Our recent travels afforded us five days exploring Beijing. Those of you who follow along on Instagram will have seen the below snapshots but we thought we would share a bit more detail about our amazing experience and the people who were part of it. We arrived with no expectations however this city left us completely charmed! We stayed in a beautifully restored courtyard hotel set in an authentic hutong neighbourhood. The rooftop garden of The Orchid Hotel {picture below middle} was a haven from the bustle of the nearby street, which was filled with local life. We were looked after by the amazing staff who even gave us a smart phone to call reception at any time should our limited Mandarin skills land us in a pickle…
Opposite our lodgings was Mr Shi’s Dumplings; the best dumplings in Beijing as we soon discovered. We preferred boiled not fried! We were a short stroll from the historic Drum and Bell Towers, which for centuries have been the timekeepers of the city. We ate amazing food, visited the Forbidden City and explored the traditional hutongs. Cool boutiques and bars abound in these narrow alleyways that really are the best representation of the friendly and safe Beijing culture. For the best coffee we have ever tried make sure to check out Barista Coffee in Wudaoying Hutong {pictured above right}.
The highlight of our time here was hiking and camping on the Great Wall of China. Our brilliant guide John, from China Hiking, took us on an epic two day hike along magnificent unrestored sections of The Wall. Our timing was perfect as the cherry trees on the mountains were blossoming. Spending hours trekking along the Wall is the only way to really take in the scale of this 8000 km long man made wonder. Plus you are unlikely to see another soul!
As the sun started to descend we arrived to a beautifully restored section of the wall where we would make our camp for the night. We watched the sunset over one of the most spectacular sights and slept underneath a full moon and stars… A bucket list experience and one that has made us keen to explore more of this amazing country!
