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Saturday, November 27, 2010
After a great trip to Yunnan, I was all inspired by the beauty in China, so when I was asked last minute by a friend to join a trip to Beijing I did not hesitate. With only two weeks to go before the trip, it was two weeks of frantic preparation, including setting the itineraries. As my family has been there twice, I knew it was not likely that I would go again soon. After lots and lots of research and talking to many friends, we had an awesome itinerary set up for a 3 day 2 night stay. Very short, but our list of things to do was amazingly long !
On the First Day, we knew we had our work cut out for us, so we left the hotel room at 8, and started scoffing down a huge breakfast. The buffet breakfast in China is special because they have so many kinds of Western food, and yet so many kinds of Asian food ! I ate a combination of pancakes and dumplings ! After 30 minutes, we started walking down the Wangfujing area, and reached Tiananmen Square. Though nothing more than a large square with loads of tourists, it was very moving. After that, in succession, we walked through the Forbidden Palace, climbed up Jingshan Park to take photos, hiked through Beihai Park where we also had a simple lunch. Then we visited the Drum Bell Tower and had a small bike tour through the hutongs.
Dead tired after that, we still took a long walk home through Nanluguoxiang, where we tried some desserts and looked at some of the hip and trendy shops around. We rested for a bit at the hotel, and since we had some time to spare before dinner, we had a massage at the spa across the street. Though it was not cheap, service was good. Then we walked (Yes we walked everywhere !) to Dadong restaurant, to eat Peking Duck at half past six. The restaurant had been named in many places as the best place to eat, and we were very satisfied with the food there.
After the dinner, which was not very expensive, we walked back down Wangfujing area, where we sampled some of the desserts and hot food on offer. There were smelly tofu, starfish, cockroaches, all manners of dumplings and noodles - the list was endless ! We walked in and out of the food stores and also in and out of some of the malls, and ended up at the hotel very tired.
The next day, after a huge breakfast again, we got into our specially chartered car. We were going to the Summer Palace first of all. Which was really just a huge park with many things to see, including lakes, bridges, buildings and no end of hills to hike on !
Then after a very quick lunch, the car took us to the Great Wall of China. They say that you have to go there at least once in your life and I have to agree. The view was fantastic, the emotional feeling was amazing. We took a cable car up and slowly walked down. The weather was perfect, with huge clouds, very blue sky, and a very cool temperature, in the teens. Perfect for hiking around the top of the Great Wall. Later that night in the city, we got the driver to drop us off at Houhai which is sort of the hip place in the city to have dinner. We walked around for a while, then back to the hotel to sleep. As we only had half a day the next day, we walked to the Temple of Heaven to look around, before having lunch with an ex colleague. After a hotpot of delicious Yunnan food, we did a small bit of shopping where I got covers for my iPhone. Although I was pretty glad of my bargaining skills, buying them for 25% of the original price, I did not feel good. I need to bring my mother next time. No guilt !
On the First Day, we knew we had our work cut out for us, so we left the hotel room at 8, and started scoffing down a huge breakfast. The buffet breakfast in China is special because they have so many kinds of Western food, and yet so many kinds of Asian food ! I ate a combination of pancakes and dumplings ! After 30 minutes, we started walking down the Wangfujing area, and reached Tiananmen Square. Though nothing more than a large square with loads of tourists, it was very moving. After that, in succession, we walked through the Forbidden Palace, climbed up Jingshan Park to take photos, hiked through Beihai Park where we also had a simple lunch. Then we visited the Drum Bell Tower and had a small bike tour through the hutongs.Dead tired after that, we still took a long walk home through Nanluguoxiang, where we tried some desserts and looked at some of the hip and trendy shops around. We rested for a bit at the hotel, and since we had some time to spare before dinner, we had a massage at the spa across the street. Though it was not cheap, service was good. Then we walked (Yes we walked everywhere !) to Dadong restaurant, to eat Peking Duck at half past six. The restaurant had been named in many places as the best place to eat, and we were very satisfied with the food there.
After the dinner, which was not very expensive, we walked back down Wangfujing area, where we sampled some of the desserts and hot food on offer. There were smelly tofu, starfish, cockroaches, all manners of dumplings and noodles - the list was endless ! We walked in and out of the food stores and also in and out of some of the malls, and ended up at the hotel very tired.
The next day, after a huge breakfast again, we got into our specially chartered car. We were going to the Summer Palace first of all. Which was really just a huge park with many things to see, including lakes, bridges, buildings and no end of hills to hike on !
Then after a very quick lunch, the car took us to the Great Wall of China. They say that you have to go there at least once in your life and I have to agree. The view was fantastic, the emotional feeling was amazing. We took a cable car up and slowly walked down. The weather was perfect, with huge clouds, very blue sky, and a very cool temperature, in the teens. Perfect for hiking around the top of the Great Wall. Later that night in the city, we got the driver to drop us off at Houhai which is sort of the hip place in the city to have dinner. We walked around for a while, then back to the hotel to sleep. As we only had half a day the next day, we walked to the Temple of Heaven to look around, before having lunch with an ex colleague. After a hotpot of delicious Yunnan food, we did a small bit of shopping where I got covers for my iPhone. Although I was pretty glad of my bargaining skills, buying them for 25% of the original price, I did not feel good. I need to bring my mother next time. No guilt !All in all, it was a quick and intense trip which was just what I needed to get on with working life. Perhaps if I could take a short trip every month, that would be good ? Perhaps.
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Well I know I have since been to Beijing and back but thought it would be nice to bring you around Yunnan.It was a family trip, probably the first for the last 13 years or so !
All in all it was pretty exciting, and I flew there from Hong Kong while the rest of the family flew from Kuala Lumpur. We met up in Kunming and then one of the first things we were brought to see was the karst forests.
The karst forests are actually rocks that have been moved up and through the Earth's crusts many many times. In fact on many of them, you are able to see the ocean line, where the water cut through the rocks. Yes, even though these rocks are now about 3000 metres above the current sea level, at one point, they were underwater !!
After visiting more parks and some temples in Kunming, later on the journey we went to Lijiang. Along the way, we were brought to visit the Tiger Leaping Gorge. So called because the massive water waves caused by the river smashing upon the rocks were likened to a tiger leaping ! It was fantastic how close one could get to the water, and many people were drenched by the spray, even though it was quite a walk down the mountainside to reach the river side.
Upon reaching Lijiang, we were all amazed at the wonderful mix of old and new. There were new golf courses and new shopping malls and new buildings but there were also really old stilt houses where they entertained guests and danced and sang and ate all night ! There was a big bonfire in the courtyard, and the hospitable locals invited everyone to dance along with them. I even got to take part in a customary wedding ceremony !
The last stop in Shangrila was perhaps one of the best ever. There was a big outdoor auditorium in one of the National Parks that we visited and there was a huge show on, put on by about 5-6 different native minority clans. It had beautiful music and was conducted by Zhang Yimou. Was so tempted to get a DVD of the performance, it was so good !!
Walking around in the native park later, it was amazing to see just how clean the water was, it practically glowed blue with healthy algae. The mountain air was crisp and fresh, and it was also really nice to walk among the clouds and just breathe in really cold air. There was a whole part of myself that wanted to just move to Shangrila and relax the rest of my life in front of the internet and get lost in the sea of natural surroundings.
If you just look at the bright blue sky, the white fluffy clouds and all the amazing landscape all around you, you would have to agree with me, that this is truly somewhere that everyone must visit at least once in their lifetimes !
All in all it was pretty exciting, and I flew there from Hong Kong while the rest of the family flew from Kuala Lumpur. We met up in Kunming and then one of the first things we were brought to see was the karst forests.
The karst forests are actually rocks that have been moved up and through the Earth's crusts many many times. In fact on many of them, you are able to see the ocean line, where the water cut through the rocks. Yes, even though these rocks are now about 3000 metres above the current sea level, at one point, they were underwater !!
After visiting more parks and some temples in Kunming, later on the journey we went to Lijiang. Along the way, we were brought to visit the Tiger Leaping Gorge. So called because the massive water waves caused by the river smashing upon the rocks were likened to a tiger leaping ! It was fantastic how close one could get to the water, and many people were drenched by the spray, even though it was quite a walk down the mountainside to reach the river side.
Upon reaching Lijiang, we were all amazed at the wonderful mix of old and new. There were new golf courses and new shopping malls and new buildings but there were also really old stilt houses where they entertained guests and danced and sang and ate all night ! There was a big bonfire in the courtyard, and the hospitable locals invited everyone to dance along with them. I even got to take part in a customary wedding ceremony !
The last stop in Shangrila was perhaps one of the best ever. There was a big outdoor auditorium in one of the National Parks that we visited and there was a huge show on, put on by about 5-6 different native minority clans. It had beautiful music and was conducted by Zhang Yimou. Was so tempted to get a DVD of the performance, it was so good !!
Walking around in the native park later, it was amazing to see just how clean the water was, it practically glowed blue with healthy algae. The mountain air was crisp and fresh, and it was also really nice to walk among the clouds and just breathe in really cold air. There was a whole part of myself that wanted to just move to Shangrila and relax the rest of my life in front of the internet and get lost in the sea of natural surroundings.
If you just look at the bright blue sky, the white fluffy clouds and all the amazing landscape all around you, you would have to agree with me, that this is truly somewhere that everyone must visit at least once in their lifetimes !
Fantastic !
