beijing - part 2

Beijing is under construction. They are building everywhere - new things and touching up old things - houses, roads, shopping malls, well you name it... A lot has changed since I visited the city last (5,5 years ago) and the city has grown... (the city is of the same size as Belgium - a whole country... crazy... and around 16 million people live there). And more or less all is because of the coming Olympics. Pretty incredible.

However, regardless of all
the big new things, some of
the old Hutongs are still there.
A different world, like a little city,
both old and poor, within the city.
Interesting to walk from
contrast to contrast.

And even though there are so many tourists around, you get stared at like you were the first white person they ever saw at times... And you get approached for photos like you were some kind of rock star... Funny! But if a photo will make someone happy, who the hell am I to decline...