Hutong Tour

Today we biked in Beijing. At first the traffic looked a bit insane, but once you get on the bike it all began to make sense. Lesson one, there are no rules. You can pull out to pass anytime -- even into oncoming traffic. Cars/bikes/people just move out of the way. You can ride/drive up the wrong side of the street. You can ride/drive on the sidewalk. Bikes and mopeds can also use the crosswalks. Once you get to the intersections everything moves very slow. This is the only way this chaos doesn't end in squished bikers, pedestrians and dented cars. It takes a bit of getting used to.

We rode with a guide through the old alleys, or hutongs, of Beijing. You could spend hours wandering around this area. At one time, each hutong was its own community. Many were purpose built -- manufacturing specific goods or housing workers, like the emperors secret service. Today, many of the hutongs are being replaced by modern buildings. The ones that remain today are residential and business districts. There are a few that still look like traditional living quarters. The houses are small. Seemingly, most are still without plumbing. Bathrooms are communal and centrally located. The streets are narrow and winding. This is what we expected Beijing to look like.