Our Oriental Adventure; China!! BEIJING

Beijing (16th - 20th February 2014)

We arrived into chilly Beijing (-4c) at 6.30am local time from our stop over in Kuala Lumpur.

We stayed in the Dongcheng area (Beijing Jade Hotel) which was a 15 minute walk to the nearest metro station, Dongsi.

Wangfujing shopping street was our closest and favourite hangout and was a 5 minute walk from the hotel.

Some great street food was sampled in the Wangfujing street markets (you can't miss the bustling street surrounded by hanging lanterns)

 

 

While having normal Chinese street foods, such as Bings, dumplings and meat skewers, there were also some delicacies for the brave - scorpions, deep fried tarantulas, starfish and lizards, all on sticks (some even still moving!).

 

 

Tianamen Square & The Forbidden PalaceWe started the day with a brisk walk to Tianamen square and stopped off for breakfast - a road side freshly cooked 'Bing'.

Bings are a common street food you will find around China which consist of a pancake filled with herbs, egg, meat and often fried bread or beancurd sheets.

 

 

Onwards to Tianamen square...

 

 

Forbidden city entrance

(Closed on Mondays, 40 Yuan ($8AUD) entrance fee per person)

 

Inside the Forbidden Palace

 

The Great Wall

After being approached by a tout at the forbidden palace the day before, we decided to use her to book a tour of the great wall of China. We paid 300 Yuan ($60 AUD) for four people including car hire and an English speaking guide.

Starting at the vase factory, we were shown how traditional Chinese vases are made and the intricate processes involved.

Opting for the Mutianyu section of the great wall over the Badaling section was a great choice. It is slightly further away from Beijing, however we were rewarded with great photo opportunities and very little tourists.

We paid our 45 Yuan ($9 AUD) for the entrance fee and 80 Yuan ($16 AUD) for the cable car ride up and toboggan ride down, and made our way up to the Great Wall of China.

We climbed around 5 watch towers and were amazed at the long stretch of the wall which you could see fading off into the distance and the amount of work that went into this Chinese icon.

Steps ranged from big to small, leaning to the left and then leaning to the right – however were easy enough for someone of moderate fitness level to climb.

The toboggan ride down was great fun!

(Check out this youtube video someone took while going down!)

http://youtu.be/KXIqqU1voY4

With a couple of extra stops to a silk factory, a tea house and a Chinese medicine centre at the Olympic sports stadium, we had a great day out!

A fantastic end to a great day, was at a nearby restaurant 'Sijiminfu'. (check out our food page).

As Beijing is the home of the famous Peking Duck – this was a must have dish while visiting China's capital. We thoroughly enjoyed this meal and would recommend this place to anyone visiting Beijing.

Hutong Nanluoguxiang & Houhai LakeWe visited this touristy Hutong, it was a lovely walk and had some tasty street food.

 

 

Houhai Lake (Just around the corner) was frozen over and charming. With all the small pubs along the lake, this is an area that comes alive after dark.

 

 

 

We absolutely loved Beijing, with its charm and friendly locals. This was a great place to begin our three weeks of travel through China!