The overnight trip went well in our tiny little smoky smelling sleeper. The population density as you travel is incredible. There was never more than a few minutes between villages. We arrived to a cold and cloudy Beijing, with our new guide and his sign outside our train window. The pollution was nowhere near as bad as we were expecting. The air pollution in Xi’an was much, much worse. The traffic in Beijing was also much less insane than Xi’an.

Our little sleeper.

We’re interesting aren’t we!

Our first stop today was the Emperor’s Summer Palace garden. The history of the last years of the Empire was quite amazing. Seems the Emperor wasn’t the one that held the real power. His mother controlled everybody in the imperial court with an iron fist. When the second last Emperor died at a young age she installed her nephew as the new (and last) emperor.  The revolution of the early 20^th century occurred when she, known as ‘the dragon lady’, lost her grip on the power. I’ll be keen to re-watch the movie ‘The Last Emperor’ now that I can put it all in perspective.

Next stop was a short stop at the 2008 Olympic site. The ‘Birdsnest’ and ‘Watercube’ were both incredible.

Lauren at the Birdsnest.

Lunch was at a family home in the Hutong (Old Alley), transport by rickshaw. The guide explained the strict social class system in old China. The number of beams above the front door indicates your social level, which in turn determines most aspects of your life, including jobs you can do and who you can marry.

Next stop was the hotel for a free afternoon to catch up on postcards, washing, blogs and relaxing with a glass of ‘Great Wall’ Cab Sav.