Beijing | Raleigh Travel Photographer

Okay, I'm finally getting around to posting the Beijing pictures. Where does the time go? After this, I'll post pictures from Japan--hopefully with less of a lag between posts!

The first picture you'll see here is the Beijing airport. I was in Beijing in 2005 and I can attest to the huge difference between then and now. This is an amazing airport. Truly.

We had a bit more free time in Beijing than in the other cities and one of the things that I wanted to do was a sidecar tour. My parents had done this in Shanghai and had such high recommendations, that I had to try it. The company is Beijing Sideways and you can do tours of varying lengths and in different locations. The commonality is that you're on a motorcycle with a sidecar and you can ride on the back of the motorcycle or in the sidecar (or alternate, which is what I did). I might have felt rebellious, except my parents were the ones who told me to do it! This method of transport allowed us to weave in and out of traffic and go down some narrow alleys and into the hutongs of Beijing. You'll see a few pictures below.

Here I am, looking awesome (not). My contacts ripped the first day I arrived in Asia so I had to wear my glasses the whole time, which was sort of a pain since I don't normally wear them all day and hold my camera up to my face--to be met with glasses.

I loved this girl holding the rooster. I wanted to get closer, but we were riding and I took the only shot I could get.

Lounging and waiting for the next rickshaw passengers : )