Beijing Railway Station | my room in Beijing Leo Hostel |
After over 20 hours of travelling i finally landed in Beijing. Foggy and cold morning. Took a bus to downtown, made a stroll around Wangfujing and Tian An Men Square and then anchored in Leo Hostel, placed in hutong south of Qian Men Square.
Chinese Parliament and the Tiananmen Square | Tiananmen Gate |
Woke up at 2AM. Jetlag like hell. Past 5AM i forced myself to go out into the morning Beijing streets and walked to Tian An Men Square to see the flag ceremony. Later in the day I visited the Temple of Heaven, one of the main sights in BJ.
Taichi training in park next to Temple of Heaven | Temple of Heaven |
Temple of Heaven is simply a stunning piece of architecture. Reportedly, no single nail was used during the construction and it's a purely wooden structure. In the afternoon i headed to Beijing West Railway Station to grab a ticket for my onward journey - Datong in Shanxi province.
Military museum in Beijing | inside of the Forbidden City |
Following day i headed to explore another top sight of Beijing - the Forbidden City. Althought i arrived really early in the morning, already quite some crowds of tourists were on the spot. Despite that, i can highly recommend to pay it a visit. In the evening i'm leaving by train to Datong - one of the most polluted cities in China, but couple of UNESCO sites are nearby.
Beijing routine | welcome to Datong |
After maybe only 3 hours of sleep on the train, i reached Datong next day early morning. Awful, smoggy morning. Placed my backpack in a left luggage at the train station and headed to get something for breakfast. And to find a bus to the famous Yungang Grottoes.
Yungang Grottoes | me and one of the big statues |
Short but insane bus ride moved me to the caves. Whole area has around 50 000 Buddha statues and few of them are above 20 metres tall. A must see. Unfortunately, coal mining industry around gives the statues quite a toll.
lunch in a restaurant in Datong | chinese girl in Pingyao |
Following night was another "on a train" night - i moved southwards to Pingyao. The old town in Pingyao is tranquil, narrow lanes, nice old houses, bit touristy, but bearable. I spent 2 days here and then moved to Xian.
ancient walls around Pingyao Old Town | Pingyao alleys |
Xian is another hustling bustling giant of China. I arrived in the evening, but managed to walk around the major sights - Bell Tower, Drum Tower, ancient city walls and ended the day in a restaurant in Moslem quarter.
welcome to Xian | Drum Tower |
Be in Xian and skip the Terracotta Army would be a crime. Half day organized tours are offered for around 150 kuai, but there is a public bus leaving from the square in front of the railway station, which takes you to the site as well. Ride for 8 kuai.
visiting the Terracota Army | Terracotta Army |
street fast-food in the Moslem Quarter in Xian | in the streets of Xian |
Third day in Xian was my last day there and at 6 PM i departed by train to Beijing. A journey 1250km and 12 hours long. Fortunately i found a good company in my compartment. Whole next day was dedicated to visit of the Great Wall. I picked the Mutianyu section, which is far less touristy than Badaling and in the same time not very far from the city.
the Great Chinese Wall - Mutianyu section | Tiananmen Square by dusk |
The Mutianyu section is partially restored and no crowds were present, so i did enjoy the walk on the Wall.
During last few days i made a half day trip to Tianjin, but otherwise i stayed in Beijing. Last day in the evening taking bus to the airport and without any issues en route getting back home.
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