Day 26 - Beijing

17.08.09

It's Beijing embassy district time, which also turns out to be the Russian quarter of the city and most shop signs are also in Russian, which is weird.
I need to go to the Vietnamese embassy to get a visa. It's like a small village and every embassy is protected by a Chinese soldier standing to attention at the gates, with more soldiers in groups patrolling around all marching in time with each other. Some embassies are ridiculous: the Thai one looks like a country club; the American like a fortress with extra fencing, walls and a massive satellite dish; although the best of all has to be the British, which just resembles some kind of colonial style country house and looks so stereotypically empirish it's amazing.

I venture to Beijing Xie station to get my onward travel tickets, it's the biggest station in Beijing and I am seriously impressed. It is like a small airport and makes all the other stations seem miniature.
After getting my onward ticket to Datong, which was £3 for a 7 hour train journey (BARGAIN), I explore the narrow alleyways and parks around the station. What's amazing are the daily exercise routines that people do. They walk backwards, clap their hands while walking, swing off trees and use the communal exercise equipment provided in the parks, and the people are all over 60 and still keeping very active. Inspired by the sight of exercise I take a late night trip to the Olympic Park. All that needs to be said is we don't have a hope in hell, it's phenomenal.