beijing sights sounds & smells condensed into a sprocket-popping bike ride

beijing sights sounds & smells condensed into a sprocket-popping bike ride

I did this trip a while back (May 09) and haven't managed to get the review up until now, but really don't want to let it slide because it was a great adventure and a remarkable way to encounter Beijing.
Traveling knee-high through the back streets and hutongs and out on the grand avenues was a really original experience of life on the city's streets, coming face to face with wide-eyed kids on the back of bikes, dodging wary labourers from backyard building sites, gliding past roadside disputes, passing scrumptious market food stalls at licking distance, seeking out the stillness of Beijing's secret quiet spots, and on and on. If you could be injected into the citys arteries and shot down through them, this is what you might experience...!