Tag Archives: Beijing

Central Hostel – Beijing

This is a picture of the Central Hostel. It’s located right across the street from the train station. The cost to stay there was a little less than $9 a night. It was O.K. Being across the street from the train station I expected it to be a little seedy and it was. But, the physical facilities were good, the amenities were so-so and the location was pretty good. The hostel only occupied one floor of the building. The rest of the floors were part of the Central Hotel, an actual hotel. One of the best things about it was the 24-hour McDonald’s around the corner. I could get a cup of non-instant coffee no matter how early I got up.

Yum Yum – Beijing

Sometimes I ask myself why I can’t seem to loose any weight. Maybe it’s because I take pictures like these. A guy’s gotta eat, right? If you look closely at the picture you’ll see that most of the items are priced somewhere between 40 and 60 cents. That means that, not only do I get a really tasty morsel of food, it’s good for my wallet. Actually, I really liked this place. It was right down the street from the hostel. It had really great pastries at really good prices.

Prohibited – Beijing

It seems that a person just can’t have any fun in Beijing. This is a sign I found by the front door of the hostel where I was staying. What were these people thinking, that a gambler, prostitute or drug dealer was going to just walk in and say "Hi! It’s me!" It was cute though and it helped me to realize that the weird slogans I saw on the streets weren’t simply the work of some idiosyncratic politician with a charge account at the local banner shop. The morality of the streets was to be found inside the hutong as well. The sign made me feel better. Moralism is still alive and well in the world.

Subway Train – Beijing

There are two things I learned right away about the subway system in Beijing. First, it is very modern and very efficient. Second, it has a lot of people, and I mean a LOT of people who ride it. I liked it. The problem is that the subway system may be large, but the city of Beijing and the attractions I want to see are larger. It’s hard to get around since the subway will only put me only so close to the attractions I want to see. It is, however, really cheap at about 30 cents a ride and a ride includes all the transfers that a rider wants. Like it or not, the subway system in Beijing is one way to get around.

Cool Scooter – Beijing

This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. I have never seen so many electric bicycles in my life. Not only that, there must be hundreds of brands of them with hundreds of styles. They come in all sizes, shapes and colors. It makes me want one. Like I’d know what to with it on the back streets of Oklahoma City.

Raffles – Beijing

Who’s that handsome guy in front of the Raffles Hotel in Beijing? Is he staying there? If you have to ask that then you don’t know me very well. I can’t think of anything that would induce me to pay $600 a night for a hotel room.

Ordering Breakfast – Beijing

It’s me. I’m in a McDonald’s in Beijing. I’ve got my Mandarin phrasebook in hand, trying to order breakfast. It’s something of a challenge. It seems that the percentage of Chinese who speak even a smidgeon of English is virtually miniscule. Lucky for me I’ve go the phrasebook, right? That’s really funny. But, somehow I manage. At least I don’t seem to be loosing any weight. At least not so far.

Hostel in Hutong

It’s the hostel that I liked the most in Beijing. It was located in a hutong. Hutong actually means a "narrow street" or something to that effect, the point being that it’s a small side passageway. The houses located in the hutongs tend to be built around the open-courtyard plan. There may be one to four families living around the same courtyard in a building. They may or may not have plumbing. Normally, they’ll have electricity. The hutong is not the rich part of town. There is a lot of political controversy in Beijing as the government is trying to do a wholesale replacement of the hutong with more modern housing such as high-rises.

Train Station – Beijing

I was told that the first thing I needed to do was to try and find a way out of town as soon as possible. They say overnight sleeper berths are in limited supply and the best time to get one is NOW for sometime in the future. I got one for five days hence for the overnight to Shanghai. They say Shanghai is worth seeing. They also tell me there is some kind of Expo there at present. We’ll see…

Crowded – Beijing

I’ve been a few places in my day. The majority of my trips were to urban environments. I like to learn about mankind and the various cultures that people create. They interest me.

Rolling Okie

Travel, Adventure, and more…