Published in Travellady online Magazine

A fascinating medley of ancient sites and cosmopolitan delights flooded our senses in Beijing, China’s capital of nearly 15 million people.

On our first stroll down Wangfujing Dajie, the prestigious pedestrian shopping street, my husband Rick and I were hooked. In an explosion of neon and glitz we intermingled with young women in fashionably scant outfits, men in expensive business suits, and well-to-do families toting loads of purchases; yet we knew this to be far removed from typical living standards.

Tantalizing swirls of aroma lassoed us off Wangfujing onto “Snack Street” every time we passed by. We joined like-minded people at kiosks to purchase bowls of tasty noodles ladled from steam-billowing vats and skewers of spicy meat from sizzling grills. Then it was back to browsing through more specialty shops and a favourite six-level bookstore with a bustling cappuccino bar…………

Click here to read more of the story in Travellady.