A Lone Stranger In Beijing

I left the Nanjing Grand Hotel at 6.30am and went to Nanjing South railway station to take the train to the capital. I was told It was different from Nanjing and people there were more social and kind with tourists; yet, I didn’t know what to expect from Beijing. Also, I was so anxious and excited, because this time I was "a lone stranger" who does not speak or understand Chinese and do not have any friends in Beijing. I suppose, you'll need to have everything already planned to manage this kind of situation. But, if you knew me enough you would know that I like to take risks and leave everything until the last minute. Yep! I only had the Marriott City Wall Hotel address and phone number written in my notebook.

After a long trip of four hours and fifteen minutes (I recommend to take the G or any other high speed train for long distance travels!), I arrived to Beijing and immediately noticed the very clear blue sky, the bright sun and dry air. I was really surprised and couldn’t ask for more after what I experienced in Nanjing. The good weather gave me the right good energy to start my adventure.

At the Marriott Hotel (which is right in town), I asked for a tourist map of the city so I could pick a random place I wanted to see and just go for it. So, here are some of the places I visited:

1. Temple of Heaven

At any tourist attraction you can get the audio-guide like I did here.

2. The Summer Palace is the most charming place to visit in Beijing. Here I met Joey, a young Chinese who works as a freelance tourist guide in most of the cultural and historical sites in the city. This guy is so sweet and courageous. He did not study English at school, yet he speaks it fluently and that’s because he loves what he does. If you want to get in touch with him:

Tel. 0086 180 10 13 91 21

E-mail:jsh1234@126.com

This is the Marble Boat in the Kunming Lake.

3. The Great Wall of China is just amazing and you really can’t miss it! It was bloody freezing when I went there, but you being there and that view around is so exciting that you would forget about the cold.