What They Wore... Beijing.

At the pharmacy.




At the hairstylist.



Tom getting his haircut at Tony Studio www.tonystudio.com.cn






at 798 District.

while playing at KFC.

while selling cosmetics...

We wandered around the remnants of an old Hutong neighborhood in Beijing.







We stumbled upon a lovely teashop/gallery exhibiting contemporary porcelain works.



https://treescape.blogbus.com/

Tianmen Square, Beijing

The first day after the National Holiday, people flood the square for the chance to be photographed next to a float from last week's parade.

What They Ate... Beijing Fare

Beijing boasts some excellent restaurants, tucked away in back alleys or behind major shopping centers.


Liu Zhai Shifu. A great Hutong courtyard serving delicious traditional Beijing cuisine.

8, Meishuguan Dongjia, Dongcheng District.




Longcheng Tang. Great Guangxi grub and charming courtyard setting. we loved all the dishes featuring bamboo shoots.

28, Huangchenggen Beijie, Dongcheng District.

Duck de Chine. Superb Beijing duck, enough said.

Courtyard 4, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District.

Gallery Hopping, 798 Art District, Beijing

The new 789 Art District in Beijing is an old (and vast) electronics factory, converted into an array of endless art galleries, bars and cafes, well worth the wander. We stayed at Artsel, a renovated floor in one of the buildings, owned by an artist who lives and works in his studio upstairs.

The Bird's Nest, Beijing

Beijing Contemporary

National Center for the Performing Arts, aka "The Egg"




The National Aquatic Center "Water Cube"

Joy City shopping center

The Village shopping mall

Lama Temple, Beijing

Temple of Heaven, Beijing

The park surrounding the temple was filled to the brim with locals and their hobby groups. From playing hacky sack to line dancing to choir practice, every Han over forty was there to play.

A Short Summary of the Last Month

We are back!
One month ago we crossed the border from Kyrgyzstan to China. It was a very long and difficult haul which began in a sand storm and culminated with us hitch-hiking on a truck, all through the beautiful scenery of the Tian Shan Mountains.
Arriving in Kashgar, Xinjiang province, we were faced with NO Internet or international calls.
We travelled trough Kashgar and Turpan, finding bustling markets, colorful people, interesting mud/brick architecture and incredible street food.




A girl in the Sunday Bazaar, Kashgar.





The Livestock Market, Kashgar.




We moved on through the sand dunes of Dunhuang and into Tibetan China. From mosques to temples. As we walked around the streets of Xiahe and Tongeren we encountered only smiles.







A young monk refilling a yak milk jug.




From there the road took us to Central China where we joined the Han masses on holiday and toured the jam-packed sites of Xian. This was the final destination of our Silk Road journey.





Han on holiday at the Terra-cotta warriors site.




But we were not finished with China yet. What we really needed was an urban hedonistic fix, a one week Beijing binge.

Waiting hall at the bus station, Taiyuan.

On The Move

It's been over a month in Central Asia and we are finally moving onto the the last leg of the Silk Road: CHINA!

We are currently in transit, passing through the high peaks and low valleys of Kyrgyzstan, back to Osh and onto the Chinese border.

Rumours have reached us that Internet access is difficult to come by these days around the Republic. We'll try our best to keep updating our whereabouts and experiences, so stay tuned!