China: Day 9

Woke up early before sunrise and got some rice noodles for breakfast from a local shop down the street. Saw a lot of construction workers going home, before the rest of the city wakes up.

Went back to the hotel and checked out, then caught a bus to the CBD - and transferred to the metro until Changsha South Railway Station. Boarded the high-speed train, and departed at 9am.

Arrived at the Beijing West Railway Station 5 hours and 39 minutes later. Took the metro to Beixinqiao Station, and walked the rest of the way to the Traveler Inn. This hotel is located in a hutong, and there are a lot of shops and busy streets nearby.

We took a walk through the area shortly afterwards, and ate dinner at a small local restaurant on Yonghegong Street. Ate dumplings (as is traditional to eat on the Winter Solstice), stir-fried potato strips, tofu + vegetables, deep-fried steamed buns, and some local Beijing Yanjing beer (my favourite Chinese beer).

After eating, we walked around some more and brought some supplies from a local supermarket, and some buns from a local bakery called Mr. Bao - then headed back to the hotel for the night.