Beijing!!

As we descended into Beijing airport at 7am local time we were greeted with gloriously sunny blue skies!

Beijing itself is a huge city being home to 22 million people! Apartment blocks jutted into the sky like dominos stacked went as far as the eye could see.

The journey through immigration, baggage claim and customs was pretty smooth and once herded onto our bus by our tour guide Jessie and meeting our driver Mr Mai we were on our way into the city itself.

On the 1hr+ journey into the city, Jessie told us a bit about herself and China. One interesting fact that stick with me was that the tradition greeting which translates to "have you eaten?" Has been changed in recent years to "have you wifi?" which I think goes to show the reliance people now have on technology. Admittedly, I am lying in my comfy hotel bed on the free wifi putting this information online!!

Our hotel, the Royal Phoenix Hotel is a lovely grand looking building nestled between smaller houses and businesses in the heart of the city.

After checking in and having a shower we headed off to have lunch at Mei Zhou Dong Po restaurant in the main shopping district. I was surprised to see so many Western brands located in such a small area - it could have been almost any other city in the world.

Following the most delicious lunch, we hopped back on the bus and went to Jingshan Park to climb the "mountain" and take in the views of the city as well as the Palace. Taking some refuge in the shade, Jessie taught us some Tai Chi "Jessie-style"!

From there it was on to Tienanmen Square. We were pretty lucky with the timing of our trip as they had a commemorative display to mark the 70 year anniversary of the end of WWII and China's involvement which was pretty cool!

After taking the required photos and wandering along to Qianmen Street to check out the local businesses, I stopped for a beer with some of the ladies before we headed back to the hotel for dinner, a shower and an early night.

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings - it's pretty awesome exploring somewhere you've never been before!