Hanging out in Beijing

Cruising around the hutongs of Beijing, it's easy to believe that you've stepped back in time ... dirty, dusty and smelly alleys, meat skewers cooking over hot coals, steam buns for sale on every corner, and people and bicycles everywhere. Some of the houses in the hutongs still don't have plumbing or electricity - although the government has installed some spiffy flushing squatties just in time for the Olympics.

A short and crazy taxi ride across town, however, and it's easy to see how China is one of the biggest energy consumers in the world. Skyscrapers dripping in flashing fluro lights, glowing restaurants and highways of cars, cars and more cars.

We've been kicking around here for a couple of days now, trying desperately to put the memory of the UB to Beijing train journey out of minds. Here's a tip: never get the local Chinese train from UB. It was the filthiest train we have been on so far and we had to spend four and a half hours at Jinning train station (the middle of nowhere), listening to people hock their insides up all over the place. And don't even get me started on the staring ...

Anyway, we've done some of the sights - tiannamen square, the forbidden city and the temple of heaven park. We've seen all sorts cooking on sticks at snack street - starfish, seahorses and cicadas, you name it. We've scoffed on steam buns, pastries, dim sum and god knows what else.

We spent a fantastic day exploring the summer palace, which was once the playground of the Qing and Ming Dynasties. Back then it was used as a retreat from the city. But the Beijing urban sprawl has caught up and now it is a beautiful Chinese oasis surrounded by roads, cars, ramshackle houses, high rises and your typical Chinese madness.

Gotta say, we love this city despite the smog, the spitting and the giant tour groups that swamp every inch of it, dressed in matching caps and lined up in rows.