Friday July 3 - Beijing - Hutongs

We were awakened this morning by a phone call from Anying who was the Chinese lady we met in Datong. We agreed to meet for dinner. We had a leisurely shower and breakfast, and went to the bike rental shop to pick up two bikes. I have dreamed of riding a bike in China since we decided to come on the trip,and Beijing seemed the place to do it. As well, Lonely Planet (LP) said it was a good way to see the hutongs. "Hutongs" are "narrow alleyways". According to LP, after Genghis Khan obliterated Beijing, the City was rebuilt with hutong. At their height there were about 6000, by the 1980s. Now there are only about 2000 remaining as most of them are torn down to make way for modern highrises. They are the life and soul of Beijing. You see them in movies. We had so much fun driving through them, connecting from one series to another by riding on the busy roads and mixing it up with buses, taxis, and private cars, let alone all the other bicycles, rickshaws, and scooters. Never once did I feel threatened by any vehicle. The cars and the buses all gave us a wide berth. Maybe they looked and saw two tourists and thought they had better keep well out of way! The hutongs varied greatly. Some were renovated and turned into little boutique shops and restaurants and frequented by the tourists, both Chinese and Western. Others were the old genuine hutongs, little courtyard communities with roof gardens, some spruced up as up-scale living area, others a bit messy but full of character; some of the lanes were paved, others dirt, and yet others cobbled. We passed all sorts of activities from men playing chess, to little stores selling fruit and drinks, and others just talking, smoking, and generally living their life. It was all fascinating. We passed many historic sites such as beautiful gardens and temples, the first Roman Catholic university, sports centres, schools, etc. One highlight was driving along the wide boulevard between Chairman Mao's picture, and Tianaman Square. We stopped in the middle and have a wonderful picture of Ray and his bike with the Chairman smiling in the background. Eventually our bums got really sore on the not too padded bicycle seats and after about 4 hours, we headed back to the shop to return the bikes. I might add that the weather is sweltering hot - 36 to 40C! So we consumed quantities of water, and when we got back, quantities of beer. We barely had time to have a shower before Anying was calling us to say she was in the hotel lobby. So, off we went with her to continue our educational tour of Beijing. She took us to The Silk Market, a 6 storey building packed and stacked with everything from nick-knacks, to clothes, to jewelery, to suit material, silk goods, cashmere goods, etc. etc. An absolutely amazing place abuzz with the sound of people advertising their goods and trying their hardest to get you to buy from them - many of them spoke English - the prices started high, for example, I started off at Y890 (the fool price!) and ended up paying Y140!! So you really have to love haggling over the price! After this we caught a bus up to Wangfujing where we wandered through an outstanding mall in order to reach the Wangfujing Snack Street behind it. We took the bus from the Silk Market and passed beautifully highlighted buildings including the Beijing Hotel and the Beijing Railway Station magnificently lit among the stacks of elegant high rises, tree-lined boulevards and the most beautiful modern downtown environment. Of course, it could have been anywhere in the world too, but the neon signs gave our location away with their bright, exciting colours and lively videos. We had a simply delicious dinner in a quiet and serene restaurant; then we saw Anying onto her bus heading for home, and Ray and I caught a cab back to the hotel; grabbed a night-cap in a loud and noisy Chinese restaurant opposite the hotel, and headed for bed around midnight after another full and fun-filled day.