Beijing Travel Bug

In this chilly weather in Beijing, you’ll probably want to defy nature and try something adventurous! One autumn-turning-winter day in Beijing, my friends and I dared to eat ice cream outside in the almost negative temperature open. Crazy crazy but very good! I was jittering the whole time but eventually my temperature normalized as I force myself to believe that mind can rule over the body! Even if I think the effect was rather psychological contrary to what my friends said, I had a weird sensation like the feeling of blood rushing through my system…maybe doing crazy things make you feel more alive!

Must-try are:
1. Mcdonald’s sundae cone– Best Mcdonald’s version of ice cream (creamy-licious!)
2. Yogurberry – This one I wasn’t able to try but my friends went here to lounge. This originated in offering frozen yogurt, shaved ice desserts etc. The ambiance looks great! It’s located at 2/F, Bldg 8, Wudaokou Xijiao Hotel, Wudaokou.

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Maybe it’s not my favorite cuisine but they were good to try. Last time while we were studying in BLCU, we would crave to dine in this Muslim restaurant inside campus. I didn’t catch the name but I guess it’s called BLCU Muslim Restaurant (just beside the cafeteria). This was where I saw Xinjiang people..I was actually oblivious of the other ethnic groups in China..pretty interesting. The servers were actually impatient when we visit there (one actually told us that we Filipino-Chinese usually come as a noisy crowd, then he actually asked for a one peso coin from us for his collection).

Anyway, you can actually ignore their not so good customer service and just order on. I’m not a fan of lamb kebabs but I like theirs. They’re actually called Yang Ro Chawr . They also have this kind of bread (huge round ones) which you can dip in yogurt. Don’t forget to try their apple caramel dessert. This is actually a retreat from the usual Chinese food around the campus.

You can also try a famous Indian restaurant around Haidian district. It’s called Ganges. We heard they have lunch buffets there but we failed to try. Try this if you opt for Naan, Curries, Masala, Mutton Samosa.

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My current company is having a branch in Shanghai so it made me reminisce the restaurants we tried in Shanghai during my short visit there.

I’m not sure what is considered Shanghainese cuisine, I only know their well known food is Xiao Long Pao. But we got a That’s Shanghai magazine that time (we really made sure to get one) and we got to choose one of the best restaurants there. It’s called Shanghai Uncle.

When you enter Shanghai Uncle, there’s this sense of regality as it might be considered a posh restaurant in Shanghai (though maybe it is commercialized). Red walls with streaks of golden curtains surrounds the place. The red lattern was also lit so it would complete the vintage chinese look.
In the back of my mind, I was wondering if I had dressed properly for the place. We all look young, fickle and out for adventure kind of non local Chinese visitors. I felt so out of place but I honestly didn’t care much! And also, I saw the difference of Beijingers and Shanghainese locals when they dine in this kind of place, Shanghainese care more on how they look.


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Watch the record breakers of this Beijing Olympics 2008.

Michael Phelps

Usain Bolt

I’m currently watching the closing ceremony on TV…seeing all the athletes happy and honored makes your heart swell. Everyone deserves a big applause and Beijing certainly made it very grand for everyone.

Congratulations China for topping the sporting arena worldwide. They always prove themselves well in this aspect. You made every Chinese proud to be. Congratulations USA, especially Michael Phelps for being the greatest Olympian ever (swimming).

It’s really a One world One dream experience for everyone!

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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Beijing Huan Ying Ni means Beijing Welcomes You..it’s the theme song for the Beijing Olympics.

You got to watch the theme song of the Olympics. It was an all star cast of singers mostly Hong Kong singers I remember. The only guy I want to see was Wang Lee Hom (handsome guy!)