20 Days in China. Part 1

Beijing.

The first city we visited was the capital, Beijing. We stayed in a hostel near Tiananmen Square, at the centre of the city. The hostel was very clean, well-kept, reasonably priced, and great for meeting people from all over the world who, like us, were there to explore China. The name of the place is Leo Hostel.

My main recommendation in Beijing would be: Be wary of the prices! You'll definitely notice when you're there that everything is much cheaper than in Europe - especially food and water. However, people in Beijing are used to tourists and some hike prices in restaurants to much higher levels than the majority of eateries in the country. So before just walking into any old restaurant, try to compare different places or ask for recommendations at the hostel.

The food. The biggest thing that will shock you in China is that their Chinese food is nothing like Chinese food in Europe! Here in the West, restaurants change the menu to suit our tastes. In China, though, the spices and flavours they use are completely different, something that might take a good few days to get used to. That might mean you find yourself wandering into a McDonalds or Burger King (which are everywhere) from time to time.

Don't worry though, because you'll get used to it all and you'll get the chance to sample some incredible flavours. But just remember to have some Fortasec medicine to hand if you eat something dodgy.

The toilets. If you expect the toilets in China to be just like ours in Europe, you might be a little shocked. In many hostels the toilets are like those in the West, but the majority are just holes in the ground with no toilet paper. They're normally perfectly clean, but never use the toilets in bus and train stations... that's an experience I'll never forget.

What is there to see?

1. The Great Wall: I know it sounds obvious, but what you've got to remember is that there's actually different parts to the Great Wall. There's the super touristy bit, there's a section which you won't be able to reach unless you're hiking or mountaineering, and then a section a little in the middle. That last section is the one you've got to visit. You can get up the wall either on foot or by cable car, but the best bit is when you're coming down. You can get down from the wall on a little toboggan - which is one of the most brilliant things I've done in my life.



2. The city: Walking around Beijing isn't just about going to the Forbidden City or Tiananmen Square. It's walking through the small neighbourhood alleys where people eat sitting on their doorstep, seeing the skyscrapers that tower over each other, and even hoping that some locals will invite you into their homes for a meal. There's no need to worry about safety though, because - as I'll explain below - China is one of the safest countries I've ever been to.

Safety. You might not expect to hear it, but China is one of the safest countries I've ever visited in my life. There are CCTV cameras on every corner and policeman always walking the streets, so if you're not looking for trouble then you'll be perfectly safe. But that's not what made me feel safest of all. It's the people. In Chinese culture, people seem to have a way of life where stealing wouldn't even cross their mind. When we were there, we once accidentally dropped a wallet full of money and credit cards while we were queuing for the subway, which is always packed with people - given it runs under one of the biggest cities on the planet. But in an instant, a stranger ran up from the back of the queue to pick up and give us back the wallet. I definitely wouldn't expect to be seeing that on the subway in Spain.

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