Beijing is regarded as the most important city in the most populous country on earth, a place with a fabled past facing a 21st century future as one of the world's great metropolises. Beijing is not only the political capital. It is the economic, cultural, diplomatic, and educational heart of the nation.



I have been booked on a couple of organised tours here so it was an early pick-up at 0800 on my first day to head out and see the Great Wall of China at Badaling. What can one say when standing on one of the great wonders of the world??? Amazing, surreal, impressive, inspiring…..I could go on and on. We were blessed with a sunny day, blue skies although it was still freezing at the top of the wall hence my wonderful attire!!! If one is going to wear a face mask it might as well be an internationally recognised design!!!

It was then off to the jade factory to view, shop and have lunch…..spent a small fortune here but it's not all for me!! I was not aware lunch was included so that was an added incentive for me to spend my money on other things – that’s my excuse anyway. Mind you we also visited a silk factory and I did not spend a cent although I was highly tempted to buy a silk quilt so I could sleep in luxury. Hmmm maybe next time!!

Next stop was a drive along the Sacred Way where all I managed was a photo of the road and trees…missed all the magnificent stone steles and the memorial archway. Silly me was having a "power nap" post lunch!! We then arrived at the Ming Tombs – well actually we only visited one of the 13 – Changling Tomb which is the largest and most magnificent as well as the best preserved one. It is unbelievable to see such an old wooden building, built with NO nails and still standing – made of a rare wood called jinsi nanmu. This is the tomb of Emperor YongLe and his empress and construction started in 1409!! Makes our history seem rather insignificant when we are talking 1000s of years not 100s.

Back to the hotel about 5pm so had time for a quick 2km walk through some of the nearby hutongs to catch a glimpse of daily life for ordinary Beijingers. Am planning on visiting a few on Sunday as I have several hours of free time before my flight…..maybe pick up a last minute bargain or two!

Saturday 0745 chilly start for the morning and off to see the Temple of Heaven- the place where Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties would pray for a good harvest and bumper crops. Some great names for the different buildings – hall of heavenly emperor, circular mound altar, abstinence hall - and as always there was a story behind each one. Magnificent architecture and again I am in awe of the preservation of buildings that were originally constructed in 1420.

Naturally one must visit the Forbidden City which is situated exactly in the centre of Beijing and was home for 24 emperors. Bloody big home I can tell you! Am told it has 9999 rooms so I would hate to pay the cleaning bills! The city is surrounded by 10 metre high walls and a 50 metre wide moat – which today was frozen solid….says a lot about the temperature!! What stands out is the colours – golden roofs and vermillion walls everywhere – as well as the intricate carved beams and ridges. Again we have more wonderful named buildings – hall of supreme harmony, hall of literary glory, palace of heavenly purity, palace of earthly tranquility – to name a few. There were so many people there today it was almost impossible to move, mostly Chinese on their vacation…..a lot visiting the Hall for Worshipping Ancestors so I’m guessing beliefs have not changed much in thousands of years! The whole place is HUGE and contains so many precious artifacts and interesting cultural relics it’s like entering Aladdin’s cave!! I think you could spend days here and still not see everything so I think it will have to go on my list of places to revisit.

Then it was a visit to the pearl factory and guess what…..yes I spent up again!!! This time I did treat myself, fortunately pearls don’t weigh much so my excess baggage issues were forgotten. Got stuck in the chaotic Beijing traffic for ages- sat at one set of lights for 7 changes – and then headed off to a lovely little restaurant( name was in Chinese) for a buffet lunch. Plenty to choose from and as a treat they gave me some Peking Duck which I thoroughly enjoyed. After lunch we followed Chinese tradition and headed to the Temple of Heaven Teahouse ( have we been driving in circles???) for a tea ceremony. I am getting to like visiting the Teahouses, all the pomp and ceremony makes our dipping a teabag in a cup look like sacrilege!!

Out of the city and off to see the Summer Palace which is regarded as one of the most noted and classical gardens by UNESCO. Construction began in the Jin dynasty (1115- 1234) and was continually added to by the following dynasties to become a luxurious royal garden where the royal family could rest and entertain. Once again I am struck by the wonderful named buildings and gardens – garden of clear ripples, jade spring mountain, garden of tranquility and brightness. Yes I could quite happily use this as my summer house for vacations!! Visiting in winter puts a whole different perspective on it though. The gardens are still beautiful and the lake looks divine – even if it was also frozen solid, so much so, that people were skating/walking on it…guess it saved going up and down the steps to use the bridges!! Fresh air and the late afternoon sunlight made for an enjoyable time with lots of happy snaps taken.

Returned to the city to see the flag lowering ceremony at Tian’anmen Square and guess what….my camera battery was flat so NO photos. I could not believe it….to come all this way and not be able to take a photo of this magnificent ceremony. I did manage to recharge my camera and go back at night but it’s only the building you can see and of course Mao’s face….it just doesn’t give you any idea of the sheer size of the square or the rostrum. Definitely going to have to revisit here and make sure my camera is fully charged- until then it’s just images in my head!!

Last day in Beijing before my flight to Hong Kong as I head back to Aus for a quick visit. Decided to walk the streets wander down a few hutongs and alleys and see what I could find. Many places are closed for New Year so shopping was limited which meant I spent more time actually looking at daily life. Could not work out why there seemed to be a public toilet about every 100 metres…..then discovered that homes in the hutongs don’t have a bathroom!!! Not my style of living. Found the Lama Temple also known as the Palace of Harmony and Peace in my travels, starting to instantly recognise those familiar vermillion walls. Kept walking and met a large crowd of people (even for Beijing!) and found they were all heading to Ditan Park for some celebration…decided it would be far too crowded so didn’t go inside. Then I stumbled across the Confucian Temple after I had located the Anding Gate and the highly colourful pailou (traditional painted archway). Only had time for a quick look…..well I’ve seen so many temples on this trip that I’m all templed out!!! Passing the Drum Tower I was fortunate enough to see the start of a drum beating ceremony…..think it is customary during this festive season.

Couldn’t believe the number of high rise apartments everywhere, even those with a river view have to look at frozen water at the moment!! Don’t think I could live here but it’s a beautiful city to visit…..rather sad to say goodbye.