Tired of 'the Usuals' in Beijing?

What are the things that pop-up in your mind when you think of Beijing? 

The Great Wall -- for sure

Crammed subway -- My worst nightmare! 
That's why a bike is necessary.

 The air pollution -- Usually at its worst during winter, when everyone turns on heating.

755 - The highest pollution index I've recorded. 500 is usually the 'Hazardous' maximum. But earlier this year, it went way beyond the index!  News reports said it reached 800! Record breaking... I recall staying home that day, refreshing my 'pollution index app' every half an hour, watching excitedly as the index exceeded the 500 mark and carried on to rise! It was like witnessing the stock market turn bullish. Super exciting!

Other things that come to mind about Beijing, would be it's rich history, and the Forbidden City. I just love the name - 'Forbidden City'... Doesn't it sound so Exotic... Majestic... and Out-of-bounds... :)  Just the thought of it brings a grand, mysterious theme song (played by a full orchestra) to mind, as I imagine a character entering the gateway to --- the FORBIDDEN City! Ooooh... Alright, I shall not get carried away and start thinking up an entire plot for a film.

So yes, apart from the usual things above, there's more to see and experience in Beijing, and you wouldn't really imagine the sights below, would you?

Unbelievable eh? I promise I double-checked my uploads... These are pictures from my 'Beijing' album.

Living in a big city, having to battle with peak hour traffic and hordes of people daily, not forgetting Beijing's frequent 'visitor' -- the air pollution, can be rather overwhelming at times. It's only normal that most Beijingers would want to hide and get lost in Beijing's centuries-old alleys (hutongs), or choose to escape on weekends.

FengNing Bashang 丰宁坝上 Grasslands

This is in FengNing Bashang 丰宁坝上 Grasslands - about 4hours drive from Beijing city, at the border of Hebei province and Inner Mongolia. It definitely was refreshing to experience a different pace for a change. One of the most enjoyable sights was seeing horsemen dashing at full speed, racing with one another through the grasslands, which had no end in sight, just like in the movies. What S-P-A-C-E and Freedom!

Witnessing that in the grasslands, how could we not be inspired to get a horse for ourselves? I wanted to be just like the horsemen I saw sprinting freely in the grasslands, flicking the reins and commanding my horse with a stern 'Haaik!', as it obeys my command. Pair that with the wind blowing through my hair as I speed through the grasslands.... Bliss.... =)

Unfortunately, reality was very different.

This picture was taken at the beginning - just as I got on my horse, when I was all smiles and hopeful of the experience that my designated horse and I would create together. Little did I know that my horse would behave like a donkey... 

It started out fine. She moved when I told her to; Ran when I nudged her... But the further we went, the more difficult she became. I started to get a tad agitated, but I reminded myself that animals are able to sense our emotions and will react accordingly. So I took a few deep breaths and told myself to be more patient with my missy. I swore I was patient, positive and encouraging with my horse, but her behavior never changed for the better.... My friend said I was too gentle, and that it was time I showed horsey who's THE BOSS. Sure, that made sense! Probably Ms. Donkey thought she could mess with me... So, I was more stern the next round, whilst doing it with respect, as I didn't want to be thrown-off the horse like a friend of mine had been! Man, it became rather distressing... Almost like being in a bad relationship where you feel like you're treading on eggshells. 

Later I found out from the owners that Ms. Donkey actually had an offspring back in the stable that's why she was reluctant to move further....... Awww, that's kinda sweet, but Maaan....... My dreams of being like one of the horsemen were completely broken! It also didn't help that my friends were sprinting past me with their mighty horses...

Needless to say, she was labeled as 'Donkey', and I learned next time, to ask if my potential horse is 'attached' or has any 'emotional baggage', heh,,

Next, we found a place to have our lunch. We 'parked' our horses and hiked up the hill. It was the perfect place to break into song, like in 'The Sound of music', belting "The Hills are Alive!"... (and in my rendition) it had a Bollywood twist of rolling down the hill... Which we actually did! 

As I rolled down happily like a kid, I passed a couple of brown lumps on the ground on my way down. I recognised it and immediately broke my roll-down, stood up whilst shouting out to my friend --- "POOOP.... There's Poop all around us!!!!" 

Boy was I thankful it wasn't fresh horse poop! So yes, to all the grown-up-kids like me, that's something to consider before rolling down the hills.

Great Wall: Jian Kou 箭扣长城

Alright, I know, this blog post is meant to touch on places which aren't touristy or typically associated with Beijing. Allow me to explain. 

As we all know, the Great Wall is the world's longest architectural structure. With that, there are many parts of the wall you could visit -- starting from Shanhaiguan 山海关, Hebei Province in the east, to Jiayuguan 嘉峪关, Gansu Province in the west.

Most tourists would head to Badaling 八达岭 - the part of the Wall closest to Beijing City that is restored and convenient to get to. The Badaling Wall is stunning and majestic, but to me, it is too manicured, aside from being tourist-ridden.. Not exactly the real deal. And this is where I suggest other parts of the Wall, such as Jiankou 箭扣.

This sign alone, is enough to wake me up and say "Bring it on!!"
And the picture below is the reason why Jiankou is not officially opened to the public...

Let me introduce to you, the steeper, more rugged and most dangerous sibling of the rest of the Great Wall --- Jiankou 箭扣.

If you've been to Badaling (the touristy wall) and thought it was awe-inspiring and majestic... Jiankou may just blow your mind. First of all, it isn't filled with tourists yakking and snapping away, hence you get the peace and quiet to really take in the magnificent dragon structure and allow history to unfold before your eyes. Of course there are a few other parts of the Great Wall which you can do that, but I found Jiankou to be untouched, dramatic, breath-taking and the most important word of all -- Raw! The last time it was restored, was probably in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) hence you'll find many sections eroded and destroyed by the natural elements over centuries. 

You have to be very careful when hiking/climbing in Jiankou. Some parts are so steep (at least at a 70 degree angle), and loose underfoot, that you'd need to engage your hands and start climbing at some sections.

When I first saw the steep rubble before me, I remember saying to myself "Hell no.. No, No..!" I have an existing fear of loose rocks, and it didn't help that the climb was almost vertical and that I was carrying a heavy backpack 2/3 my size, stuffed with camping gear. 

That was the situation I was in. 
The walkway was completely eaten and there was no way for us to tread on it, so we had to walk at the outer edge of the wall. One unfocused step or loose foothold could send you screaming hundreds of metres down to meet your maker.

Ruined watchtowers...

Crumbling staircases...

Walkways overgrown with trees and bushes...

These are what makes it an adventure and a charm! I can imagine how eerily beautiful this place will be in Winter... But NO! It's dangerous enough on a bright summer's day, I'd suggest you avoid Jiankou in Winter.

I'd say Jiankou is definitely a great example of China's "Wild Great Wall" 野长城. 
But if you want to see the Great Wall that is:
- At its grandest (as it's thoroughly restored) -- visit Badaling 八达岭;
- Restored with fewer tourists and accessible -- visit Juyong guan 居庸关;
- Restored with fewer tourists and has cable car & toboggan  (but less accessible) -- visit Mutianyu 慕田峪
- Unrestored, few tourists and has cable car (but much further) -- visit Simatai 司马台
- Great Wall that overlooks a lake and reservoir -- visit Huanghuacheng 黄花城
- Great Wall at its most original and wild, with very few tourists -- visit Jiankou 箭扣

Note: Do try to avoid the Chinese national holiday - 1. Spring Festival around Jan/Feb (depending on the Lunar Calendar), 2. the May holidays and 3. Golden Week in October. Below is a picture that'll give you good reason to avoid traveling in China during their national holiday:

Is that how you'd like to spend your holiday? Please do yourselves a favour by checking on China's national holiday before you plan your trip to China.

OK, final gorgeous place for today...

Yanqing 延庆

80km Northwest of Beijing city.

The beauty and serenity of this place caught us all by surprise. It actually reminded me of Switzerland, and my friends from the US said it reminded them of their home in the Bay Area in San Francisco and Rhode Island...

It was absolutely relaxing to cycle around the lake, with the gentle breeze against your face, listening to the rustle of the leaves, birds chirping... It was so calm and serene.

This was where we had a picnic. Perfect!

The best part is that it is pretty accessible. The only challenge is at the beginning of the journey... If you're taking a train there, you've got to be at the train station early and start queuing up about an hour before departure. Here's why:

(In case you can't view the video, click here.)

Seats aren't numbered, that's why. So yes, please be there early people, and enjoy the Amazing Race in China ;)

Alrighty, lot's more to discover in Beijing and its surroundings! Till the next post!

xx

NEW ADDITION:

Foreign nationals from *51 countries who are in transit in Bejing Capital International Airport along with a few other Chinese cities -- may stay in these cities for up to 72 hours without an entry visa to China. For more details on the qualified countries, participating Chinese cities and the terms, read this.

Here's a show I presented, on the things you can see and do while in Beijing, plus tips on getting around in your short 72 hours in the Northern Capital:

Beijing Hutong Exploration

Here's a shorter (more sanitised) version of this blogpost on Beijing, which I wrote for 'A World To Travel' - A Travel site focused on Round the World experiences: 

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I recently celebrated my first year of being in Beijing -- by flying out to Hong Kong on the exact day I entered Beijing in 2012. Nah, don't get me wrong. I don't usually have such lavish celebrations. It was more for practical reasons of having to vacate the country to renew my work-visa, or I'd be considered an 'illegal-alien'. So I took that as an opportunity to celebrate, eat and be merry with a few friends in Hong Kong!

One year, is by far the longest I've ever been based out of my own country for work. I know, this is nothing. But for the nomad in me, it is a little something.

Carried away with my life and job here, it took about a year to dawn on me how I had overlooked and taken for granted the little things happening around me all this while. I decided to put my distracting smart-phone aside... To really tune in to my surroundings while I'm out. I started to open up my senses -- really observing, listening, feeling, smelling and tasting (!!) the place. You'd be surprised, on a bad smoggy Beijing day, you can actually taste the air... Meh.. 

So now that the bitter cold winter is gone and spring is here, I've been exploring my neighbourhood on foot and on pedal power (which is the way to go about in Beijing). Not only did I find many interesting shortcuts connecting one place to another, I discovered many cool cafes, eateries, bars, theatres hidden in the quiet hutongs (narrow centuries-old alleyways), including this little boy who's completely committed to the art of the 'Clapper Talk'. He is impressive for his age (You can turn on the subtitles so you understand what's going on):

(Click here if video doesn't appear above.)

Beijing, I'd say, is quite an acquired taste. It definitely isn't anywhere near perfect especially if we're talking about basic living conditions such as clean air, water, the notorious food scandals... But I still find myself attracted to this city.

I live in a hutong alley within the second ring road in Beijing. The hutongs 胡同, in my opinion, is the most charming part of Beijing where it seems as though it is lost in time. Imagine people in suits with their smartphones in one hand and takeaway coffee in another, zooming between skyscrapers in Guomao (Chinese World Trade Centre); Meanwhile in the centuries-old alleys, known as 'hutongs' surrounding the Forbidden City, time slows down and you get transported to a different world where you find folks sitting on stools watching life go by, people cycling, unhurried; Old folks playing cards, chess or mahjong;  Traders slowly zig-zaging through the narrow alleys on their squeaky rickshaws, calling out what they're selling: "maaaai yaaaa daaaaaannn..." ("Selling duck eggs") And they would drag this one sentence for at least 5 seconds. Amusing. Love it!

This is how a local hutong looks like.

A nicely done-up hutong.

A hutong close to mine. This was just after a heavy overnight snow, at the end of March. Lookin' pretty!

Most local Chinese spend their entire lives working towards moving out of the hutongs, and then you get foreigners like me who choose to live in a hutong. Well, what can I say... We'd love to live like a local. Umm... Perhaps that's a bit too strong. I'd say we'd love to have a taste of a local's life.

When I told my local colleagues that I had finally found a cute hutong bungalow 平房, the first question they'd ask (along with looks of concern) was: "Is there a toilet in your hutong bungalow?" Followed by: "You really had better wrap up and get extra heating during winter" and many suggestions on how I should keep warm. A colleague of mine even bought me a heating fan for my birthday that served me so well during the winter. Bless her heart.

Beijing's winter was harsh indeed. My local colleagues often warned me to stay warm especially since I come from South East Asia, where it's sweltering hot all year round. I thought to myself they were probably over-reacting, and the more warning I got, the more I looked forward to the much-talked-about Winter! I say: "Bring on the winter baby!" 

I enjoyed the cold weather at the beginning and did not dress warm enough (as I got tired of having to remove and put back on layers as I entered heated zones - subway, buses, and back out in the cold streets again... You know the drill). And one day it hit me so suddenly - I was perfectly fine and fresh as a daisy in the morning, then I started feeling queasy and feverish after lunch. I had the tummy flu, and on the way back home in the subway, I couldn't hold it in any longer, I dashed out of the subway and puked at a corner of the station. Ugh... Disgusting, I know.  As if that wasn't bad enough, I later fell ill for 6 weeks. Longest I've ever been ill... Don't mess with winter man.... Ever since going through that winter, I have stopped complaining about the humidity in Malaysia. I swear I have! In fact, I'm simply delighted to be in a hot climate where I don't have layers piled on myself, and my limbs are free as a bird!

Back to the hutongs. The first question I always get asked when I say I live in a hutong is if I have a toilet in my house. That's because in a typical hutong house, there are no toilets. You'd need to walk out of the house to a common toilet. This is why you can find public toilets every few metres in the hutongs. Just imagine having to walk out many times in a day during winter... It's probably fun for a few days or weeks for a traveller, but not very convenient or comfortable if you were living there long term. That's why, saying that foreigners want to 'live like a local' is probably not too accurate. 

So my answer to my colleagues is that - I DO have a toilet in the house. Thank goodness!

The first shock I had in Beijing was when I saw this:

I was actually prepared for toilets without doors, but with dividers...  I absolutely did not expect such an 'open-concept'... I literally halted in my tracks when I entered the hutong toilet, because I thought I already had the worst in mind... It was a funny moment! This is why I love travelling! It catches you by surprise, shocks you and wakes you up.

The picture above is a common hutong toilet. Of course some actually do have doors, and some with dividers... And don't you worry, the picture above does not represent all the toilets in Beijing. You can pee in peace :)

Very quickly, I got over my shock and adapted. Needless to say, I have become a local when it comes to hutong toilets. I do exactly as the locals do, very comfortably. I even say 'hi' to locals as they enter, which sadly isn't very well received. The only thing I do differently is that my 'business dealings' are super quick, just in case I bump into a friend in the toilet.. Now that would be awkward for me.... 

Another thing which surprised me was this, in Wangfujing:

(You can click here if the clip doesn't appear above.)

Yup, deep fried starfish and live baby scorpions on skewers, waiting to be dipped into boiling oil.

Here are a few other things which can be found, deep fried:

 Bigger scorpions

 Tarantulas

 Lizards

Seahorses

Ok, please don't let these scare you. It's not all that funky in Beijing.

There are many great courtyard restaurants, cafes, bars and even clubs underground, that are hidden in these quiet hutongs. And this is why I LOVE the hutongs in Beijing! It is quiet and unassuming. If you were to walk in these hutongs, you sometimes won't be able to guess that there's a nice restaurant / cafe / bar in one of the courtyards... 

There are many hidden courtyard restaurants in Beijing. The picture above is at one of my favourite restaurants - 苏苏 Susu, a Vietnamese Restaurant with good food, service and ambience, totally hidden in a local neighbourhood. 

Another good restaurant of a similar setting is Dali Courtyard - A Yunnanese (Chinese Provincial) restaurant. Nice ambience with an interesting concept whereby you tell them what you DON'T eat, and they'll cook something up for you. Good surprise for sure. But this place is becoming a little too commercialised.

As for western cuisine, there's a cosy Italian restaurant called Mercante. With only about 10 tables in the little trattoria, their friendly Italian waitresses,  fresh hand-made pastas, and homey Italian setting, definitely make you feel like you're tucked away in an Italian neighbourhood.

These are just a few of the MANY lovely restaurants, cafes and bars hidden in hutongs of the 'Jing.

I could explore the hutongs every other day and not get bored as it is simply down-to-earth, unpretentious and full of interesting little surprises, such as these:

Why use paper fans when you can just use a hairdryer to BBQ?! :)

 Pimped-up poodle in pink...

Shaven Lion of a dog (and cats too) in the summer... and being fed ice cream! Lucky thing

In hopes it'd become a better guard dog, perhaps?

Life is too good for this pampered pooch!

This has got to be my favourite!

Totally admirable!

And the most evil and arrogant cat I've ever come across!
Perhaps it's because more attention is given to dogs? =p

(In case the clip doesn't appear again, you can click here.)

Exploring the hutongs is definitely a great way to see the more local side of Beijing which I find very charming and exciting. If you have seen the hutongs and all of Beijing's touristy sites, here are some other beautiful, less-traveled places you can visit while in Beijing.

For more on China's quirkiness, click here :)

My exploration continues!

NEW ADDITION:

Foreign nationals from *51 countries who are in transit in Bejing Capital International Airport along with a few other Chinese cities -- may stay in these cities for up to 72 hours without an entry visa to China. For more details on the qualified countries, participating Chinese cities and the terms, read this.

Here's a show I presented, on the things you can see and do while in Beijing, plus tips on getting around in your short 72 hours in the Northern Capital: