Settling into a Beijing dormitory room for just the one night, it was more like a hotel than a hostel really. Noodles for breakfast, what else? Catch up on emails and news from home before venturing out to get some more cash from an ATM the last time I had tried it ominously said the limit was exceeded and no cash appeared! It was not of course a glitch in the system I hope. Any way a machine was duly found and produced the much-needed cash.
Leaving the ATM I kept walking in the general direction of the Forbidden city as I thought, and ended up chatting to a Chinese lad who apparently taught at the university. He invited me to see his studio in one of the old hutongs or side streets. This particular one was over 600 years old.
His studio had some beautiful work in it, and if I had the room, I would gladly have bought something. Cases packed for a years travel leave no room for souvenirs, unfortunately.
I kept walking but was starting to have doubts as to which direction I was supposed to be going, when I bumped into a lovely American lady called Ruth, also looking for the Forbidden city.Together we tried asking an old man the way ,he was able to point us in the right direction .
Discovering the Forbidden city that we had been searching for, there is no way we would have missed it was massive, and with all the crowds going the same way it soon became obvious.
After paying the entrance fee we both wandered through, climbing stairs has become second nature since being in china so it was no surprise to either of us the number of staircases to climb. We were treated to magnificent 500 year old buildings, that seemed to go on for ever, courtyard after courtyard and always the huge crowds of locals and tourists. The views contrasting sharply from the modern day skyscrapers to the seventeenth century buildings within the city.
We took plenty of photos, it was nice having company for the afternoon to share the “wow” of the place. We both had to have a sit down in the shade and get our breath back, mutually agreeing that we had seen enough to last us a long time! Going our separate ways a little later the end of a most pleasant afternoon enjoying the world heritage site that is the Forbidden City.
