HUTONG

On my layover in Seattle, heading to Beijing, I realized that I hadn't figured out where I was going to stay upon arrival. Depending on where I'm flying, and when I'm getting in, I'll occasionally just figure it out when I land.  But Beijing is big, I was going to be getting in at night, and from what I'd heard the average cab driver doesn't speak a lick of English. I'd picked up a Lonely Planet guidebook the day before so I flipped through it and found a place located close to the Forbidden City that seemed pretty cool. Twelve hours later I was sliding into the back of cab in Beijing, heading off into the city to find the hostel. The cab driver knew the general area of where I was staying, but had to stop and ask for directions a few times once we got in towards the Forbidden City. Eventually he pulled into a little gas station and got out of the car. I looked out to see where he was going and realized that he was signaling for me to follow him. When I got out of the car I saw that he was pointing me down a dark little street.  I grabbed my bag, paid the cab driver, and after receiving some animated hand gestures on how to navigate the alleyway, I marched off into the labyrinth. A few steps in and the racket coming off the busy street behind me became muffled, I could hear my every footstep. The lighting was dim, but gave off a warm glow.  I'd just been dumped off at a gas station alone to tread down a dark alley, but for some reason I felt completely safe. After a few wrong turns and a little backtracking I finally arrived at my destination. City Walls Courtyard House has been converted into a hostel out of one of Beijings traditional courtyard-style residences. These communal living spaces consist of little walled-in one-story homes that all face a shared courtyard. Pieced together these courtyard residences create a massive network of tiny and intimate alleyways called hutong. Every hutong is full of little doorways that open up into the courtyard residences, most of them are red, some are more elaborate than others, and all of them seem to have at least a few bicycles lined up just inside the entrance. The old part of Beijing is full of these neighborhoods, and I've had a wonderful time getting lost and exploring these old traditional mazes.