From about midday the train began travelling through the outskirts of Beijing - and everywhere there seemed to be construction, construction and more construction. Getting ready for the 2008 Olympics ... I wondered if they'd get the city ready in time.

We arrived at Beijing Railway station about 2pm then hot-footed it to our hotel to dump our gear, jump on the Metro and head to the Forbidden City. We had a rush through Tiananmen Square - the largest square in the world but not as impressive, for me at least, as Red Square. As it was a Sunday, there thousands of Beijingese out and about - chatting, flying kites, taking photos. We didn't consult our map so we got a little lost in some park near the Forbidden City which meant that the gates had shut by the time we arrived. You can see from this photo that it was a magnificent day.

We then decided to try our luck with finding the old parts of the city that hadn't been tarted-up or bulldozed. We eventually found a small pocket of alleyways near our hotel .... and from the posters all around it looked like that the whole area was due to demolition some time soon.

Many of the locals were wandering the alleys buying food or stopping at many of the food stalls. We decided to stop and slowly negotiated our way through the non-existent menu. The final outcome was an unusual mix of textures and flavours.

That night we went to see the KungFu Dancers which was a good night out.

The next day, our only full day in Beijing, we set out for the Wall at about 6am ... we got there about 10am - about 1 hour before the hordes arrived.

Most of us decided to get the cable car up to the top ..... and to our delight we were the first visitors of the day.

Several sections of the Wall have been revamped for the benefit of the tourists.

I had been told that to truly appreciate this ancient structure you are best to explore the untouched, crumbling ruins at a less-visited section.

If you have a choice, do your research carefully - the unrenovated section we walked to was a real highlight.

Some of my friends had done The Wall but you don't really listen to their advice - it is just a "wall" isn't it?

Parts of the Wall we visited were really steep so you had to go carefully.

Although I did notice one woman doing in high-heeled slingbacks ... obviously a dedicated follower of fashion!! GO GIRL!

This photo says it all really! You can see the Wall in the distance climbing across steep hillsides - it is basically an elevated roadway along which men and equipment could be quickly moved across mountainous terrain.

In the old days, pre 1950's apparently, they established a system of smoke signals to warn each other of enemy attacks.

The Forbidden City is so called because it was off limits to mere mortals for 500 years. It is built on a monumental scale - 800 buildings, 9000 rooms! To really enjoy a visit you should allow a full day to explore - we only had a few hours so we literally raced through without a guide which was a real pity.

The most impressive buildings are the The Great Halls which are the heart of the City. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the most important and is the largest structure - built in the 15th Century is was used for ceremonial occasions such as the emperor's birthday and coronations.

In those days, the smooth operation of the Palace required the services of 9,000 maids and 60,000 eunuchs. There were even elephants from Burma. Not to mention the concubines.

Away from the Great Halls you can get an understanding of the lives of those who lived within the walls of the city. We visited the Western Palaces which were the living quarters of the Empress and the concubines ..... these buildings are kept in pristine condition displaying furniture, paintings and personal items from the various eras.

The buildings that we see today are post 18th Century - as the Palace was constantly going up in flames - even a simple lantern festival or a fire works display could set the Palace ablaze. The moat around the City was used at times for fire fighting as the local brigade was considered too common to put out the royal flames.

One Emperor was so frightened of fire that he ordered 1,000's of these enormous bronze pots be strategically placed around the City for use in case of fire. Don't ask me how it all worked.

I took this photo for my cousin,Tony Jones, a fireman in Christchurch, NZ and for all the firemen of NZ and Aust. - they know all about flames - royal or not. GO GUYS!

Outside the present confines of The Forbidden City is Jingshan Park which contains an mound of earth excavated to create the moat around the City.

We struggled to the top pavilion (you've got no idea how we struggled!) - the view across the Beijing and russet roofing of Forbidden City was magnificent despite the pollution.