0 Comments
You haven't been to Beijing if you haven't been to the Great wall. Even if you had only one day in the city, you have too visit the Great wall which is the only human architecture that can be seen in space!(or so they say!) Despite the cruel means of which it was built (with forced slavery and torture), it is indeed a beautiful iconic sight that cannot be missed. My girlfriend and I have something against large crowds and would love nothing more that to admire the great wall with minimum tourist around. So instead of taking the day tour to Betaling which is the most common and crowded part of the Great wall, we chose to visit Mutianyu instead. We booked the day tour from the small tour agency beside our hotel (Holiday Inn) just the day before we visited Mutianyu. It cost us about SGD100 which includes a chinese lunch. The small van came by our hotel to pick us up at 8.15am in the morning and we were off to see the Ming tombs (1 hr away) and the Great wall. (We do not want to post pictures of tombs as a form of respect to the dead even though royal deceased bodies have been removed) A note of caution, Mutianyu is alot steeper and older than the Betaling portion of the great wall and that means good walking shoes are needed! Also if you have breathing difficulty you might want to skip this or take it slow. There is a total of 1400 steps up to climb to the top and we chose to take the cable car instead. On this 2250 meters section of the wall, there are 22 watch towers which overlooks streams and mountains. This is one place to get the gorgeous postcard shot of the great wall and its surrounding. By the time we were climbing for 2 hours, we were panting slightly even with multiple breaks for photo taking. The ancient Chinese soldiers would have to be so fit to climb this everyday! The highest portion of this section's wall is 540 meters above sea level(no kidding!).
We even got to enter one of the old watch towers and get that spectacular view of the surrounding nature. Here you can imagine how the watch tower guards use to observe the enemies from afar. We had a really enjoyable tour and even got to know some new friends on this tour. So the next time you visit Beijing, don't forget to visit Mutianyu. You won't regret it! First stop in Beijing was a relaxing day at the Beijing Zoo. Our cab ride from Dong Zhi Men (Beijing central) to the zoo cost us about SGD30. Ticket price to enter the zoo including the panda house was only CNY20 which was only a fraction of what it cost to visit our own zoo in Singapore but much bigger. Totally worth the price of the visit in my opinion! Beijing Zoo houses 450 different species and has a population of some 5,000 animals. The most popular attractions are the native wild and rare animals such as the giant pandas, golden monkeys, milu deer and northeast tigers. Aside from the animals, you can also admire the beautiful gardens within the zoo compound. It was peaceful to just sit by the pond and watch the leaves sway in the wind. I could almost imagine a Chinese poet reciting poems by the pond!
After visiting the zoo, its time to conquer the Dongwuyuan wholesale market just opposite the zoo. Another nickname for this place is the zoo market and it is where locals come to buy dirt cheap clothes, bags, shoes, and coats. To quote you an example, you can get a coat for as cheap as CNY 50-150. That is less than SGD20 - SGD30 for a wool winter coat! Boots can be bought for less than SGD20 with wool lining and are very comfortable for long walks at the great wall of china. Accessories of all kinds starting from SGD2. Gloves and scarves starting from SGD5. Must I go on?!
This place is a MUST VISIT! Go with an empty luggage and I guarantee you will walk out with a full one just like we did. Getting there Subway: Take the subway line 2 or 13 to Xizhimen Station. From there, walk westwards. After about 300 meters you should be able to see the Beijing Exhibition Center and Beijing Zoo. The Zoo Market is located just around this area. Address: Xizhimenwai dajie, behind the bus station opposite the Beijing Zoo, Xicheng District, Beijing Hours: Daily 6am-5pm Happy shopping! Entrance tickets varies on the month of visit Entrance Fee : CNY 10-15 Combination Ticket : CNY 30-35 (including the entrance fee, Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, Circular Mound Altar & Echo Wall) OPENING HOURS 06:00-22:00 (the inside scenic area opens at 08:00); From Mar.1 to Jun. 30: Combination Ticket unavailable after 16:00; Scenic Spot Ticket unavailable after 17:00; Scenic Spots closed at 17:30. From Jul. 1 to Oct.31: Combination Ticket unavailable after 16:30; Scenic Spot Ticket unavailable after 17:30; Scenic Spots closed at 18:00. From Nov.1 to Feb.28/29 (next year): Combination Ticket unavailable after 15:30; Scenic Spot Ticket unavailable after 16:30; Scenic Spots closed at 17:00. Information extracted from: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/beijing/heaven/ Getting here by subway Subway Line 5: get off at Tiantan Dongmen Station, Leave from Exit A and you'll find the East Gate of the Park.
This studio park is the only park in Japan that you are able to see real actors and actresses filming period films (if you are lucky). The entire park is filled with old Japanese makeshift houses for filming period dramas. Soak in the atmosphere of the Edo period and rent a Kimono for photos if you can spare some cash!
That was the end of our day tour and we wished we could have spend more time at the beautiful Hakone and Mount Fuji. And that's the perfect excuse to visit Japan again in future!
Bruges is know for its poor weather. If you are visiting this city, be prepared for rain and always have your umbrella with you! In comparison with other European countries, Bruges is colder and very much more damp. Another name for Bruges is "The Venice of the North" due to its many water canals, it is also listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.
This must have been my favorite day tour in Europe so far. Growing up with the sound of music, visiting these places really brings good memories. Perhaps someone who hasn't seen this movie would not be able to relate but for me, it made me smile all day. I'll sing "the hills are alive.. with the sound of music" again and again. This song will remain in my mind for many years to come.
|
AuthorA great love for exploring the world, experiencing new cultures and making memories in new places... Archives
April 2017
Travel Stops
All
|