Talking Travel – Beijing

Hello and welcome to Talking Travel with me, Kay Holland on Women's radio station. This is your weekly radio show for travel news, fascinating guests and answers to all your burning travel questions. Now, today on Talking Travel, we're off to Beijing, China's dynamic capital. We're also going to be talking to Sarah Keaneyside, the CEO and founder of Bespoke Beijing, a travel company out there. And she'll be sharing her Beijing tips. And then we'll be ending the show with some travel quotes that are sure to have you all reaching for your passports. So let's get started. But before we do that, if you have any questions for Talking Travel, please email presenterswimmynsradiostation.com or tweeters womensradiostn. I think we'll all agree that planning a holiday is a bit of a minefield. There's so many choices to ensure the perfect break. Do you want iconic sights? Do you want beaches, bars or all three, somewhere you've been to every year since you were five or somewhere new? But if you're listening to Talking Travel on women's radio station, we think you fall into the latter category, for travelling is all about new experiences. So if, like us, you're bored of beaches and bars and looking for a little more than your annual leave, we going to suggest you make a beeline for Beijing. Few cities exude such a tangible sense of up to the minute cool. And everyone from your dentist to your best friend and their old flame has a trip booked to Beijing right now. And for good reasons. Because sure, Shanghai is perhaps the more foreigner friendly city. But if you want to see the real China, you've got to go to Beijing, which is significantly richer in local color than its southern sibling. I've been to Beijing. I actually spent several years working there and I can tell you the streets, they're alive with rickety tuk tuks, vibrant smells of food stalls, and English is most definitely a foreign language. You'll find yourself using gestures and smiles to interact with people. Is it challenging? Absolutely. But in the same breath, I think you'd have to say that Beijing embodies everything that is fabulous about traveling. Beijing, guys, is also historical. Treat and note. This is not the kind of place that Wayne Rooney, if I can get my words out, goes on his holiday. And if you're a history buff, you'll be astounded by the thousands of years of history at your feet. From the ancient sites of the Forbidden City and the Great Wall to Tiananmen Square and the Temple of Heaven. Yet while Beijing is steeped in history, it's striving forward and cutting edge architecture abounds, signaling Beijing's intent to become a world city. I'd suggest checking out the CCTV building and the Bird's Nest Olympic stadium, proof, if any was needed, that Beijing has arrived on the world stage. The icing on the cake. Beijing is blissfully affordable, especially if you're coming from London. You can eat like a king at humble prices, while accommodation costs a fraction of the price it does back home. Of course, China's capital has its problems. Corruption and pollution prevail, while historic hutongs are being destroyed, forcing families out of homes they have lived in for generations. Nonetheless, there is a real reason for optimism. And to overlook Beijing is to miss out on the big travel destination, China and its most dazzling city. But don't just take my word for it. We're going to hear from Sarah Kieniside, who's the CEO and founder of a company called Bespoke Beijing, which, as the name suggests, is based in Beijing. So over to Sarah. Hi, I'm Sarah Kienleside, the founder and CEO of the Bespoke Travel Company. We're headquartered in in Beijing, the capital of China. I think these days the question is not whether you can afford to come to China, but whether you can afford not to come to China. I think for anyone who is well traveled, curious about the world, well informed, I think really the only way you get to have an opinion on China is to come and see it for yourself, largely because it's the most misunderstood country on the planet, I'm convinced. I think my first tip would be to ignore everything you've heard because most of it will be wrong, as you'll see when you get here. So keep an open mind for your travels and I think that's a really good starting point. I think the second thing, my second tip would be to plan your meals. Well. I think Chinese food is truly some of the best in the world. It's really delicious. No, people don't eat dog, certainly not in Beijing. And so I think you can really, you'll be blown away by how great it is. You just need to make sure you're going to the right places because for sure, I think you can still find some pretty bad food here too. Bad versions of the classic. So make sure you know where you're going in advance. Similarly, the, you know, Beijing has all these amazing bucket list sites like the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City. These are fascinating places, but unfortunately they're not particularly well curated by the tourism bureau. So these are two sites that I strongly recommend you get a tour guide for. Ideally a good tour guide rather than a bad one. But I think that will make a really big difference to your day and you can actually do both of those sites in one day. So if you splurge on one thing during your trip to China, I would make it a tour guide for, for those two sites. I think my final tip is just to be a little bit careful of taxi drivers. Unfortunately, none of them speak English and they tend to be a bit gruff and not particularly helpful. And worse than that, they will very often try and rip you off if you can't speak Chinese and you're very clearly a tourist. So my tip would be to get the subway around or hire a car, but yeah, I wouldn't recommend getting drivers. On the plus side, for women, it's a very safe city. It's a very safe country. That's one of the great joys of living here for me is that I never worry about my personal safety, even walking around at night. So I think that's a, that is a big plus in China. But. So don't be afraid of that. But for sure, just be afraid of being ripped off. You do have to keep your wits about you and understand the exchange rate when you're handling cash. But no, I think you'll be delighted if you come. This is one of the world's most, if not foremost, cashless societies. I personally have not been to an ATM or handled cash in China for around six months. So you, you'll get to witness that among many other things. So, yeah, if you want to, you know, find out a little bit more, get some tips, restaurant tips, like I mentioned earlier, find about, find out about any of our services, then please go to our website, bespoketravelcompany.com or go ahead and follow us on Instagram. Bespoke Beijing. Bespoke Shanghai. Bespoke Shang Xi'. An. We have offices in these cities and we, we enjoy keeping, keeping visitors up to date with what's, what's going on. So, yeah, I hope we get to welcome you here soon. Be brave and try somewhere different. I think you'll learn a lot. Thanks, Sarah and thanks for those top tips. So I think we can all agree from Sarah's comments there that Beijing is unmissable. Don't be scared. Take the plunge and pick up the chopsticks and get some stuck into the incredible local gastronomic scene. And keep an open mind. As she said, there's lots of different foods to try there and no, they don't eat dog. So there we go. If you have any questions for Sarah on Talking Travel, email presentersomensradiostation.com or tweeters womensradiostn now time for a song, a very appropriate one given today's topic on Beijing. It's David Bowie with China Girl. With my China girl I feel a wreck without my little China girl I hear her heart beating loud as thunder Soulless stars crushing. I love mess without my little China girl Wake up in the morning with my little China girl I hear hearts beating loud as thunder I saw the stars crashing down I feel tragic like I'm love Brando When I look at my ch. If I could pretend nothing really matter When I look at my channel. I stumble into town just like a sacred cow Visions of swastikas in my head Plans for everyone it's in the way of my eyes. My little child, you shouldn't mess with me I'll ruin everything you own you know I'll give you television I'll give you eyes of blue I'll give your man a ones to rule the world I wanna get excited my little China girl says oh baby just you shut your mouth she said she. Says. She. I wanna get excited my little child says oh baby just you shut your mouth and when I get excited my little China girl says oh baby just you shut your mouth she says. She said. It's. 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Breast cancer. Visit breastcancercare.org.uk walk. Welcome back to Talking Travel on Women's Radio Station, the programme where we bring you travel tips, fascinating guests and answers to all your burning travel questions. Today we've been talking about Beijing and speaking to Sarah Keaneyside, the CEO and founder of Bespoke Beijing. But it's time to leave China and turn our attention to some travel quotes. I thought I'd give you some quotes that will whet your travel appetite and get you reaching for your passport. So are you ready? Are we ready here in the studio? Natalie okay, so here are some of my favourite quotes and let me know if you like them or if you have any of your own travel quotes you'd like to share with us again, you can tweet us womensradio stn or email your quotes and inspiration to presentersomensradiostation.com so one of my favourites is by John Steinbeck. People don't take trips. Trips take people. We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfilment. That was Hilaire Belloc. Certainly travel is more than the seeing of sights. It's a change that goes on deep and permanent in the ideas of living. That was from Mary Ritter Bard. Another favourite coming up, T.S. eliot. The journey, not the arrival matter. One from Mark Twain. I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them. And I think if you've been on a group travel trip, I'm sure you can relate to that one. Make voyages, attempt them. There's nothing else. That was from Tennessee Williams. Henry Miller Here with one's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things. Clifton Fadiman with When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you feel comfortable. It is designed to make its own feel own people feel comfortable. And let's round up with Henry David not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves. So I hope you enjoyed those quotes and as I said, if you've got some you'd like to share with us, then do email or tweet us with your own travel quotes and inspiration. So you've been listening to Talking Travel on Women's radio station. If you wanted to listen again or catch up on our previous programs. You can head to the presenters page on womensradiostation.com thank you so much for listening and see you again next week when we'll be talking about family travel. We care about social change within communities around the world and we want to help. This is why Women's Radio station is giving free airtime to all charities. For more details on charity advertising visit our website at www.womensradiostation.com hi, I'm Michelle Bartlett, the founder of Live Laugh Love Ladies Club. We're looking for ladies to link arms across the globe. This is a new vibrant brand connecting women socially. 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