Beijing: An amazing City for every personality! (Beijing)

Member Name: powsucks

Product:	Beijing
Date:	20/08/09 (52 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: History, Sights, Food, Shopping and the nightlife.

Disadvantages: Some problems with scam artists

I visited Beijing for the first time fairly recently, during the month of June. On arrival at Beijing International Airport everyone on the flight from Heathrow, including myself were subjected to Swine Flu checks. It involved four government officials boarding the plain, sporting rubber gloves and face masks of whom were armed with temperature scanners, which reminded me of Ray Guns! I did not have a high temperature fortunately, although one passenger was not so lucky, i later found out they spent the following week in a detention center. Sounds delightful, doesn't it?
I was supremely impressed by Beijing Airport, it was modern and well run. The sheer scale of it was, at first daunting but thankfully the signs are translated into English! There are regular busses running to and from the airport almost any bus that will take you the 27 km into the center of the city will be do, i would advise you take the one stopping at the Train Station though because it is a central location. There is also the newly built Airport Line Light-Railway link which cost 25 yuan and travels directly to Dongzhimen underground station. From there you can use the comprehensive subway system to find your accommodation. Alternatively you can take a taxi, of which there are plentiful numbers which offer competitive prices.

The time of your visit is particularly important, during the summer months the temperature is extremley hot, peaking near to 40 degrees centigrade, which can be unbearable during a full days sightseeing! The winter months are a complete contrast, the temperature frequently venture below zero degrees! The best time to visit, in my opinion is around September/October because temperatures are comfortable and the likelihood of rain is far lower when compared to the summer months.

The accommodation options are plentiful in Beijing, ranging from 5 star hotels to budget youth hostels. I have no experience of the latter, having been on a strict backpacks budget throughout my stay! I opted for Leo Hostel, which is recommended by the most recent edition of the Lonely Planet guide to China. It is located in a excellent location, just a 5 minute walk away from Tiananmen square and the forbidden City. The staff are extremely friendly and always try their best to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. The best thing about this hostel is the atmosphere, it is always busy and everyone, on the whole are friendly like minded travelers who want to have fun! The rooms are simple and clean whilst prices are competitive, my place in a 4 bed dorm with ensuite cost 80 yuan per night.

My first full day was spent on the Great Wall, i opted to take a tour Leo Hostel offer called 'The Secret Great Wall Tour'. I was somewhat skeptical after reading the title just how 'secret' it really was, but i decided to go for it after hearing positives reviews. We set off at 8 am after a quick breakfast of pork dumplings. The group consisted of 10 people, who came from all over the world! The journey took over 3 hours, we passed all of the popular, commercialised sections of the Wall which have been updated and are littered with lifts and toboggan runs not to mention the hundreds of fellow tourists! We soon stopped on a dirt road in the middle of no where and were then ordered to evacuate the van. We the walked for an hour, until the wall finally came into sight. It was better than i ever imagined, the sheer scale of the structure is mind blowing! We trekked along the wall itself for over 3 hours and saw no other person! On arrival in a small village at the end of the trek we were treated to lunh, which included traditional dishes ranging from Egg Plant to Chicken Feet! I would advise taking plenty of water if you choose to go on this trip as the exercise if fairly demanding!

The following day i visited the Forbidden City, as soon as you enter the walls you really get a sense of the history and legacy contained within. It is undoubtably a must see sight in Beijing, it is however extremely busy which can sour the experience. The cost of entering used to be execution, however 60 yuan will now suffice. Chairman Mao's Mausoleum was next on the agenda, it is only open during specific times, two separate time frames, one in the mourning and one in the afternoon. The que, at first looks rather daunting, it is actually fairly quick and pain free. Admission is free, although you only get a limited time frame once in the building to see the body itself, a fleeting glance is all you are allowed as you are ushered through the corridor! This is understandable because of the sheer numbers of visitors. At night time i visited the Silk Market which is a huge, six story building crammed with cheap stalls selling anything from fake watches to tailored suits!

The next day was relaxing compared to yesterday, i awoke early to visit the Temple of heaven. The Temple itself is located in the center of a large park which is beautiful, extremely enjoyable to stroll around at a sedate pace! There are two tickets available, 15 yuan will gain you admission but only allows for access to 3 of the 5 sights, the full ticket costs 30 yuan and is well worth the extra money.

On day 5 i took a 90 minute bus journey (Bus number 331) which winds 12 km away from the centre of the city, heading to the Summer Palace. This was one of the highlights of the trip, it is a beautiful building set beside a huge lake amid beautiful mountains. Admission will set you back 50 yuan for the full ticket which gains you entry to all sites within.

Day six was a full day, i chose to head to the Lama Tempe early to avoid the crowds. This was a good decision as it is a ever popular location for residents and tourists alike. Admission will set you back just 25 yuan, which is brilliant value considering the size and quality of the site. I then took the subway to the Olympic park area and visited both the birds nest and the Water Cube. The Birds nest was simply stunning, you are allowed onto the track itself which enables you to get a real feel of the sheer scale of the structure! The Water Cube was not so good, costing 30 yuan, which basically allows you to look at a swimming pool, it's definitely fair to say the building is more impressive from the outside, especially at night time when the lights are on!

The food in Beijing is brilliant, you are spoilt by the endless opportunities to try interesting and new dishes. Your taste buds are frequently challenged as you are rewarded for trying dishes which are urrrrm.... interesting. Peking Duck is the famous dish and there are many restaurants to choose from, ranging from the cheap to downright diabolical considering you can feed 7 people for under 100 yuan! The street food is my favorite, dumplings are the most common often filled with pork. Wangfujing night market is famous for it's street food, mainly because of the odd food on offer, such as Scorpion and Star Fish!
As far as vegetarian option go there are quite a few restaurants which cater specifically for non meat eaters, just ask the staff at you hotel or hostel and they will point you in the right direction.

The shopping opportunities range from the up market stores around Wangfujing which offer the likes of Gucci, Prada and Armani to the street venders selling souvenirs. You must haggle when buying off the street, they will always come in with a high price, never take it!

Nightlife in Beijing is a relatively new occurrence, in the last 20 years bars and clubs have appeared and are currently more popular than ever! Bar street is where most people congregate, drinks are expensive (40 yuan for a bottle of beer) but it provides a fin evening and continues into the early hours. Hostel also provide a great night scene, with beer costing a more respectable 5 yuan each. The clientele are usually tourist which means meeting people is easy.

Getting around Beijing is easy, the subway system comprehensively covers the whole of the city and costs just 2 yuan per journey! Pick up a map at any hostel or Tourist information centre, they are realy easy to follow and all signs are in English. Taxis are another option, they are an expensive method of traveling around the city but offer an easy and more comfortable alternative to taking the subway.

Scam artists are, unfortunately ever present in Beijing, they tend to target locations such as the Forbidden City and Tiananmen square because of the amount of tourists. They typically offer art work or a tea house experience and then subsequently charge outrageous prices for the privilege. It is not something to be worried about, just be vigilant at all times!

To conclude, Beijing is a fun, vibrant city full of history, it provides endless sights to visit and activities to suit every personality. i would advise visiting during Autumn so you can really make the most of your time and ensure the weather is ideal for sightseeing. I hope to return soon as i believe there are so many sights to witness, i just couldn't fit them all into seven days!

Summary: Beijing is the best City i have visited on my travels, there's always something to do!