ugly windproof coats for the cold journey still ahead. Pretty tired from the activities the night before we didn’t stay long and made our way back to the hostel. 

That night we went to a Chinese Acrobat show. I honestly wasn’t expecting much at all, but these kids blew my mind, from tight rope walkers to tap dancing jugglers and 12 girls in sequin leotards riding on one bike… It was pretty extraordinary. Best of all we enjoyed it with a few stubbies out of a vending machine. Afterwards we feasted on egg pancakes then made our way to Vicks, a nightclub across the road from Mix. If anyone hadn’t come out of their shell before this night they certainly let any inhibitions go inside Vicks. For 600 yuan we could sit in a booth… Definitely not worth it when we spent most of the time setting the dance floor on fire until the early hours of the next morning.

We started our last day in Beijing feeling a little dusty, but after breakfast at the hostel, our lovely honcho Alex walked us to the post office and then directed us to the Forbidden City, where past emperors and their concubines lived a pretty lux life! The buildings and gardens were elaborate with detail. There were also household items on display like your regular gold tea cup encrusted with tiny pearls or a solid gold bejeweled ear pick…? The visit was really topped off though when we discovered a new flower crown to add to the growing collection of head wearw. We made it back in time to check out the night food markets with the rest of the group. It was a vibrant display of anything you can imagine skewered on a stick. Starfish, dog, snake, sheep penis or testicles. But also some delicious options from the deep fryer like ice cream and banana. We then stocked up on food and Chinese “fire water” from a local supermarket for our first official night on the Vodka Train. I’m so excited, everyone in the group is heaps of fun and all very different and interesting in their own way.