Back at the hostel I met an American guy called James. He was your ultimate prep boy. He was completely devoted to his university, Clemson. I couldn't quite believe some of the stuff he came out with and so through the week he tried to educate me a little about "college football." We went out to eat but he was mighty jet lagged and completely zoned out so he went off to bed early. Back on my own again I took my book and went and sat in the small sitting room/common area at the hostel which was crammed with people. I got chatting to a couple of Israelis, Gill and Raf who were cool and signed me up for a night out, then I met a Dutch guy, Vincent, who we also enrolled and then we were joined by a German called Tristan.
We got a cab out to a touristy strip of bars and found a place with cheap beer. We moved on to a nice but expensive club and danced for a couple of hours but eventually cheap beer won out and we went back to the bar until we were evicted about 4am. At 4.30am we were back in the common room watching Bolt break the world record for 100m...bit random but very good start to Beijing!
Hutongs:
The next day, after our free breakfast, James and I went to see the Beijing Olympic Park. I found it very exciting obviously!Funny sign post in the park (check out the state of the grass anyway):
Watch tower:
Posing for photos for the Chinese tourists:
Swimming pool:
Being a bird in front of the birds nest!
We had some cold noodles with random sauce for lunch...no idea what they were we just had what the table next to us were eating and then went to Jingshan Park. The park has a hill in it which overlooks the Forbidden city. The hill was created from the soil dug up to create the moat around the Forbidden City and it's the only hill in Beijing I think! In the park there were loads of choirs - randomly - I think just locals gathering together, they were pretty good:
View over the FC:
I think China is very sociable, they don't have much personal space so the people seem very comfortable to share the public space together. Here are some men playing the traditional Chinese game which I saw all over but never had the slightest idea about: 
Both James and I were absolutely shattered so we wandered back and watched some silly Will Ferrel movie and I got educated more about college football. We had a new arrival in our dorm, an American called Jerry Stiles - very out going guy! We all went out for dinner (Tristan and Vincent included) and then to Beijings smallest bar before ending up back at the hostel watching another film and drinking cheap beers (30p for a litre).Stiles:
The next day we had a slow start but I ended up going to the Summer Palace with Vincent. It took us 2 hours to get there by bus - Beijing is big - but he was an interesting guy so that wasn't a problem. Once at the Summer Palace we wandered round and round and tried to get away from the really touristy bits. It is huge but worth exploring. It was a good day but knackering because of the heat and lack of food. 
It took us another 2 hours to get back again and we went straight out for dinner. It was a good day but I was knackered and turned in early.
The next day we had a slow start but I ended up going to the Summer Palace with Vincent. It took us 2 hours to get there by bus - Beijing is big - but he was an interesting guy so that wasn't a problem. Once at the Summer Palace we wandered round and round and tried to get away from the really touristy bits. It is huge but worth exploring. It was a good day but knackering because of the heat and lack of food. 
It took us another 2 hours to get back again and we went straight out for dinner. It was a good day but I was knackered and turned in early.The next morning we had to be ready to leave at 6.40am to go to the Great Wall of China because we had a 3 hour journey to Simatra. We walked for 4hours along the wall between Simatai and Jinshanling. It was amazing. We had perfect weather and good company. It was something I had been looking forward to for my entire trip. I loved it.
Tiny Stiles:
The unrestored section:
The group: Me, Raf, Stiles, Gill, Vincent, Martin and Mieke:
Tiny Stiles:
The unrestored section:
The group: Me, Raf, Stiles, Gill, Vincent, Martin and Mieke:
After our busy day hiking we went out for Peking duck, unfortunately we didn't exactly go to a great restaurant - we are backpackers - however it was good fun:
not quiet as civilized as it should have been!
The next day was team cycling day. Unfortunately getting everyone organised took until about midday but we had a good group eventually: Me, Stiles, James, Vincent and Tristen:
First stop was the Dongyue Temple which is Taoist and really very odd...
Cycling through Beijing is crazy but so cool. They have cycle lanes that are a normal lane width for cars, however, there are just hundreds of cyclists. The roads are so wide you feel like there is so much space despite being in a capital city.
Next stop was Silk Street market. It is a shopping centre full of stalls selling fake everything. Bargaining takes on a new meaning, I was physically held back, separated from my friends etc. You have to knock them down to 10% of what they asked you and you are still probably getting ripped off. It's hard work, for one top, I walked away 3 times and got called back. She was not a happy sales woman by the time I'd finished. We had to have some beers to get over the stress and then went back in so that Tristan could film the action. Eventually we all cycled back to the hostel.
It was an evening of farewells, first off was Vincent, followed by Gill and then after dinner, Raf. James left at 5am the next day. Sharing a pot of veg/chillies and meat:
The next day I hung around the cafe for quite a while with a couple of French - Saskia and Nicholas. Eventually, Stiles and I located Tristan and we all went off to the Forbidden City. To be honest, after 10months travelling my excitment at seeing more sites has diminished. Admittedly this feeling was excentuated by my general lack of sleep over the last week. The boys weren't overly interested either so instead of following the crowds we wandered around the side alleys and sat under trees and discussed the ways of the world. We started taking funny pictures to try to amuse ourselves but we ran out of energy due to heat and lack of food.
not quiet as civilized as it should have been!
The next day was team cycling day. Unfortunately getting everyone organised took until about midday but we had a good group eventually: Me, Stiles, James, Vincent and Tristen:
First stop was the Dongyue Temple which is Taoist and really very odd...
Cycling through Beijing is crazy but so cool. They have cycle lanes that are a normal lane width for cars, however, there are just hundreds of cyclists. The roads are so wide you feel like there is so much space despite being in a capital city.
Next stop was Silk Street market. It is a shopping centre full of stalls selling fake everything. Bargaining takes on a new meaning, I was physically held back, separated from my friends etc. You have to knock them down to 10% of what they asked you and you are still probably getting ripped off. It's hard work, for one top, I walked away 3 times and got called back. She was not a happy sales woman by the time I'd finished. We had to have some beers to get over the stress and then went back in so that Tristan could film the action. Eventually we all cycled back to the hostel.
It was an evening of farewells, first off was Vincent, followed by Gill and then after dinner, Raf. James left at 5am the next day. Sharing a pot of veg/chillies and meat:
The next day I hung around the cafe for quite a while with a couple of French - Saskia and Nicholas. Eventually, Stiles and I located Tristan and we all went off to the Forbidden City. To be honest, after 10months travelling my excitment at seeing more sites has diminished. Admittedly this feeling was excentuated by my general lack of sleep over the last week. The boys weren't overly interested either so instead of following the crowds we wandered around the side alleys and sat under trees and discussed the ways of the world. We started taking funny pictures to try to amuse ourselves but we ran out of energy due to heat and lack of food.Entrance:
Pretending to be Chinese, I am taking a picture of Stiles taking a picture of Tristan taking a picture....Chinese people do this!
A fan:
Typical Chinese tour group complete with red flag:
What happens if you run and jump in front of random tour group and pose:
Opposite the Forbidden City is Tianamen Sq - biggest square in the world. It's pretty dull not surpisingly, however, it has to be visited just so you can stand there and think about it's history:
Typical Chinese child hygene although usually there wouldn't be a plastic bag:
We then walked to the tourist food market - Dongyuemen Market. It's pricey but sells crazy foods like star fish, scorpians etc... We tried snake and glow worms - both disgusting.
We went and sat on a corner of a huge junction and contimplated our next movements over some beers. I love this picture:
We found another market and had some cheaper food. The boys found a group of Koreans, Stiles, having lived in Korea for 2 years found this highly exciting and challenged them to scorpian eating. We all had one - they were surprisingly tasty!
Although Stiles didn't think so:
Stiles making the Korean teacher eat scorpian....
Entertainment at the market:
Random pictures from around the market....some are hard to explain:
Later that evening we went out with a group from the hostel. It was quite a random, multicultural group but a good laugh. We went to a club called Vics - great except which was English prices - booo!
Andrew (UK), Saskia, Tristan, Stiles, Corre (Spanish), Nicholas, me and Tristan (Canada):
Last day! I went to breakfast about 9am but didn't leave until midday due to a constant flow of people coming. I sat, chatted and drunk coffee. Eventually I wandered off and found a supermarket with some food stalls outside. I had tofu soaked in chilli sauce which was so hot it sent my mouth and lips completely numb....glad I tried it though because I'd seen it all over China. When I returned the others were all heading out for food so I sat and read the paper for a while. Eventually, I was so tired, I went and lay down. Not long after Saskia and Nicholas came into the dorm. We spent the next three hours lying on our beds talking about how lazy we were being. We eventually relocated back to the cafe and played cards before going back to our standard restaurant for my last meal which obviously turned very silly. We had chop stick competitions/chopstick building/making aliens out of cigarrette packets etc....very mature!
It turned into a random evening of flowing beers as normal, however, I said my goodbyes and turned in about 2am. Very sad!
I cannot describe how I felt sitting in the airport waiting for my flight to board. I waited until 99% of the plane had boarded before I got up and went on. I cried when I left China, not just for China but for the whole ten months. I also cried when I arrived back in London much to the surprise of the two Chinese guys sitting either side of me. I was so happy to be home yet I knew it was all over. No one will ever understand unless they have done it. What an amazing thing it is too see some of the world....I really hope that in the future I can do it again. I have been so, so lucky.
Pretending to be Chinese, I am taking a picture of Stiles taking a picture of Tristan taking a picture....Chinese people do this!
A fan:
Typical Chinese tour group complete with red flag:
What happens if you run and jump in front of random tour group and pose:
Opposite the Forbidden City is Tianamen Sq - biggest square in the world. It's pretty dull not surpisingly, however, it has to be visited just so you can stand there and think about it's history:
Typical Chinese child hygene although usually there wouldn't be a plastic bag:
We then walked to the tourist food market - Dongyuemen Market. It's pricey but sells crazy foods like star fish, scorpians etc... We tried snake and glow worms - both disgusting.
We went and sat on a corner of a huge junction and contimplated our next movements over some beers. I love this picture:
We found another market and had some cheaper food. The boys found a group of Koreans, Stiles, having lived in Korea for 2 years found this highly exciting and challenged them to scorpian eating. We all had one - they were surprisingly tasty!
Although Stiles didn't think so:
Stiles making the Korean teacher eat scorpian....
Entertainment at the market:
Random pictures from around the market....some are hard to explain:
Later that evening we went out with a group from the hostel. It was quite a random, multicultural group but a good laugh. We went to a club called Vics - great except which was English prices - booo!
Andrew (UK), Saskia, Tristan, Stiles, Corre (Spanish), Nicholas, me and Tristan (Canada):
Last day! I went to breakfast about 9am but didn't leave until midday due to a constant flow of people coming. I sat, chatted and drunk coffee. Eventually I wandered off and found a supermarket with some food stalls outside. I had tofu soaked in chilli sauce which was so hot it sent my mouth and lips completely numb....glad I tried it though because I'd seen it all over China. When I returned the others were all heading out for food so I sat and read the paper for a while. Eventually, I was so tired, I went and lay down. Not long after Saskia and Nicholas came into the dorm. We spent the next three hours lying on our beds talking about how lazy we were being. We eventually relocated back to the cafe and played cards before going back to our standard restaurant for my last meal which obviously turned very silly. We had chop stick competitions/chopstick building/making aliens out of cigarrette packets etc....very mature!
It turned into a random evening of flowing beers as normal, however, I said my goodbyes and turned in about 2am. Very sad!
I cannot describe how I felt sitting in the airport waiting for my flight to board. I waited until 99% of the plane had boarded before I got up and went on. I cried when I left China, not just for China but for the whole ten months. I also cried when I arrived back in London much to the surprise of the two Chinese guys sitting either side of me. I was so happy to be home yet I knew it was all over. No one will ever understand unless they have done it. What an amazing thing it is too see some of the world....I really hope that in the future I can do it again. I have been so, so lucky. 
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