By now the jet lag was over and we awoke freshly adjusted to Beijing time. Or so we thought as the hotel telephone rang to ask if we were going to check out anytime soon. A quick glance at my watch revealed that it was actually well past midday despite feeling like only 7 or 8 in the morning. Obviously the journey had taken more out of me than I had realised.

It was still hot and humid as we made our way to the nearby Temple of Heaven, where the emperors of old would pray for good luck and healthy harvests, built during the Ming dynasty. It was odd to be in the middle of Beijing and yet have luscious green, peaceful surroundings. The only thing to spoil the atmosphere was 10,000 other people, mostly chinese tourists, clogging the view. Still, having chosen the time of year when the Chinese travel then there's not a lot one can do.

We had lunch at a nearby excuse of a restaurant that served up mildly eatable fare. The naive excitement at the idea of eating Chinese takeaway morning, noon and night has now definitely worn off! Still it filled a hole and left us refreshed to explore the few remaining Hutongs of Beijing and see the stark contrast between the modern city on the outside and the rather more expected China behind. It was surprising to find that inside these alleyways and amid countless stares from the locals, the atmosphere was quieter and a much needed break from the noise and bustle of the city streets.

We had a beer nearby before meeting up with an old friend of mine who I had met travelling a few years ago. He was here with a film crew who funnily enough were heading to film in Kashgar in the next couple of days. The difference being that while we were slogging it out on trains and buses, they were flying over in a matter of hours! Still we hit Beijing with them and had an amusing evening ending up at one the Hutongs in what purported to be a bar but was more like someone's living room converted to accommodate several more drinkers than usual!