On Monday, BotF and his daughter drove about 110km north-east of Beijing to the best part of the Great Wall that is readily accessible from Beijing. The stretch of Wall that is open for walking upon is 12 kms between …
Utica Club and Beck’s Green Lemon – poles apart
Fearing the worst in the Qinhuangdao Holiday Inn’s minibar, BotF smuggled a couple of oddments from the expat supermarket in his luggage to enjoy on the balcony of his deluxe Sea View apartment. Utica Club is a throwback pilsener brewed …
Aus Wheat Beer and Beer Chinglish
Outside of the main centres, little general stores abound. You can buy everything from soft drink, beer, noodles, clothes pegs, cleaning equipment, meat, swimmers etc. They are generic in appearance, but have a different eclectic range. BotF pulled in to …
Age of Burning Lives Bar, Qinhuangdao
BotF ventured to the seaside town of Qinhuangdao with his daughter and Tony from Toowoomba’s family for the weekend. Qinhuangdao was a venue for the Olympics in 2008 and hosted mens and womens soccer and the windsurfing. Nearby is a …
Fubar and Snakebites
Off to our final destination for the evening – Fubar. The Workers Stadium in Beijing is a 65,000 person stadium in Beijing, just next to Sanlitun. BotF attended a game between Beijing Gou’an and the Newcastle Jets last year. The …
The Apothecary and Red Seal Ale
With the January 2009 Beijing Collective now starving, Eric made the suggestion of The Apothecary. This is a type of place not usually frequented by BotF in the company of only male friends. Far too classy and cocktail focussed, however, …
First Floor and Saddle Cantina
Sanlitun is a section of Beijing famed for its bars, restaurants, night clubs and shopping. The January 2009 Beijing collective continued its crawl through Sanlitun’s streets. By 8pm it is getting pretty busy, as high school students join the throng. …
Her Bookmark – a Beijing bar unknown
BotF almost forgot about this little classic that he discovered early on Friday morning. This is the type of place Beijing does so well. This bar/cafe which doubles as a bookshop is in the middle of a residential area and …
Forgettable beer in an unforgettable location
After Beer Mania, BotF went to the next port of call on his Friday night pub crawl and to meet up with the January 2009 Beijing collective. Tony from Toowoomba, a cotton trader, Eric from Illinois, a lawyer, and BotF, …
Beijing’s Belgian Bar and Trappiste Rochefort 6
BotF had a marathon day in Beijing on Friday, walking the best part of 15 to 20kms through the alley ways and streets of Beijing. Knocked off a few temples and re-visited a few favourite spots. A wonderful city in …
back of the ferry 