Beijing

Day 12 - We check out of our hotel, leave our bags there and check into an Internet cafe for a couple of hours (prices are same everywhere: 650-700 Tugriks an hour) before returning to the hotel for our ride to the airport. The internet cafes remind you of those you find in Asia .. usually a small setup with terminals, manned by a speccy student-looking tech support type. The locals can be found playing warcraft, viewing music videos, chatting and emailling here. UB airport is a small building about 30 minutes from the city itself. There are about 2 flights displayed on the LED board (the information displayed is flashed periodically on the board, not left on). Checking in is easy as there doesn't seem to be any other outbound flights apart from ours. The others in our group had resumed their journey on the Trans Siberian train to Beijing (we flew as when we booked the trip, the train had been fully booked already). Below are what we would have seen had we taken the train, albeit at the cost of having to endure a day and a half's travel...
Descent past the Great Wall (Tim's pic)
Changing of wheels (Tim's pic)

Day 12 (PM) - We land at Beijing airport at about 8pm and take a shuttle bus from the airport to Xidan where we get a taxi (10 yuan) to our hostel.
Beijing
Beijing is massive. Our shuttle bus takes quite a while to get out of the airport expressway (it's quite a distance) and into the city. The roads are a complete opposite to Mongolia's bumpy ones about a thousand times over. Even at night, they are still building roads and crossovers. Even now, they already look ready for the Olympics.

We soon drive down the main road towards Ti'anmen Square. With ultra modern huge hotels on either side, the place looks like Las Vegas (without the neon striplights though). Wide, well-lit promenades line the road. It seems a lot of money has been pumped into this place and it certainly looks it.

We reach what we think is the correct place at about 11pm and walk down a dark hutong alleyway. I get the house number mixed up and shining my keyring light down a narrow and dark corridor, walk into someone's backyard. A lady is taking her washing in. I stare at her and she stares at me before I ask her if this was the Templeside Hostel. Apparently it's next door. We apologise profusely and after making a racket knocking on the door (it was dark and I didn't notice the doorbell...) finally find our hostel.