One of my favourite days in Beijing was spent on a bicycle. We rented them for a dollar a day, donned some bandanas for the smog, and headed into town.
Don't we look gangsta with our yellow baskets?
Still want your MTV?
Cool.
We stuck mostly to the hutongs of Beijing, older neighbourhoods of narrow streets and alleys. Some were bustling, some were quiet. Many were under construction. I had my camera out and just snapped away.
This was very delicious. Spinach and dill or something?
We happened on some old towers. This is the Drum Tower as seen from the Bell Tower.
I had a refreshing yoghurt drink. Yoghurt seems to be popular! I saw these everywhere.
This guy was helping bicycle rickshaws across the bridge. Just a little alley-
-oop!
We decided to pass on the lakeside, tourist-friendly restaurant with the English menu and headed to another hutong for lunch. We found this place.
We had some fresh hand-shaved noodles, with a little chilli in oil, raw cloves of garlic, and a nice cold beer on the side.
The locals were friendly.
More riding, more pictures. Spoke some shitty French. More hutongs. Got home sore, sweaty and covered in a fine layer of gritty pollution. It was fun, China. Thanks.
posted: Friday, May 22, 2009 | tags: bicycles, china, i'm a tourist, photo