Beijing revisited – Part 2

The congress I attended was held at the China National Convention Centre (CNCC), which is just a stone's throw away from the Olympic Park. The Olympic Park is now a tourist attraction with Olympic songs still being broadcasted during the day. I took a walk there one afternoon to see for myself the famed Bird's Nest and Water Cube. They didn’t look that impressive up close, or perhaps it's due to my seeing them in broad daylight, and not at night when the structures are bathed in light.

One of the evenings before dinner, I visited Qianmen Street, a pedestrian street with buildings restored to that of old Qianmen Street in 1920s – 1930s. The buildings are now occupied by international brands such as H&M, Haagen-Dazs, ZARA, etc alongside time-honoured Chinese brands. There's an ancient trolley car that plies the 2km pedestrian thoroughfare of Qianmen Street.

Really enjoyed strolling and admiring all the beautifully reconstructed buildings

Just want to show you this last photo - it's a popular mode of transport in Beijing, not unlike the famed tuk-tuk in Thailand. It's basically a shell covering a motorcycle which can ferry up to two passengers. Try riding in one of these through the busy Beijing traffic for a little adrenaline rush :-)