What do we do, now exams are over?

[Qianmen, City front gate, at dawn]

One of the best ways to see BJ by bicycle is to just cycle at night when there is no traffic to bump into.

This is what my housemate Victor and I decided to do now that exams were over. BJ is made up of ring roads that circle wider and wider, not unlike the circles on a huge dartboard, with Tiananmen and the Forbidden city being the bullseye centre.

So leaving the apartment, which is in the Wudaokou university district waaaaay up north just beyond the 4th Ring Road at 10pm on a nice summer's night, you can find yourself taking it easy and arrive inside the 2nd Ring Road at the City's front gates, Qianmen, before dawn at 4am. Its a nicer adventure exploring a much quieter beijing, passing a few impromptu parties and beer gardens, then watching the sun rise and the world come to life.