Roast Duck and Dumplings
Travel Location: Beijing,China
Our final stop in China was the capital, Beijing. We had both been here before and seen all the star attractions so this time we chose to relax a little more and just experience the city. The Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace were just some of the many sights we would be skipping this time around.
Our fast train from Qingdao took us into Beijing South late at night. Not the most conveniently situated station in the world it was then a 15km taxi ride to our hostel – 9 Dragons Youth Hostel. This is a great place to stay. Well placed among the Hutongs and very close to the subway it was clean, modern, friendly and excellent value.
They were so good that in one sitting Shannyn managed to yam down 30 of them
The Hutongs are the narrow alleyways dotted around the city full of old courtyards with crumbling single storey houses in each. We visited quite a few of them in various areas of the city. Some, especially near Houhai lake, were authentic looking. Others such as in and around the Nanluogu Xiang tourist street looked fully restored with many turned into shops and restaurants. Modernisation of Beijing has meant a huge decline in the amount of Hutongs still standing. Although demolished areas were evident as we walked around there were still many Hutongs to be found and they give you a good insight into the old way of living here. One of the better areas for observing this was around the tacky and overpriced `antique` street of Liulichang Xijie. Just beyond this huge tourist trap were local shops and Hutong dwellers everywhere, good for taking photographs.
Our sight seeing in Beijing took us to the atmospheric Lama Temple with its 55 feet tall Buddha and incense burning worshippers, the Temple of Heaven with its new-looking coat of paint, and the Olympic Village with its excellent eye-catching Birds Nest stadium. All of these as with most sights in this vast city are easily accessible thanks to the superb metro they now have, and at only 2 Yuan a journey it`s a bargain. This is the most overpacked train system we have ever been on though, so crowded that Shannyn got elbowed in the face one time. Ride it at your peril at peak time.
While here we took a trip out to the Panjiayuan Flea Market (also known as the Dirt Market). This is a huge outdoor market selling everything from old “antique” furniture to cultural revolution nik-naks. A lot of what you see is fake but there are still many things worth buying here, and at reasonable prices too (after negotiating). It was at this market that I heard something I thought I would never hear, something I would have rather heard 11 months ago before we started this trip: “I`m sick of shopping”. Yes this did come from Shannyn but sadly it was a one-day only feeling, probably never to be repeated.
For food in Beijing we tried the famous Peking Duck. Our first attempt (Beijing Dadong Roast Duck) was recommended in several books. It`s a popular place requiring almost an hours wait to get in. Once inside though we got to experience how the locals go about their duck eating. Being introduced to the little fella before he`s carved up wasn`t the ideal start but we had a great meal in the end. We enjoyed our second effort even more as we tried a less fancy looking place near our hostel. For a quarter of the price we were treated to a bigger duck with a more generous supply of accompaniments, just a bit more fat to remove from the duck if you are health-conscious like me. For 100 Yuan (10 pounds / 20 Aus Dollars) we got a whole duck plus two other dishes and drinks, a great deal. I don`t know the name of the place but it`s right outside exit C of the Zhangzizhonglu metro station, you can`t miss it.
While in Beijing we re-visited the bar at the Harmony Hotel, the place where Shannyn was lucky enough to first set eyes on me two and a half years ago. Not the liveliest bar in the world but good to go back and see where it all began. Just across the road was another great dumpling restaurant, our last and possibly best ones in China. They were so good that in one sitting Shannyn managed to yam down 30 of them.
Our time in China was at an end and to be honest in this stage of our trip we were ready to move on to a more developed country. The food has been great, the sights amazing, and some of the people fantastic but after six weeks of children weeing in the streets, adults spitting everywhere and a complete lack of common sense by a large percentage of the people it was time to go. I`m sure we`ll be back though… I hope so.
Gary
