Beijing Adventures & Misadventures: Day 3&4

Tower 8 @ 888m above sea level

May 13, 2009

This time it will be the most famous attraction in China--the Great Wall--and a side trip to the Ming Tombs. We were joined by a couple from Australia who sweetly offered to us their Sydney home if we come visit.

Places we visited:

1. Great Wall at Badaling - the most famous and visited part of the Great Wall

The wall that represents the Ming Dynasty, it is the strategic gateway to the capital. It has North tower #8 which is the highest tower at 888 meters above sea level.

The Badaling Wall has been listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987.

We took the cable car to the North side. We planned to trek up to tower #8 but aborted it as we saw how steep the path is---no stairs for a few meters so you have to hold on to a railing. With a lot of old Chinese tourists around, it was quiet difficult to do so. So, we decided to hang around towers #7 & 6, where we took a lot of photos.

The walk along the wall would have been easier if the sun was not so hot, there were only a few tourists around, wind is blowing and we were not pressed for time. I would have done it..hmm...maybe I should go back??? hahahaha

Badaling Great Wall

The Great Wall as far as the eyes can see

2. Ming Tombs - burial grounds for 13 Ming Dynasty emperors set in a beautiful countryside.

After our sumptuous lunch, we proceeded to the Ming Tombs. Well, it is such a beautiful place for a cemetery, you know. =) You can even have a picnic here.

Ming Tomb entrance

Ming Tomb

3. Wangfujing - 1km shopping street--from luxury brands to bargain items.
They have a night food street that offers exotic food on wooden sticks. A pretty interesting place to visit.

Beijing Adventures & Misadventures - Day 2

Forbidden City

May 12, 2009

We were picked up at 7am for our whole day tour of Beijing's major sites:

1. Forbidden City - built in 1406 -1420 by a million laborers, home of emperors, servants, concubines and eunuchs until 1925. 720,000 square meters---you can practically spend the whole day here if you want to explore every nook and cranny!

Forbidden City

"9, 8, and a lion head are a sign of good luck"

one of the courtyards at Forbidden City

one of the temples

Forbidden City

2. Tiananmen Square - World's largest public square bordered by Mao's Mausoleum, History Museum, Great Hall of the People and Forbidden City.

Tiananmen Square

3. Temple of Heaven - magnificent temple and park where emperors of Qing and Ming dynasties worship heaven and pray for good harvest; features a circular "Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests".

Temple of Heaven

4. Summer Palace - Used to be a Royal garden and imperial palace for short stays away from the capital. An Imperial retreat from Beijing's summer heat with gardens, lakes, hills, the elaborately decorated "long corridor" and Empress Cixi's marble boat.

Summer Palace

The lake surrounding the Palace

a portion of the (very) long corridor

Empress Cixi's marble boat

Beijing Adventures & Misadventures: Day 1

At Lama Temple

May 10, 2009 - Arrival

A day of hitches!..and blessings!

Left Manila at 11am and arrived Beijing at almost 6pm. Waited for about 2 hours for our delayed baggage. The Dragonair flight was quiet impressive serving food with rice and Haagen Dazs ice cream for dessert! They even beat Cathay Pacific's pathetic tuna sandwich!

Our first glimpse of Beijing was that of its humongous airport. 5X London's Heathrow they say! To go around the airport, you need to take the train.

Our first impression of Beijing? Well, yes! not everybody understand and speaks English---so it was sign language most of the time here. But, we were able to get by taking the airport shuttle to the City--albeit a little worried if we get lost.

Arrived the City past 7pm. By this time it was already dark. Sunset in Beijing is around 7pm. Tried to hail a cab but nobody wants to take us, despite a chinese printout of the name and address and map of the hotel. Either they do not understand us or they think the hotel's location is just very near---hmmm, so very Philippines don't you think?

To validate, I asked a street sweeper who could not understand me. Good thing someone overheard me and offered his help. Oh what a God send! At first I was wary but he seems sincere in

Comfortable room @ Grand Mercure Xidan

offering that he walks us to the hotel because it is really very near. He was the first Beijinger that can speak and understand English very well. Thank you, Nick! You are such an angel...

Another blessing was the upgrade our hotel (Grand Mercure Xidan) gave me & Gia. We were given a bigger room with a living area and a separate bath and shower! It was a great way to end our stressful yet "fun" day.


 May 11, 2009 - First Hand Immersion in the land of Mao

My good friend Irah and her sister, Tisha, arranged our itinerary while waiting for me. (Oh! they too had more interesting and funny stories to tell about their arrival in Beijing!)

We hired a taxi for the day to take us to sites that were not included in the tours we took. This is our first glimpse of Beijing...

Places Visited in order:

Olympic marker

a 6-star hotel

1. The 2008 Olympic Village:

The Nest

The Cube

Bird's Nest - the National Stadium, 91,000 seats, used for football and athletics and the host to the opening ceremony.
2. The Cube - the National Aquatics Center, 6,000 seats but can accommodate 11,000 more standing, venue for swimming, diving and synchronized swimming.

3. Lama Temple - home of the Tibetan monks and the 18-meter statue of Buddha carved from a single sandalwood tree (which landed the Guinness Book of World Records).

4. Lunch at a Hutong area - Beijing's disappearing 700-yr-old alleys and courtyards.

- Where we had a hard time asking for ice for our drinks..hahaha

5. Bell & Drum Towers - built in 1240 to announce the time (drum at night and bell during daytime)

6. Beihai Park  - surrounded by Beihai Lake, with an island that has a White Pagoda where Kublai Khan's palace used to be. A refreshing site in the city.

After the tour, we went to the Silk Market where Irah got harassed by vendors and where we found bargain costume jewelries. You have to bargain well though...say, the amount should be at least 15-20% of the original price only! yes, you read it right!

Truly Asia --- Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Oct. 31 - Nov 3, 2006

sights of Kuala Lumpur

Day 1 (Oct. 31)  - Left Singapore at 8am for KL by bus. 6 hours travel time but it was the most relaxing bus ride we have ever experienced (http://transtar.travel/olcoachquery.php).

How can one not? Lazyboy-like chairs with massage, individual 7.2" LCD TV, free food served by a stewardess, roomy leg room (we were seated at the 1st row of the top deck--just 3  seats per row), and very smooth ride. Enjoyed the country scene for a few hours before going to snooze land. We stopped at the Immigration area upon entering Malaysia for a short stop to register, then off we went for a non-stop trip.


Arrived KL late afternoon. After check-in, proceeded to tour KL Tower for a 360-degree view of Kuala Lumpur, Petronas Tower for photo ops, window shopping and dinner at Suria KLCC.

Sunway Lagoon

Day 2 (Nov 1) - City Tour before proceeding to Sunway Lagoon to spend the rest of the day there.

Petronas Tower

* Petronas Tower - went up to the bridge and enjoyed the view; watched a short film about its history.


Short stops at  Merdeka Square (Independence Square), Railway Station, Tugu Negara and Istana Negara.

Spent the rest of the day at Sunway Lagoon where Gia had a grand time trying out the water slides. Bonding with Gia swimming  around its different lagoons and trying out its many rides and attractions.


This is where I rode a ship that swings 360degrees (sorry forgot the ride's name), I shouted for Mother Mary! Goodness! I was literally upside down when it intentionally stopped at 90 degrees---the ship's bottom was at the top. So go figure how I looked like!

@Sunway Lagoon

After Sunway, we requested to be dropped off at Suria KLCC to go to Aquaria KLCC-- which in my opinion is far better than Singapore's Underwater world. Why? I really don't know (I am sure they have almost the same species)  but it impressed me more than Singapore's.


Missed Petrosains twice to Gia's disappointment. It closes at 6pm! 

Aquaria KLCC

Uniquely Singapore

Oct 27-30, 2006
Singapore
(Part of the Singapore/Malaysia swing)

With budget airlines flying in to Clark that year, we decided to try this route. Expected to encounter a lot of hassles but fortunately met just a few.


*Booking through the web was a breeze. No long queues here. Got our Manila-Singapore (www.tigerairways.com) and Kuala Lumpur-Manila (www.airasia.com) tickets in less than an hour and very cheap at that.  
*We took the Philtranco bus from Pasay to Clark and it took us a little more  than an hour to reach DMIA. Going back, was even better. As soon as we landed, there was a bus to Manila waiting for us. That was good coordination there.
*This is where we encountered a bit of hassle. The queue to the check-in counter was long and  very slow. Apparently not all passengers were aware of the luggage allowance. Most of them were charged extra for excess weight.
* Being a newly opened airport operation back then, it was obvious there were still a lot of things to improve on. It felt like an airport undergoing maintenance.
*If you happen to take these budget flights, be prepared to not be issued a seat number. Yes, dear, when they open the doors and announce boarding, be ready to sprint ahead of everyone if you want to get the best seats. I was lucky because I was with a child, so we were asked to board first.
*Lastly, no free food onboard. If you are hungry, they have a list of food items for sale.


SINGAPORE

street of Singapore

Day 1 (Oct 27) -  Arrived Singapore late afternoon. Stayed at Summerview Hotel Singapore (www.summerview.com.sg)  a 3-star hotel along Bencoolen Rd. A perfect location for us because it was just a few minutes walk to everywhere we wanted to go (i.e. Sim Lim -- the electronic mecca of Singapore is almost just beside it; MRT Bugis station  and bus stations are a few meters away; Bugis Area) 


After checking in, we explored Orchard Road decked in festive decor because it was around an Indian holiday when we were there. Explored Tang's and Paragon. Dinner was at Asian Food Mall at Lucky Plaza (thank you to my Lonely Planet guide) for our very first Chicken Rice (Hainanese Chicken).

Clarke Quay

Day 2  (Oct 28)- Half-day city tour in the morning. Esplanade, Merlion, Raffles Hotel, Orchard Road, a walk along Little India, Singapore Botanic Garden, financial district and Chinatown.

@ Esplanade

After the tour, we proceeded to explore Clarke Quay on our way to Sentosa Island. A busy area at night, it was oh so quiet at around noontime.

Sentosa Island has become Singapore's mega theme-park on an island. The island once a tropical forest and rugged coast, has been redeveloped into a sprawling amusement park. Went to Sentosa on our own. Took the MRT and alighted at World Trade Center Station. Took the cable car to the island where we had a bird's eye view of the Singapore Harbour and  Mount Faber. Free buses are available around the island, so you can hop on, hop off  to the various attractions.

Sentosa Island

Amazing Bangkok!

Nov. 26-30, 2004

Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok, capital of Thailand. One of Asia's main hubs and major travel destinations. A totally different culture from most countries in SE Asia. Being a buddhist country, its temples are just majestic!

Where walking along the side streets in your hote'ls neighborhood, one might just be lucky enough to see a "fully-dressed" baby elephant being "walked" by its owner.

Day 1 was our 1/2 day City Tour. Running tour of the City: Sukhumvit, Siam Square, Pratunam, Yaowarat (Chinatown), Khao San Road (backpackers area), Silom and Rattanakosin area (temples area).

Then visited these "wats" (temples):

 * Wat Pho - home to the word's largest reclining Buddha

 * Wat Arun - the temple of Dawn; where its main attraction are the prangs decorated with
   pieces of broken Chinese porcelains and seashells

 * Wat Traimit - temple of the Golden Budhha --- made of solid gold weighing 5.5 tons

Wat Pho

Wat Arun

one of the prangs of Wat Arun

Wat Traimit

Why we LOVE Hong Kong!

view from Victoria Peak

Hong Kong...


...a city that exudes multiple personalities. A former British Colony, it has now become a major tourist destination in Asia including the affluent Mainland Chinese...


Hong Kong became Gia's 1st destination abroad...including Shenzhen and Macau...back then when she was just 4 years old...the time when Hong Kong Disneyland was still under construction and the only place to see for kids like her was the Ocean Park. Never thought that it will become one of our favorite "go to" place abroad.

view from Ocean Park

Shenzhen 2003

Macau 2003

...2 years after, we went back when Disneyland just opened..and then, another trip with my 78-yr old father and stayed at Hollywood Hotel..and then, the most recent trip with my officemate about 2 years ago in time for the Halloween season (separate post)...