Da Jinsi 2 Guest House - Beijing - Reviews & Contact Details
(2 reviews)
Reviews (2)
Review from Elodie by Elodie
It is a very nice place. Alain makes a great job and is happy to do it... We (me and my friend) stayed there for 4 days and just had the feeling to be part of the family. The dinner can work from 4 to 20 people... if you go there, do not miss that!! Li Ping (the neighbour) cooks like a queen...
Guesthouse rules and guidelines
Cost: 60 Yuan a bed a night. 50 Yuan for students+86 Telephone:
Yinding Qiao: 66115611 (Home)
DaJinSi:66158369 (Guesthouse)
Cell phone:13520711387
Particularities of the guesthouse:
The guesthouse is located at Da Jin Si Hutong #2, in a traditional courtyard (Quadrangle) and this courtyard is shared by three families but sometimes up to five or six.
It’s a few seconds away from Yinding Qiao, the well known little bridge which separates the lakes of Houhai. So it’s in the heart of the old and new local crowds, the bars, the shoppes and other attractions.
-Toilet is in the courtyard and is turkish style. There’s a collapsible seat for the sensitive souls. I personally prefer it as I’m not fully used yet to squat down to perform this kind of duty.
-One room ran as a dorm which can accommodate comfortably four persons. This number can be increased to five, the fifth bed being of the collapsible type, but I only do that for a single group (Ie.: Five people booking the place together), as I don’t want to impose the burden of a crowded room to people who may not be receptive to it.
It’s a rather comfy room which used to be my bedroom, so the deco is quite allright, I believe. Altho it’s far from offering the kind of aseptized which can be found in most hotels. A thing which I don’t think an instant about modifying since my target customers see no interest in this type of comfort. It’s fitted with :
-A/C
-A ceiling fan with a gyrating head.
-Four independent lockers.
-Soon, I shall install individual overhead reading lights for each bed for the late night readers.
-I’m looking forward to install a tv, there, altho I don’t believe you’d spend much time watching tv in the heart of Lao Beijing.
The kitchen is fully furbished to cook different kinds of things: It’s still my kitchen, altho it’s not located in my current home which is, however, only a few seconds of walk away from the guesthouse. Useful stuff:
-Fridge
-Microwave
-Cooking ware
-Hot/cold water
The bathroom’s got hot/cold water and altho you can shower, you may be patient enough to fill up the bath and enjoy a nice bath during the hot days. The bath is of the wooden type and is quite comfy.
To add to this, potluck dinners are organised regularly in the courtyard. My woman and I often cook aswell and your own contribution is always welcome if you feel like cooking a bit.
Because my neighbour Li Ping (English name: Lily), a loveable Shandong woman who used to own a restaurant, cooks for all of us aswell, especially when nobody but her decided to hit the kitchen that night, it’s expected that you will warn me or her in advance if you intend to join in and contribute about 25 Yuan to cover her expenses, the effort of shopping at the people’s market and of cooking for you.
Occasionally, you may not have paid/ordered a spot at the table, but she may have cooked a bit too much and she might call you out of your room for a lucky freebie, should you feel like it: this family despises food wasting.
Avoid asking Lao Wang, her husband, to cook: he may one terrible night be inclined to do so, but he’s far from being a fine cook and I suspect that when he invites a friend to eat with him, it’s with the intention of poisoning him or her. Nah, I’m kidding. Half kidding.
You don’t pay me for my own cooking or that of my girlfriend, as it’s not everyday that we cook and we don’t have the pretention of being master cooks, altho people seem to enjoy some of our things. They may just be polite, tho.
The project which made us start up this guesthouse as a mean of financing it (the thing not generating any profit) is a public library at my new house and is located at Yinding Qiao Hutong. Most of the books there were donated, mostly by travellers, and are in English, French, a few in other languages and I intend to buy contemporary Chinese books. The aim of this library is to allow locals (Chinese or expats) to have access to books of interests without having to buy them, importing being most of the time the only way. Moreso, there’s a real need for a public library of quality in the hutongs for the Hutongren, as Hutongren are heavy readers who may not all have the kind of income which would allow them to satisfy their craving for literature if they were limited to bookstores.
Of course, feel free to drop by and borrow a book, during your stay. Any book you might contribute to the collection would be quite appreciated.
Rules:
-Don’t abuse the phone which is graciously put at your disposal.
-Don’t mess with the place, my neighbours, my guests or me. To live among my clan more than a day is a privilege which isn’t merely acquired with money but also involves your personality and your attitude. In any case, people who don’t run away a the sight of the place or the nature of our little comune generally become our friends, so it’s obvious that a certain level of intelectual and cultural compability are mandatory to truly appreciate the experience.
-The last person to leave the room should turn off the A/C or the fan aswell as any other electrical appliance. No need to get paranoid, there, but try to be conscious’nuff to save power and –my- money so I can keep the place running.
-Make sure that, after using the gaz cooker, the valve on the gaz tank is turned off. Otherwise, leakage may occur, waste some gaz and represent a hazard.
-What you deplete or break, you should replace. Feel free to ask me where to get it. However, this rule isn’t systematically applied to everything. If replacement is particularly cheap, if the breakage is due to proper use but end of life, that I have’nuf time to do it myself or that prompt replacement isn’t mandatory, there’s not reason to worry. Besides, somes things are provided free of charge, variably, depending on how well business is faring. My guesthouse works in the most honest and dynamic way: when business is good, the host is rather grateful and generous but when the cash is thin in his pocket, he may ends up saving canddles bits and a bit of cooperation from the guests is appreciated.
-You may prefer using your own padlock or I can tell you where to get a cheap one’round. However, each key kit comes with a padlock and until I get too many bad experiences, I’ll stick to this policy.
- Keep the pleace clean. Altho I come every once in a while for a general clean up operation: you cook and you spill junk on the floor, you produce a bunch of floating hair after takin a shower, etc, you wipe it off, please : this isn’t exactly a rule, but it’s greatly appreciated, both by me and your fellow residents, eh? I’m no hygien Nazi but this is a guesthouse: it’s cheap, it’s friendly and it’s located in a place where you get to experience what you wouldn’t at conventional hotel or what most hostels can offer. Namely a location that’s unique, including its people and a comunal lifestyle that may not suit everybody but it sought after by my target customers: backpackers, artists, wanderers of all sorts who roam the world at any occasion, seeking contact with local populations in hope of finding a difference.
If you have some doubts after reading this information, save yourself potential trouble: go straight to the rather comfortable Gongtie international youth hostel or one of the other fine similar establishments around Beijing.
FAQ:
Q: How find our way to the guesthouse?
A: The easiest way is to hit a cab. When the driver asks you “Qu Nali?”, you answer “Gulou” (pronounce “gooloh”). You can be more specific with “Gulou/Dianmen!”, after he has shown he understood your “Gulou”. He’s now able to bring you all the way to the Drum Tower. If you let him take a left at the T junction, let him drive you about fifty meters till you stop him: it will drag you on the way to Yendai Xiejie: a small, busy pedestrian alley which entrance is marked by a rather Chinese arch. Follow this alley all the way to another T junction, take a left: you’ll see the small Yinding bridge and you’ll cross it, walk down till you get to turn left or continue into a curve that’s heading to the right. You’ll take a left. You’re at my pad.
By bus: You take the shuttle till the Dongzhimen stop. Then you hop on the 107 bus till the Gulou stop. That should leave you standing in front of a supermarket. From there, you’ll walk northwards (The Drum tower can be seen from there), Yendai Xiejie will be at your left. For the rest, take a look at the above indications about how to get there by taxi.
Should you have any trouble finding your way there, you can always call me, be it to talk to the cabbie, to give you instructions or fetch you somewhere between the Drum Tower and Yinding Qiao (I know pretty well that for some, it can be quite difficult to find ones way in that city, especially in Houhai).
If you want me to speak to a Chinese, I suggest you call me and explain the situation to me before you pass on the phone to the Chinese in question: My Chinese being not so good, it might pretty well happen that I don’t get what he wants from me if I haven’t already been briefed in French or English what the matter’s all about. If I know the context beforehand, it’s much easier for me to talk with my Chinese interlocutor.
Q:How to get hot water for showering or cleaning the dishes? A:There’s a heater in the kitchen. It’s the small boxy thing next to the window, on the wall. Make sure it’s plugged, turn it on (don’t bother with the setting: it should be set to maximum). Wait about 15-20 minutes and you’ll have’nuff for a good shower. I appreciate if you turn it off after use, unless you know that somebody else intends to use it soon afterwards.
Q: How to adjust the ratio hot:cold water? A: Saddly, the system is quite awkward: you cannot adjust it from the bathroom (something I intend to fix quickly): you must adjust it straight at the heater.
Q:How do I use the gaz cooker? A:Turn on the valve on the gaz tank. Then, while pushing the button on the cooker, rotate it left a second, then rotate it back into it’s original position. Now, there’s gaz in the tract. Push and rotate the gaz button again and that’s it: fire. Don’t forget to turn it off properly aswell as turning off the valve on the gaz tank after use.
Q: How to turn the A/C on or off? A: The A/C’s remote sensor being broken, the only way to turn it on and off is to punch the little hole where there used to be a sensor with a screw or any similar tool. If I ever make’nuff cash, I’ll change that unit. Otherwise, the A/C works quite fine.
Q: How do I pay you? A: Before you hit the bed, you pay me. It can be done on a daily basis or you can pay a number of nights in advance, should you prefer to do this to take the burden of keeping in mind to save’nuff money for the accomodation part in your budget. Up to you. I used to let people pay at the end of their stay, but a few cases of honest forgetting or somebody who can’t find me before leaving who stash the cash in the room, forcing me to hunt it down all around the room, under the beds, behind the furniture, pots, all the way to the fan at the ceiling made me chance my mind ;)
Little guide’round my Houhai:
Food:
Around here, there are many places where to satisfy many palates. Just ask me. A random sampling: Tibet, Xinjiang, Beijing, Pizza (of Italian standard, truly), Baozi joints, Jianbing and, of course, my favourite: My neighbour, a great cook from Shandong with whom we have potluck dinners almost daily.
For the latter, feel free to join in: But I decided with her that she should get a contribution of 25 yuan a head for a rather gargantuesque dinner to cover her expenses, hitting the people’s market and cooking for you.
As I type this, we added a convenient option for middle/long term residents: a while ago, a group of three guests decided to cover their daily meal for five days at reason of 100 kuai a person.
It’s also more convenient for Li ping who can plan a budget well in advance and doesn’t have to bother much anymore about the quantity of food to purchase to accommodate the people who’ll be sitting at the table.
Breakfast and lunch are still a vague concept considering the type and quantity of food cooked for this kind of meals which is quite lower than what is used during the evening banquets.
Most people often go grab a bite around, eat what remains from the last night or are quite welcome to join in whenever someone decides to cook something.
Activities:
Corny littles electric boats aswell as traditional boats manned by a paddle guy, a musician or two and a full course dinner can be rented to hang a bit on the lakes.
Taking a swim in the lake with the hutongren is something that takes a bit of a strong heart but it’s free.
Walking or biking around the lakes is also good for quite a sight and nothing keeps you from stopping a bit to read a book (which you may borrow from the library) or chatting a bit with the locals as they practice their leisure of election around the parks and other green spaces.
Those guys on trikes with a seat on the back who yell “hello! Rickshaw!” or something in your mothertongue as they overheard you spekaing may make you feel like a tourist about to be trapped, but those are cool, enthusiastic folks, often. I know many of them and call friend a few of them. It’s quite a nice way to get a quick, yet reasonably complete sampling of the hutongs and its touristic attractions. I can get you a decent deal, whenever I have time to hit Yinding qiao with you and if one of my pals’hanging around. If I’m in the mood, I’ll even give you a short bio of the guy, so that you don’t feel like you’re being dragged’round by some generic puller. Some of them are quite memorable characters.
I know a guy who gave me a specific rate for three types of rides, so using his service, when he’s around, means no bargaining to do. Thanks to Li Ping, I now know that his prices are the true and standard rate.
Having a drink at one of the few cool bars of the place is always a decent way to take a break, but you have to keep your eyes peeled to find the right spot lost among the dozens lousy bars that line the lakes.
No Name bar, nearby Yinding Qiao, next to Club Nuage is a sure bet. No Name Bar will soon be demolished but the owner already opened an improved version of it across the Hutong from the guesthouse. It’s a man of great taste.
Huxley’s, a bit cheaper, a bit less pretty and much smaller however comes with an interesting, cultured, strong personality type barman whose command of English is quasi perfect.
Both places have in common a real interest for the music played in background and one can have his own music played.
Club Nuage occasionally can be quite a decent place to go dancing and I hear neighbouring Moscow bar is quite fine aswell. F22 across Deshengmen is a space where indy flick makers and students go to show their work and I believe that it’s usually free.
Shopping is also quite an interesting experience: no big ass mall, here. Bunches of small shoppes selling original pieces of clothing, Tibetan junk, Yunnan erotic art, pipes, imported and local music, old junk and odd littles things that defy classification.
Listening to the peddlers who ride trikes in the hutongs and trying to figure out what they’re selling or buying by their shouts is not completely out of interest.
Things to visit nearby, aside of Houhai itself and the people’s markets, count such things as a budhist temple, the lama temple, the drum tower, the bell tower, Beihai park and certainly a few other things I can’t think about, being not myself too much in a touristic mood at the moment.
I’d say that sitting on the ledge of Yinding Qiao with a drink is one of the best experiences, especially if you are into meeting interesting people.
Ask me’bout these things and others. There are some chances I can give you a satisfying answer.
If there’s a particular question I can’t answer, my friend Li Ping may be able to answer, especially regarding such things as train tickets, buses and other practical things.
In the evenning, it’s much better to count on her more than on me, as her husband and I tend to be a bit too drunk to talk about anything but the great questions of life.
If you intend to drop by my place, I hope well that you have carefully read this long but quite useful piece of text.
Cost: 60 Yuan a bed a night. 50 Yuan for students+86 Telephone:
Yinding Qiao: 66115611 (Home)
DaJinSi:66158369 (Guesthouse)
Cell phone:13520711387
Particularities of the guesthouse:
The guesthouse is located at Da Jin Si Hutong #2, in a traditional courtyard (Quadrangle) and this courtyard is shared by three families but sometimes up to five or six.
It’s a few seconds away from Yinding Qiao, the well known little bridge which separates the lakes of Houhai. So it’s in the heart of the old and new local crowds, the bars, the shoppes and other attractions.
-Toilet is in the courtyard and is turkish style. There’s a collapsible seat for the sensitive souls. I personally prefer it as I’m not fully used yet to squat down to perform this kind of duty.
-One room ran as a dorm which can accommodate comfortably four persons. This number can be increased to five, the fifth bed being of the collapsible type, but I only do that for a single group (Ie.: Five people booking the place together), as I don’t want to impose the burden of a crowded room to people who may not be receptive to it.
It’s a rather comfy room which used to be my bedroom, so the deco is quite allright, I believe. Altho it’s far from offering the kind of aseptized which can be found in most hotels. A thing which I don’t think an instant about modifying since my target customers see no interest in this type of comfort. It’s fitted with :
-A/C
-A ceiling fan with a gyrating head.
-Four independent lockers.
-Soon, I shall install individual overhead reading lights for each bed for the late night readers.
-I’m looking forward to install a tv, there, altho I don’t believe you’d spend much time watching tv in the heart of Lao Beijing.
The kitchen is fully furbished to cook different kinds of things: It’s still my kitchen, altho it’s not located in my current home which is, however, only a few seconds of walk away from the guesthouse. Useful stuff:
-Fridge
-Microwave
-Cooking ware
-Hot/cold water
The bathroom’s got hot/cold water and altho you can shower, you may be patient enough to fill up the bath and enjoy a nice bath during the hot days. The bath is of the wooden type and is quite comfy.
To add to this, potluck dinners are organised regularly in the courtyard. My woman and I often cook aswell and your own contribution is always welcome if you feel like cooking a bit.
Because my neighbour Li Ping (English name: Lily), a loveable Shandong woman who used to own a restaurant, cooks for all of us aswell, especially when nobody but her decided to hit the kitchen that night, it’s expected that you will warn me or her in advance if you intend to join in and contribute about 25 Yuan to cover her expenses, the effort of shopping at the people’s market and of cooking for you.
Occasionally, you may not have paid/ordered a spot at the table, but she may have cooked a bit too much and she might call you out of your room for a lucky freebie, should you feel like it: this family despises food wasting.
Avoid asking Lao Wang, her husband, to cook: he may one terrible night be inclined to do so, but he’s far from being a fine cook and I suspect that when he invites a friend to eat with him, it’s with the intention of poisoning him or her. Nah, I’m kidding. Half kidding.
You don’t pay me for my own cooking or that of my girlfriend, as it’s not everyday that we cook and we don’t have the pretention of being master cooks, altho people seem to enjoy some of our things. They may just be polite, tho.
The project which made us start up this guesthouse as a mean of financing it (the thing not generating any profit) is a public library at my new house and is located at Yinding Qiao Hutong. Most of the books there were donated, mostly by travellers, and are in English, French, a few in other languages and I intend to buy contemporary Chinese books. The aim of this library is to allow locals (Chinese or expats) to have access to books of interests without having to buy them, importing being most of the time the only way. Moreso, there’s a real need for a public library of quality in the hutongs for the Hutongren, as Hutongren are heavy readers who may not all have the kind of income which would allow them to satisfy their craving for literature if they were limited to bookstores.
Of course, feel free to drop by and borrow a book, during your stay. Any book you might contribute to the collection would be quite appreciated.
Rules:
-Don’t abuse the phone which is graciously put at your disposal.
-Don’t mess with the place, my neighbours, my guests or me. To live among my clan more than a day is a privilege which isn’t merely acquired with money but also involves your personality and your attitude. In any case, people who don’t run away a the sight of the place or the nature of our little comune generally become our friends, so it’s obvious that a certain level of intelectual and cultural compability are mandatory to truly appreciate the experience.
-The last person to leave the room should turn off the A/C or the fan aswell as any other electrical appliance. No need to get paranoid, there, but try to be conscious’nuff to save power and –my- money so I can keep the place running.
-Make sure that, after using the gaz cooker, the valve on the gaz tank is turned off. Otherwise, leakage may occur, waste some gaz and represent a hazard.
-What you deplete or break, you should replace. Feel free to ask me where to get it. However, this rule isn’t systematically applied to everything. If replacement is particularly cheap, if the breakage is due to proper use but end of life, that I have’nuf time to do it myself or that prompt replacement isn’t mandatory, there’s not reason to worry. Besides, somes things are provided free of charge, variably, depending on how well business is faring. My guesthouse works in the most honest and dynamic way: when business is good, the host is rather grateful and generous but when the cash is thin in his pocket, he may ends up saving canddles bits and a bit of cooperation from the guests is appreciated.
-You may prefer using your own padlock or I can tell you where to get a cheap one’round. However, each key kit comes with a padlock and until I get too many bad experiences, I’ll stick to this policy.
- Keep the pleace clean. Altho I come every once in a while for a general clean up operation: you cook and you spill junk on the floor, you produce a bunch of floating hair after takin a shower, etc, you wipe it off, please : this isn’t exactly a rule, but it’s greatly appreciated, both by me and your fellow residents, eh? I’m no hygien Nazi but this is a guesthouse: it’s cheap, it’s friendly and it’s located in a place where you get to experience what you wouldn’t at conventional hotel or what most hostels can offer. Namely a location that’s unique, including its people and a comunal lifestyle that may not suit everybody but it sought after by my target customers: backpackers, artists, wanderers of all sorts who roam the world at any occasion, seeking contact with local populations in hope of finding a difference.
If you have some doubts after reading this information, save yourself potential trouble: go straight to the rather comfortable Gongtie international youth hostel or one of the other fine similar establishments around Beijing.
FAQ:
Q: How find our way to the guesthouse?
A: The easiest way is to hit a cab. When the driver asks you “Qu Nali?”, you answer “Gulou” (pronounce “gooloh”). You can be more specific with “Gulou/Dianmen!”, after he has shown he understood your “Gulou”. He’s now able to bring you all the way to the Drum Tower. If you let him take a left at the T junction, let him drive you about fifty meters till you stop him: it will drag you on the way to Yendai Xiejie: a small, busy pedestrian alley which entrance is marked by a rather Chinese arch. Follow this alley all the way to another T junction, take a left: you’ll see the small Yinding bridge and you’ll cross it, walk down till you get to turn left or continue into a curve that’s heading to the right. You’ll take a left. You’re at my pad.
By bus: You take the shuttle till the Dongzhimen stop. Then you hop on the 107 bus till the Gulou stop. That should leave you standing in front of a supermarket. From there, you’ll walk northwards (The Drum tower can be seen from there), Yendai Xiejie will be at your left. For the rest, take a look at the above indications about how to get there by taxi.
Should you have any trouble finding your way there, you can always call me, be it to talk to the cabbie, to give you instructions or fetch you somewhere between the Drum Tower and Yinding Qiao (I know pretty well that for some, it can be quite difficult to find ones way in that city, especially in Houhai).
If you want me to speak to a Chinese, I suggest you call me and explain the situation to me before you pass on the phone to the Chinese in question: My Chinese being not so good, it might pretty well happen that I don’t get what he wants from me if I haven’t already been briefed in French or English what the matter’s all about. If I know the context beforehand, it’s much easier for me to talk with my Chinese interlocutor.
Q:How to get hot water for showering or cleaning the dishes? A:There’s a heater in the kitchen. It’s the small boxy thing next to the window, on the wall. Make sure it’s plugged, turn it on (don’t bother with the setting: it should be set to maximum). Wait about 15-20 minutes and you’ll have’nuff for a good shower. I appreciate if you turn it off after use, unless you know that somebody else intends to use it soon afterwards.
Q: How to adjust the ratio hot:cold water? A: Saddly, the system is quite awkward: you cannot adjust it from the bathroom (something I intend to fix quickly): you must adjust it straight at the heater.
Q:How do I use the gaz cooker? A:Turn on the valve on the gaz tank. Then, while pushing the button on the cooker, rotate it left a second, then rotate it back into it’s original position. Now, there’s gaz in the tract. Push and rotate the gaz button again and that’s it: fire. Don’t forget to turn it off properly aswell as turning off the valve on the gaz tank after use.
Q: How to turn the A/C on or off? A: The A/C’s remote sensor being broken, the only way to turn it on and off is to punch the little hole where there used to be a sensor with a screw or any similar tool. If I ever make’nuff cash, I’ll change that unit. Otherwise, the A/C works quite fine.
Q: How do I pay you? A: Before you hit the bed, you pay me. It can be done on a daily basis or you can pay a number of nights in advance, should you prefer to do this to take the burden of keeping in mind to save’nuff money for the accomodation part in your budget. Up to you. I used to let people pay at the end of their stay, but a few cases of honest forgetting or somebody who can’t find me before leaving who stash the cash in the room, forcing me to hunt it down all around the room, under the beds, behind the furniture, pots, all the way to the fan at the ceiling made me chance my mind ;)
Little guide’round my Houhai:
Food:
Around here, there are many places where to satisfy many palates. Just ask me. A random sampling: Tibet, Xinjiang, Beijing, Pizza (of Italian standard, truly), Baozi joints, Jianbing and, of course, my favourite: My neighbour, a great cook from Shandong with whom we have potluck dinners almost daily.
For the latter, feel free to join in: But I decided with her that she should get a contribution of 25 yuan a head for a rather gargantuesque dinner to cover her expenses, hitting the people’s market and cooking for you.
As I type this, we added a convenient option for middle/long term residents: a while ago, a group of three guests decided to cover their daily meal for five days at reason of 100 kuai a person.
It’s also more convenient for Li ping who can plan a budget well in advance and doesn’t have to bother much anymore about the quantity of food to purchase to accommodate the people who’ll be sitting at the table.
Breakfast and lunch are still a vague concept considering the type and quantity of food cooked for this kind of meals which is quite lower than what is used during the evening banquets.
Most people often go grab a bite around, eat what remains from the last night or are quite welcome to join in whenever someone decides to cook something.
Activities:
Corny littles electric boats aswell as traditional boats manned by a paddle guy, a musician or two and a full course dinner can be rented to hang a bit on the lakes.
Taking a swim in the lake with the hutongren is something that takes a bit of a strong heart but it’s free.
Walking or biking around the lakes is also good for quite a sight and nothing keeps you from stopping a bit to read a book (which you may borrow from the library) or chatting a bit with the locals as they practice their leisure of election around the parks and other green spaces.
Those guys on trikes with a seat on the back who yell “hello! Rickshaw!” or something in your mothertongue as they overheard you spekaing may make you feel like a tourist about to be trapped, but those are cool, enthusiastic folks, often. I know many of them and call friend a few of them. It’s quite a nice way to get a quick, yet reasonably complete sampling of the hutongs and its touristic attractions. I can get you a decent deal, whenever I have time to hit Yinding qiao with you and if one of my pals’hanging around. If I’m in the mood, I’ll even give you a short bio of the guy, so that you don’t feel like you’re being dragged’round by some generic puller. Some of them are quite memorable characters.
I know a guy who gave me a specific rate for three types of rides, so using his service, when he’s around, means no bargaining to do. Thanks to Li Ping, I now know that his prices are the true and standard rate.
Having a drink at one of the few cool bars of the place is always a decent way to take a break, but you have to keep your eyes peeled to find the right spot lost among the dozens lousy bars that line the lakes.
No Name bar, nearby Yinding Qiao, next to Club Nuage is a sure bet. No Name Bar will soon be demolished but the owner already opened an improved version of it across the Hutong from the guesthouse. It’s a man of great taste.
Huxley’s, a bit cheaper, a bit less pretty and much smaller however comes with an interesting, cultured, strong personality type barman whose command of English is quasi perfect.
Both places have in common a real interest for the music played in background and one can have his own music played.
Club Nuage occasionally can be quite a decent place to go dancing and I hear neighbouring Moscow bar is quite fine aswell. F22 across Deshengmen is a space where indy flick makers and students go to show their work and I believe that it’s usually free.
Shopping is also quite an interesting experience: no big ass mall, here. Bunches of small shoppes selling original pieces of clothing, Tibetan junk, Yunnan erotic art, pipes, imported and local music, old junk and odd littles things that defy classification.
Listening to the peddlers who ride trikes in the hutongs and trying to figure out what they’re selling or buying by their shouts is not completely out of interest.
Things to visit nearby, aside of Houhai itself and the people’s markets, count such things as a budhist temple, the lama temple, the drum tower, the bell tower, Beihai park and certainly a few other things I can’t think about, being not myself too much in a touristic mood at the moment.
I’d say that sitting on the ledge of Yinding Qiao with a drink is one of the best experiences, especially if you are into meeting interesting people.
Ask me’bout these things and others. There are some chances I can give you a satisfying answer.
If there’s a particular question I can’t answer, my friend Li Ping may be able to answer, especially regarding such things as train tickets, buses and other practical things.
In the evenning, it’s much better to count on her more than on me, as her husband and I tend to be a bit too drunk to talk about anything but the great questions of life.
If you intend to drop by my place, I hope well that you have carefully read this long but quite useful piece of text.
