Beijing Travel Bug

Archive for the ‘Must see’ Category

I vividly recall my first experience in Tiaanmen Square with some regrets. I thought I could just get away with some thermals and jacket…as it turned out, my mind went blank, shaking vigorously to the beat of the first Chinese anthem of the morning.

The sudden rush of Lei Shir classes (Chinese history) surged my mind, those flashbacks of vague list of names and events that I regret not understanding because I was too lazy to listen.

You see, I used to study Chinese in school..all my 13 years of pre university schooling. Not just those conversational ones, we were taught hardcore Chinese..from early civilization history of China till the very end of their dynasty era..all those difficult four letter words that I invented the pronunciation. It’s quite embarrassing to mention I could not recall those classes/lessons I took. I was fond of memorizing…then trashing them all after the long exams.
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Surprise Surprise, I get to visit Beijing for a while last week! Ha! Tiring because I was the tour guide for my family but it was worth it. A sort of brief nostalgic trip that depleted my energy.

I had to stop over to the newest huge mall around Chaoyang District. It was called the Village. It was literally a stone-throws away from Yashow (the buidling where we used to shop and haggle clothes in Beijing, one of our favorites because they sell overruns I like)

A hangout that I would have liked because if you get sick of the haggling, you can now visit the Village where branded stores like Uni qlo, Nike, Adidas, etc have huge stores inside. I also saw Hatsune branch at the top floor in one of the buildings.
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I haven’t round up some places tourists must definitely check out when they visit Beijing, the capital of China. For sure, nowadays, it must be jam packed with the Olympic games going on there. They have heightened security for those who plan to disrupt anything.

Well, let me recall those places that left an impression on me.

1. Great Wall of China - For sure, you should visit this great world wonder. It’s an experience stepping into a magnificent product of history (sweat and blood of a lot of people like Egypt’s pyramid). The great wall itself is a long stretch and only few sections are open because some haven’t been safely reconstructed. I visited only 2 sections, one was full of tourists which was very very uncomfortable (Badaling) so I advise you to try the other section (Mutianyu). For those adventurous hearts, you can visit Simaitai for an amazing view of the sunrise.

2. Temple of Heaven- this is now the signature landmark of Beijing for the Olympics 2008. It is a must see because it looks so majestic especially in a bright sunny day. You can see how the place seems to shine and reflect some golden glow.

3. Summer Palace - You can just imagine how big this place is. It is one of the ancient royal gardens of Beijing as the capital of China long ago. With emperors and empresses who had walked the gardens during the olden times, it does feel like you’ve been transported into history but with so many tourists nowadays, I doubt it’s possible now
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Yu Yuan actually means Contentment according to one travel site I saw.

Yu Yuan Garden is a “five-acre garden consists of six sections separated by boundary walls: Grand Rockery, Ten Thousand-Flower Pavilion, Hall of Heralding Spring, Hall of Jade Magnificence, Inner Garden and Lotus Poo located in Shanghai.”

The place has a magnificent colorful architecture. The vibrance of red makes you feel “China”. But amidst its beauty, the place really attracts a LOT of tourist/people! It was literally full and I was finding my way to places I need to meet my friends.

There was a lot of shops, food inside the Garden. This is where I got to try the HUGE Xiao Long Pao. I was literally shocked that I had to sip the soup inside the big pao. It was really hot! I wondered why the straw didn’t melt. The xiao long paowas actually cheap (around 5rmb). We ate at some famous restaurant inside garden, we saw pictures of Clinton and other famous personalities inside the restaurant. But the food…I wasn’t impressed and it’s really expensive! Our cafeteria restaurant in BLCU was even better. Their jiao zi (dumpling) was sticky and starchy. Din tai fung’s xiao long pao is way better!
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Tea is more popular drink in China rather than coffee. They have too many kinds of tea leaves I never get to memorize. The famous ones are Jasmine, Oolong Tea, Green Tea.

I’m not really a tea addict, we usually order those free ones (house tea) in Chinese Restaurants. I prefer coffee’s caffiene! Anyway, I saw an interesting act while I was in China. When we were in Shanghai, we went to a facinating restaurant called 1212 which is very hard to find. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary building but when you get in, you’ll be amazed how ironic the setting is.

For the first time, I was able to watch some guy waiter doing some Kung Fu Tea (Gong fu) Serving. When I saw him, I thought he would be showing some moves, but it was just pouring. I heard in Beijing, there’s this place, a traditional tea house where they showcase this famous Gongfu Pouring. I should have watched one! I would have been much more amazed.

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Paris? Pyramids? Close…for budget tourist like me, I’m estatic seeing almost ‘real’ world attractions at World Park. These life-size replicas ignite the historical curiousity in you. Imagine seeing mythological scruptures from “ancient” Greece/Rome! Or the Japanese temples and gardens! or life-size Angkor Wat!

The World Park in Beijing is located in southwestern Fengtai District, and is about 17 kilometers from the City center and 40 kilometers from the Capital International Airport. The park opened in 1993 and is estimated to receive 1.5 million visitors annually.

When we went there, it was so gloomy that I was depressed seeing the cloudy sky. Although the weather was not with us that day, we managed to go around the place and take lots of pictures as usual! My favorite is the Eiffel Tower replica! I do dream of Paris…so hopefully one day, I’ll be in the real one!
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This seems to be a very weird post regarding Beijing but I swear, this one is my favorite cheap treat when I was still in Beijing! I’ve been eating Mcdonald’s sundae back in the Philippines for as long as I remember. I even planned to join the Junior Mcdo crew when I was still young so somehow I am very familiar with the taste.

So far, when I compared it to the sundae ice cream of Mcdonald’s Beijing China…it was different! The one in Beijing is much creamier and smooth. I wonder where did they get their ingredients or from whom they get the supply. For about 2.50 kuai, I would indulge with this dessert even in chilly winter season in China!

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