If you need to do a currency exchange, I suggest The Bank of China branch on East Chang'an Avenue, part of the Oriental Plaza complex, as they can guarantee English speaking tellers and they offer the best rates. Also, arrive at opening time (9 am) otherwise you'll enter a lengthy queue and it is not a fast process once you are being served. Allow a good hour for this but then it actually leaves you in a good spot for shopping and within walking distance of many places of interest, not least of all the Forbidden City.
A nice walk in the November sun
Quite a recent change to proceedings at The Forbidden City, is Monday afternoon closure. Guess what day we went? Yes. Monday. And this Monday afternoon closing for cleaning purposes, was so new it wasn't even on the website back then. Gutted! (You really do need a full day here as it's absolutely massive!) But saying that, you can't be too gutted, unless it's your last day in Beijing because.......you're in Beijing, it's not like there isn't anywhere else to go. So it was time for a new plan.
This plan involved our trusty lonely planet guide with Chinese characters at the ready and our first taxi ride. Cue the cheapness. £1.80 for a 12 minute journey. Winner. Oh, just a quick note, get a metered cab when in the city and going short distances. They will give you the best price and of course, they can't rip you off because it's metered. You will find people offering you taxis and shouting out prices at you, but it's better to hail down a metered one, even if it takes longer because they are cheaper than chips - how expensive are chips nowadays - and fairly cheerful.
Our new before-lunch-plan began with the Drum and Bell Towers. A short taxi ride from The forbidden City, they sit facing each other and you can get a handy combined ticket, enabling you to visit both towers cheaper. Bring your climbing legs because there are some pretty steep steps to climb. Definitely part of their charm.
The Drum Tower
Hold on tight.
Once at the top you find lots of drums - name kinda gives it away for you - in all different sizes and there is a Time Keeping Exhibition, which for me was awesome. Some of the ways they used to keep time, even with the drums and bells, from the bell tower were extraordinary enough, but then there were special incense burners and water clocks and candles. Really cool and there are translations in English.
Some rather large drums.
The water clock. The little man with the cymbals would crash them together every fifteen minutes.
A balcony wraps around the entire tower giving you fantastic views over Beijing's Dongcheng district and the network of hutongs it overlooks.
Looking out towards Beihai Park.
The Hutongs from above.
Once you've made your way safely back down the stairs - much harder than going up. I used the sit-on-my-arse-and-slide-down approach that I used to do as a kid on the stairs at home - it's just a short walk across the square to the Bell Tower. It might be slightly less beautiful due to it's pale colour, but it's no less impressive of a building and by climbing that you actually get the best views of the Drum Tower, which is otherwise hidden from most viewing points. When walking across the square you are likely to see some friendly locals taking in a game of cards, or cute kids coming to say 'Hello'.
The Bell Tower. (Just had a Kate Bush lyric flash: From Hammer Horror circa 1979. 'You stood, in the bell tower, but now you're gone.' Ooooo, chilling.
Only one way up and one way down in this bad boy. Mind your step.
So you might have guessed that when you get up there, when you conquer the Bell Tower, you actually find a huge bell. Whoop! But there is also an exhibit that runs through the tower room, explaining the significance of the bell and how it helped keep time and it's origins, and some really cute stories. Once again there is a balcony giving you views of the Drum Tower and the hutongs, and there is even the offer of free guided tours if you want to learn even more about the bell.
Ta-da. The Drum Tower in all its glory.
And the mighty bell.
After exiting the tower we took to the surrounding hutongs for a nice stroll and more snippets of traditional hutong life. There are lots of little shops selling water and fruit, markets, cafes and bars. You even notice a little of the Western influence. Those Beatles get everywhere.........
The Abbey Road Pub, complete with Guitars and Drum Kit in the window.
Hutong Life.
Inside one of the markets.
If you are out and about in the hutongs and you happen to see crates of white jars with lids, you have found the Beijing traditional yoghurt - which is actually soya based and therefore suitable for Vegans too - Iao Beijing Suannai. (Apologies Chinese reading people for lack of accents on appropriate letters.) It is almost like natural yoghurt mixed with honey and is probably the sweetest thing you'll eat, or drink - it comes with a straw - whilst in Beijing. They are sold in insulated pots, so despite the warm temperatures, it is nice and cool. You can choose to keep the insulated jar for an additional price, or you can drink it and then give the pot back. But when I say an additional cost, I mean 50 pence instead of 30 pence. We kept them and they are now used to house Tzatziki when home made by my partner.
Do expect to get a little lost in the hutongs and whilst you always expect them to eventually join up with another road, watch out for dead ends. Google maps is actually quite useful, even in the tiniest hutong, so if you do have the ability to use the Internet, it can be a valuable tool. If not, some straight forward guess work and some classic trial and error will eventually get you out of the labyrinth.
Exiting the Fangjia Hutong on Yonghegong Dajie, we were very close to our next pre-lunch destination: The Lama Temple. Wow! This place is huge and well worth the minuscule £2.50 entry price. This is the place you want to come armed with masses of incense. I'm not kidding, they turn up with bundles of the stuff and burn it all at once. Here you will see not only a great number of beautiful halls and gates, but also the largest sandalwood Buddha in the world at 18 metres, and cut from a single tree. You can't take photographs of this unfortunately, in fact you can't take pictures in any of the halls, but they do have a shop where you can pick up a pack of postcards of some of the interiors, which is very reasonable. Or a guide book, though none of them seemed to be in English.
All these towers and temples can really work up an appetite and if you do invest in the Beijing app that I suggested in: http://thesarkytraveller.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/china-survival-guide-before-you-go.html, aptly named, Beijing on a Budget, you are likely to find a culinary gem to your liking, and menu translations that make avoiding tourist traps, easy as pie. We did not find pie, however, but we did find the most unassuming but amazing cook-your-own-slab-of-lamb, restaurant. Wow! (This is not one for the vegetarians amongst you.)
Unassuming outside.
Intriguing inside.
The Sarky Traveller enjoying the rotisserie style barbecue.
Meat and Bread. Mmmmmm.
This place is definitely an experience. It's called Tan Hua Lamb BBQ and is situated on Beixintiao Santiao Hutong. When you walk in and they see you aren't Chinese, they show you to a table, complete with your own barbecue and then come back with a slab of meat to show you. You look at it, give a nod and then they go and cook it for a while. The meat comes with a variety of random vegetables, beans and salad items, and on the app are extras such as the bread you can see on the picture, which is gorgeous. Everything is translated on the app and you can just show the staff the Chinese characters and they will bring it.
Once thoroughly filled with lamb and bread and salad, it was time for another taxi ride, this time to Beihai Park, which we had spied from the balcony of the Drum Tower. Now this really is one of the most beautiful parks you will ever see. There's an islet, a dagoda on the hill, bridges, caves, rock stairs and an incredible lake. You won't be disappointed. You pay a small fee to enter and can pay additional to enter the temple and climb up the hill to the dagoda. Again, you won't be disappointed and it's almost rude not to.
Hello beautiful Beihai.
Just look at that dagoda.
When you enter the temple gates, you are treated to halls and statues and incredible buildings. You can also go inside the mini bell tower and ring the bell for a small price. We rang the bell, three times.
Me again, striking that bell. I want to be safe all year.
Continuing up and through the temple, there are caves and stairs carved into the rock and plenty of places to catch a good view of the world below you. There are lots of Buddha statues and hidden alcoves. I mean really, it's awesome. Talk about an investigative adventure.
Then you keep heading up, with even more steep stairs - this itinerary really should be coined the day of stairs - but it's all good for the legs and general health, and it will work up your appetite for an afternoon snack of some kind.
All the way up to the Dagoda.
How happy is The Sarky Traveller with a Vienetta on a stick? Answer: Very happy!
Once up at the top, there are a few alternative routes back down, and in the nature of speed tourism and adventure, we took an alternative route, eventually ending up on lake level and a nice loop of the rest of the park. It is so scenic you can't even describe it, but think beautiful white stone bridges, towers and gates and long corridors and boats and of course, the water.
I know. You can't even make this stuff up.
We watched the sun setting for about half an hour, constantly taking photographs and being talked at by a lovely Chinese lady, who obviously wanted to tell us something very important but which of course became lost behind pointing and confused looks and complete lack of understanding from both sides. Sorry about that, nice lady. We thought it had something to do with the sunset, but when we pointed at it, she shook her head. I guess we'll never know now. But thank you anyway.
After a brief rest at the hotel, we headed out for the famous Nanluoguxiang Street, which is a hutong filled with shops and bars and eateries, and was only one stop away from us on the subway. This seemed to be the place to be, filled with youngsters and light and colour, oh and a million people trying to sell you a 'laser, laser,' for 'cheap, cheap'. Though it sounded more like, 'cheep, cheep.' Ha ha. As if that was likely to sway us. Still, if you're looking for a night destination, this is definitely it. The shops are open late, the bars are funky and more importantly: selling cocktails, and the people watching is just amazing!
Laser, laser. Cheep, cheep.
It's even tree lined, what more do you want?
I would suggest, if you are eating here, to eat earlier rather than later. The place we ate, literally closed about 15 minutes after we started eating and we were the last ones in. We had a sit down meal, though of course there are loads of little stands and kiosks along the street where you can pick up smaller bites and snacks, though you may have to take a risk or too, as it is not always obvious from the pictures or the real thing, what it actually is. Oh and as mentioned in the survival guide, when in a restaurant - and as discovered that night, also when in a bar - the staff hover around your table until you order. Don't feel the pressure, it's just their custom and they won't mind waiting for you, but they also won't go away. So take your time, make your selection and enjoy!
The Sarky Traveller enjoying a daiquiri in a proper grandma glass. Actually, I had two.
On the way back to the subway we sampled some of the delightful shops and came away with quite a few presents, a couple of tiny bits for ourselves and something for the flat. And in one shop I made friends with two out of three cats and didn't want to leave. They were so cute, still kittens really. We passed a car with the back open and people holding snakes and stuff. I freaked out and kept a distance half expecting a massive tarantula to come out and get me. But trading snakes on the street is probably a normal every day occurrence here.
Funky shops.
What looked like massive slabs of rice krispie cakes????
Well after that day of towers, temples and parks, we were very much in need of sleep. Those thighs took a lot of steps up towards incredible things and incredible views, and we even managed to fit in a spot of shopping and a cheeky cocktail. A full day jam packed with adventure seeking, speed tourism, fun.
Join me next time for Beijing Day 4, where we actually do visit the Forbidden City and see a spot of acrobatics, as well as some of the craziest road crossings, ever!
Until then, keep travelling, or if not actually travelling, then at least dreaming about travelling.
The Sarky Traveller
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