Arriving in Beijing was a complete contrast to the Mongolian desert we just left, bland food and open space are no longer! The city was impressive and mental from the second we stepped off the train and we loved it. There are so many people here it is unbelievable, buses and streets are rammed and everyone lives on top of each other but no one seems to mind. The Chinese are so happy and helpful all the time and with the exception of boarding public transport there is no pushing or shoving despite the huge crowds. (i don't think the numbers were helped by the fact we have been here over the week long national holiday to celebrate the 60th year f a people China).
The smells and colours of the city make it even more appealing, there are food vendors every few meters and there is so much going on. We visited Tianenmen square which was full of ginormous floats for the celebrations. We've wondered the streets of the Forbidden City where the emperors from the Ming dynasty lived in luxury and explored the hutons of the less fortunate. We walked the wall and saw breathtaking acrobatics - 12 women on a bicycle - incredible. We went to the Olympic stadium saw the birdsnest and the cube and had a day at the China open and saw Safin, Sharapova and Nadal win there way through to the next round and Andy Roddick get knocked out.
The first few days here were blue sky days then as the days went on we realised the pollution was getting worse, it's so intense. We found out they had fired up gases to clear the sky because of the parades and celebrations now it's so bad you actually cant see the sky - its no wonder everyone is coughing and spitting all the time, we have started too.
All in all Beijing has been awsome we have stayed in the most beautiful hostal with the traditional green curved roofs and made some good friends too.
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