Peking Duck

I fell head over heels in love with Beijing which came as a huge surprise as I'd always just thought of it as the place where my trip ended - Mongolia and Russia were the attractions, not China.

I loved how the countryside changed at the border from dusty scrub and desert to lush countryside that immediately looked Chinese.

Although I was travelling on my own, I'd met up with other travellers on the last train and we decided to go for a blow-out posh meal of proper Peking duck.

I felt a mix of nerves and awe as I set off on foot from my hotel to find the restaurant and the others who I was meeting there and was amazed at the heat and the smog. Having never been that far east, I was also loving how utterly foreign it all seemed.

We opted for a set meal and an endless stream of strange foods appeared before us, including the feet and heads of the ducks we'd ordered. I tried everything except for a strange pink gelatinous looking thing.

After the meal we had a look at one of the night markets and stared at the assorted bugs and scorpions on sticks - ready to be deep fried and eaten.