After a quick, cheap and scary cab ride to the hotel both Lee (my mate im doing the trip with) and I felt pretty hungry so decided to throw ourselves straight into the local delicacies....................Lee went for a Big Mac and as I felt adventurous I went with the "Big N Beefy" burger (which was pretty good)! As we weren't far from the Olympic park we decided to take a stroll and walk off the food, but headed back pretty quickly after we took a few pics as the jet lag was kicking in and we both felt shattered! We were in bed by 8pm Beijing time but set our alarms for 4am as Lee wanted to get up and watch the Man Utd Vs AC Milan (Lee's a Man Utd fan unfortunately)! After watching them win we went back to sleep, and were up about 11ish to check out at 12. 
We decided to stay in the 5* hotel just for 1 night so that we could get a good first nights sleep but the rest of the trip we would be staying in a hostel in a much busier part of town. It was my first trip to a hostel and I was amazed by the standard and even Lee was impressed with the place and he's stayed in alot of hostels on his travels over the years.
As we only really had some of the afternoon left and still didnt feel 100% on Beijing time, we decided to take a walk to Tienanmen Square. Typically, it was closed off to the public due to an upcoming "flag raising" ceremony but we could see it from a distance and knew we'd probably go back again later in the week. Right in front of the square is the Forbidden City, which used to be the Chinese imperial palace, so we decided to venture inside as we were there. The place was amazing and the sheer scale of the thing is unbelievable! Every building inside is huge and they just keep on going. You walk through 1 and in the distance over a massive courtyard or walk way is another. It was an amazing place to visit and even if i'd just done that in China it would have been worth the trip. We had signed up to a trip to the Great Wall through the hostel for the next day so decided a few drinks would help us sleep better but didnt have too many as the trip started at 6am!!!
Getting up at 5.30 wasnt easy but we knew it was a 2.5 hour drive to the Wall so dozed most of the way there. As we got close you could catch glimpses of it in the distance which blew me away but when we finally got there and you stand on it and look for miles and its all you can see, it really is unbelievable. Since being in China the days were cold and the nights colder but the day at the Wall was the best we'd had yet! Not a cloud in the sky and even though we're in our coats in the pic it was more due to the wind and needed to take them off when we sat for lunch in the sun. I wish I could describe in more detail how amazing the place is, but I wouldnt do it justice. I think the pictures speak for themselves really; just jaw dropping. We did an 8km hike (and it was a hike at times, not easy on the legs at all) but it was worth all the effort. Definitely the best experience of my life so far and doubt it will ever be beaten. We ended the 5hour walk in style to by taking a zip wire down to the base, which you dont need much convincing to take when they say you either do a 45sec zip wire trip or more walking down the hill! It was a brilliant day and I slept well that night; we were shattered!
Getting up at 5.30 wasnt easy but we knew it was a 2.5 hour drive to the Wall so dozed most of the way there. As we got close you could catch glimpses of it in the distance which blew me away but when we finally got there and you stand on it and look for miles and its all you can see, it really is unbelievable. Since being in China the days were cold and the nights colder but the day at the Wall was the best we'd had yet! Not a cloud in the sky and even though we're in our coats in the pic it was more due to the wind and needed to take them off when we sat for lunch in the sun. I wish I could describe in more detail how amazing the place is, but I wouldnt do it justice. I think the pictures speak for themselves really; just jaw dropping. We did an 8km hike (and it was a hike at times, not easy on the legs at all) but it was worth all the effort. Definitely the best experience of my life so far and doubt it will ever be beaten. We ended the 5hour walk in style to by taking a zip wire down to the base, which you dont need much convincing to take when they say you either do a 45sec zip wire trip or more walking down the hill! It was a brilliant day and I slept well that night; we were shattered!
On the 4th day we had a decent lie in and then headed to Lama Temple which is one of the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world. There were so many people there and only a handful were western tourists and as it is a functioning temple the locals had come to burn incense and pray, which was brilliant to see. When we left there we got a tube to the Olympic park so that we could get some pics of it at night. As it was Saturday and we'd read about the good bar areas in our guide book we agreed that we should have 1 big night out........and it went according to plan. The local beer, Tsing Tao, isnt too bad but is very cheap, so we drunk a fair few of them and ended up having an eventful night!
After dealing with the hangovers we travelled out to the southeastern part of central Beijing to visit the Temple of Heaven. However, over night there was a massive downpour of snow and it was a total shock when we walked outside and saw our local street and roofs covered. We had heard snow was expected but didnt expect to get that much. Again we got the tube (which are great and were mostly put in due to the Olympics so are in great shape) and spent an afternoon walking around the temple and its grounds. Its another amazing place and well worth the trip. As Tienanmen Square was on the route back we jumped off the tube early and hoped it was open this time. It was, so we got lots of pics and then headed back to the hostel.
Day 6 was pretty relaxed but we did head off to the Summer Palace, which is on a huge hill and over looks a massive lake. Im sorry if this blog is getting boring now as im gonna say it again.........it was an amazing place. The buildings themselves were so impressive but the views from the top of hill over the lake was even better. You can understand why the emperor had it built when you stand at the top. We strolled back through the finance district and saw some amazing MODERN buildings for a change, the main 1 below being the CCTV HQ (China Central Television Headquarters) building.
So after a good nights kip, we packed up and headed back to Beijing airport to head on to Oz. Im so glad we decided to do the trip through China, its something I definitely wont forget and would recommend it to anyone. The people are nice, most dont speak english but all signs are in english aswell as chinese (since the Olympics), its cheap and has so much to see and do. Its going to be a world away from what life in Oz is going to be like, but that was the point of going, totally different but absolutely amazing!
See all the pics on my facebook page.
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