Last day Beijing and bullet train to Xi'an

We spent the last morning in Beijing exploring the Hutong area. These are small, privately owned residences established by the Mongol rules in the 13th century. It is a bit of a rabbit warren, but a stroll around the lake was very pleasant. We had lunch with a local family which was a bit of a change.

After lunch it was the bullet train to Xi'an - around 1000km in 4 1/2 hours. Super smooth and comfortable. Along the way, we were intrigued by hundreds, if not thousands of high rise apartment blocks - many unfinished and I don't think they were even occupied. I think they were built to house the rural population, but they were not keen on the idea, preferring to live in their rustic rural homes. Google tells me it was part of a planned urbanisation project, so instead of urban sprawl like most cities, it is contained in pockets. Maybe, eventually, they will all become inhabited.Read more