Smoke gets in you, aye

My hotel in Beijing is about a block away from the main train station, tucked into a hutong that seems to come alive in the evening with little shops and tiny restaurants. Every hour on the hour from 6 am on to the late night, the train station carillion peals out an achingly slow version of the communist anthem "Dong Fang Hong" (The East is Red), but to me it sounds hauntingly reminiscent of Suo Gan, a Welsh lullaby used in the movie Empire of the Sun. Strange coincidence?

Cycling in Beijing is much much better than in Shanghai, with the exception that there is a bit more smog here. The bike lanes on the main roads are super wide and there are a variety of cyclists. I even see some wearing helmets, which seem to indicate that some people are doing it for sport and not just utility. Traffic is still nuts at the intersections, I can never tell tell who is not going to follow the rules.

I did a big loop up to the Olympic Park in the north end of the city. The buildings really are impressive, an odd collection of very complex structures but yet each convey a simple elemental concept. Sadly, the air pollution seems to be taking a toll on the Water Cube, there are streaks and a dull film on its translucent skin. I hope they really do something about the air here, the pollution is caused by coal plants to generate electricity. Beijing sits in an interior plain bordered by mountains and if the wind is blowing one way it really traps in the smog. Anyway, all this crappy air is making me rethink or cancel altogether my cycling plans. I got back to my hotel and my throat felt raspy and my head ached. I may send the bike back to Shanghai and pick it up before I leave.

Pollution be damned, the city is lit up at night like a Christmas tree. It's the favourite time for people to stroll and shop, and all the stores seem to be open until 10 pm. Wangfujing, the main pedestrian street, is packed with people out cooling off. It has been hot in Beijing since I got here, and although the air seemed relatively clear and blue when I arrived, it has gotten worse and worse over the last four days.