Arriving in Beijing was awesome. It was the first time we had put sweaters on since leaving Canada and it felt great!! We checked into the Peking Downtown Backpackers Accommodation and settled in for a few days.
The hostel was quite central and we were able to walk to the Forbidden City and many of the other attractions. On our way to the Forbidden City we all had a good laugh when we passed what looked like an adult playground. It was actually an exercise area and we saw quite a few of them throughout the country.
Our first stop was a public garden. It was full of musicians with various instruments and a wide range of talent. There were also dancers throughout the park and, although we were eagerly welcomed into the various groups, we chose to dance at a distance. I'm not sure who amused whom more, but it was a good time all around. Then we climbed to the top of a hill where there was a beautiful pagoda overlooking a good portion of the city. The kids posed for a photo with the Forbidden City in the background.
This is a photo of the pagoda looking back up from the street between the park and the Forbidden City.
One of the many squares within the Forbidden City. It was difficult to get photos with few people in them as the crowds were amazing. It is a huge complex, but there are also a huge number of tourists, most of whom are Chinese.
It is difficult to capture the vastness of the spaces in a photo, but rest assured, these are huge areas within the City.
We chose not to cross the street to Tianamen Square (even though there is an underpass below the road) and just took a photo from outside the gate of the Forbidden City. This is another of those places that we have put on our list to look into more when we get home. Perhaps we should have done that before we left, but it seems so much more interesting once you have actually visited a place to find out more about it. I guess then we will have to return with our new-found knowledge.
Chairman Mao is still a very prominent figure in China and his photo is displayed on the gate of the Forbidden City.
Our hostel was in a "hutong", which is like a small, self-sufficient community in Beijing. It really was a lovely area with cobblestone lanes lined with coffee shops, tea houses, shops and restaurants. It felt very safe and everything we needed was within a short walk.
We had a great room in the hostel with four beds and our own in-room bathroom. And, yes, it did have a throne toilet for Kelly.
The lake was nearby and was surrounded with neat little shops and cafes. It was a beautiful day to just stroll around the neighbourhood. We all agreed that we could have spent a long time in Beijing. It is a huge city, but very clean (other than the air) and lots of things to see and do. And the weather was absolutely brilliant.
