Beijing's Hutong's and Tiananmen Square

Hutong is the Chinese name for narrow alleyways and streets that can be found in Beijing.  They are quirky with an authentic Chinese atmosphere.  Lined by a plethora of shops, restaurants and hotels, there is enough going on to attract the masses.

Last night the streets glowed red because of the street signs and were buzzing with people.  Some were sat outside eating Chinese Hot Pot, others wandered aimlessly through, whilst the kids were sat on street steps playing board games.

First thing this morning it feels a little oppressive.  The smog is particularly heavy this morning, casting a grey shadow over everything.  I can feel it in my lungs, in every breath and there is a lingering gritty taste that I can't seem to get rid of.

There are a lot of guards wandering around.  More so here than in Guilin or Shanghai.  I managed to take a picture of 2 guards walking down the Hutong, but was asked to delete it.  Apparently I wasn't allowed to take pictures of them.  I complied to keep the peace as it wasn't precious, but Teacher wasn't happy about it.

Tiananmen Square was a short walk away from our hostel.  A site known for many political events and protests, of which some have ended tragically.

The middle of the Square was adorned with a basket of flowers, whilst the rest was barricaded off to guide people to the Forbidden City or to the Mausoleum (where Chairman Mao's body was).  I was stood by one barricade taking pictures of the Forbidden City when I heard a commotion to the right of me.

I turn to see a lady on the other side of the barricade having an argument with a traffic warden.  Suddenly he has her arm locked behind her and she is pushed up against the barricade, as a few other soldiers rush up to the area.

She suddenly reaches down into her bag and flings a load of papers at the guards in protest.  I'm not sure what was going on here, but it was definitely our cue to leave.  I saw one guy take a picture of the commotion, which didn't go unnoticed and he gets pulled up by the guard.  Definitely a time to leave.

We make a quick getaway to the National Chinese Museum, which overlooks the Square.  It was spacious in side with many floors holding many Chinese artefacts as well as objects from other countries. 

An interesting floor was one showing the gifts from other countries to China.  There were gifts from all over the world.  Some very ornate dressed in gold, others simple pots or pieces of art.  The gift given from the UK was a crystal jug.  A bit lost amongst the opulence of the gold from other countries.

In The Night Market

The Night Market is an interesting place.  Brightly lit signs burning through the evening's smog.  People selling all kinds of things; food, jewellery, ornaments, trinkets and general tat.

There was a buzz in the air from the general natter, the haggling between customer and trader, and the call outs from staff manning the stalls, trying to entice you to try the weird and wonderful 'food' on offer.

I'd said to myself before going on this trip that I would embark upon my own 'bush tucker trial'; try something strange and something that I wouldn't normally eat.  In the market there was a lot on offer; scorpions (big and small), snakes, turtles, grubs, small birds, sea horses and star fish.

I decided to opt for the small scorpions; apparently teacher had eaten one before and described it as 'tasting similar to smoky bacon'.

The scorpions were skewered onto wooden sticks and then deep fried.  I broke off its tail and then took a deep breath and shoved it in my mouth.

Ashy, charred, crispy, smoky, burnt.  It has to be the most foul thing I've ever eaten and nothing like smoky bacon.  These pictures aren't the prettiest, but had to be shared.  I can't look at the pictures for too long as it brings back the memory of that foul taste.

Luckily scorpions were not the only things to eat.  There were also an assortment of dumplings, noodle soups and sweet treats.  For drinks there were a variety of options.  Bottles of water to something that looked like a witches brew; steaming and vivid in colour.

One vendor that was set apart from the others was a Chinese man whose talent was creating Chinese horoscope animals out of blown sugar.

In case you haven't figured out what the animal is, it's a Rooster.  Both teacher and I were born in 1981 and therefore this is our Chinese sign.

Peking Duck from Peking

The chef comes out.

Donned in a white hat and mask,

Blue stripy apron at the waist,

Carver in one hand and a whole Peking Duck in the other.

The Duck is a glistening reddish-brown.

The Chef carefully carves the skin off first into pieces,

That can be picked up by chop sticks

And dunked in sugar salt.

The Chef continues to carve away,

Slicing the meat into little pieces.

The perfect size

For being rolled into a small pancake.

A dollop of Hoisin Sauce,

A layer of duck meat,

A sprinkling of spring onion and cucumber

All rolled up in a pancake.

The combination of flavours,

The tenderness of the meat

The crunch of the cucumber.

It is all incredibly delicious.

A Wonder of The World: The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China; apparently an international symbol of peace, according to the sign at the entrance.  It seems that the original purpose of this wall, to defend the Chinese against Northern Nomadic Tribes and other enemies, was long forgotten.

The trip to the wall at Badaling was a little cumbersome.  It started with a brisk walk to the Metro; used to get us to Jiangshu.  Once there we had to cross a busy motorway to get to our bus stop.  It took us ages to figure out where we were supposed to be.  Our bus numbers, 877 or 919,  seemed to be posted everywhere and queues were randomly forming beside each sign with no bus in sight.

We finally find the correct bus stop, which was a short walk away and get into a queue.  Teacher notices another longer queue to our right.  We ask a passerby what the queue was for and we get told that it's the seated queue for the bus.  'So what queue are we in?' The standing queue.  For a journey estimated to be 2-3 hours long.  Great!

Luckily the journey only turned out to be an hour and a half in the end, but it wasn't the most comfortable.  We were literally crammed in like sardines in a can.

Finally at the wall.  It was a magnificent piece of architecture that stretches for miles and miles.  Quite impressive when you think about the era it was built in and what technology people had available to them at the time.

The view from the wall was less impressive.  Sadly Beijing's smog had carpeted the landscape and so everything looked a hazy blur.

What was interesting was that for such a big attraction, there were no signs along the wall; describing what the wall had been used for, or any information on who had built it.  All that could be seen was a sea of people against a hazy backdrop.

Chinese Transport

It seems that on this trip we have tried every mode of Chinese transport possible to get to our destinations.  There were the green taxi's in Shanghai that whiz around and make swift movements, squeezing into the smallest of spaces.

There were the underground trains, which were unbelievably clean and super efficient.  It was really easy to navigate your way around, provided you knew which stop you needed to get off at.

There were the Spring Airline Planes; China's budget airline.  Where the responsibilities of the flight stewards and stewardesses, were not only to make you aware of the safety measures on board, but also to take you through simple exercise routines.  Exercises were to loosen up the muscles, to get the blood circulating and to get the joints moving.

There has been travel on water; on big boats and bamboo rafts.  A mix of Western and Chinese experiences on peaceful waters.

There have been the bicycles and motorbike taxi's that have got the blood pressure up from fear of being hit.

The numerous buses and coaches that drive up winding roads at a snail's pace.  And last but not least, the Bullet Train that we took today to get to Beijing.  The number of people that were in the train station trying to buy tickets or boarding their trains was astounding.

The Manicured Paddies of Longji Terraces

For Baby Samuel who made his entrance into the world today.

The unwelcome sound of the alarm goes off.

It's 6am and we've only had 3 hours sleep.

A mini bus taxi picks us up at 7am to take us into town.

Stood at a bus stop, hoping that we're in the right place.

Watching others clean the mess that was left from the night before.

Our coach arrives, it's air-conditioned and spacious.

Standing around in a hall, waiting for our tour number to be called.

Our number flashes and there is a mad dash to get on the bus.

The bus travels at a snails pace up the winding road.

5 hours later we've made it.

But no time to stop.

We are raced up the rocky steps of the Longji Terrace to get to our restaurant.

Rice served in bamboo with some Chinese Pork and Greens.

Food cooked in bamboo is the local delicacy.

It is tasty, but not my favourite food on this trip so far.

Tummies filled, it's time to explore.

It's humid outside.

And simply walking works up a sweat.

The little streets are made of slabs of rock.

Buildings appear to be precariously held up on bamboo.

Chickens roam freely, unintimidated by the locals and tourists. 

The slabs of rock form a little path.

They lead up and through the rice paddies.

This part of the year the rice is fully grown and ready to be harvested.

The paddies up close look wild and overgrown.

But at a distance the paddies look manicured.

It's a field of yellow and green.

By the time we make it to the top, it is time to come back down again.

My legs begin to feel like jelly and shake with every step I take.

I'm only carrying a camera bag, there are the locals walking around with massive loads on their backs.

The little streets are full of workers and traders.

There are 3 men beating the hell out of some grain used to make bread.

Hard work in this humidity.

There are others which sit behind stalls.

Selling cured meats.

Bemused as they catch me taking their picture.

It's 4pm and it should be time to get back on the bus.

But the queues are horrendous.

And we have to wait a couple of hours for our bus to arrive.

There are children waiting with us.

Pointing at us to their parents.

And trying to speak to us in English.

Luckily this makes the time pass by more quickly.

Till we begin the long and winding journey away from the terrace.

To go back to Shanghai.