Beijing! (Return to Index)
Flights: None
Airport Lounges: None
Hotels: Hilton Wangfujing
Cities: Beijing
As we landed in Beijing, it was apparent that there was a huge amount of infrastructure China had invested prior to the Olympics. It started with the massive airport - its roof must have been 8-10 stories above our heads, the size of a football stadium, and all with minimal support structures. This was a trend we noticed in Beijing - massive structures with very interesting and awe-inspiring designs.
At the airport you have to go through customs and take a tram to the main terminal... which was just as large! We caught our metered taxi and avoided the scammers who pretended to be taxis (thanks travel guide for the heads up!), and headed to our hotel: the Hilton Wangfujing.
I had written to the General Manager ahead of time letting him know that my wife was a Diamond Member and we were celebrating our honeymoon... he said that he would make sure our stay was special... and boy was it ever! We were asked to check in on the top floor in the Executive Lounge, where we greeted with exemplary service.
Hilton Wangfujing Beijing
It was the nicest decorated lounge I have been too - high-end furniture and amazing decorations. In fact, the sculptures throughout the hotel were amazing... if anyone knows where to find these things, let me know! I asked a few staffers, and they had no clue.
Hilton Wangfujing Beijing
Every morning the lounge had a great selection for breakfast... this was just the pastry table.
Hilton Wangfujing Beijing
The lounge's grill was always cooking up goodies... whether it was eggs in the morning or a different dumpling/satay every evening's cocktail hour.
Hilton Wangfujing Beijing
We made our way down to our room - we had been informed that we were upgraded to a Corner Suite... it was absolutely massive! It even had a
walk-in closet hallway!
Hilton Wangfujing Beijing
It had a separate office area, and they had also had some Chinese snacks/deserts waiting for us in that
wheel thing on the left. A few minutes later, we got a knock on the door, and they delivered a
cake to us.
Hilton Wangfujing Beijing
We were really fortunate to have been upgraded to such a nice room... did I mention that the entire 4 nights were on points? The
shower and tub area was separated, and had the most amazing double-faucet shower with rain shower option...
Hilton Wangfujing Beijing
We headed to the Panjiayuan market to see the spectacle. Apparently, there are over 3,000 vendors selling knick-knacks, Communist propaganda, old artifacts, sculptures, art, rocks, you name it... We didn't buy anything, but it was worth seeing.
Panjiayuan Antique Market, Beijing
Another day, we head to the infamous Tiananman Square... I had to snap a picture of the northern border of the Square, which was also the entrance to the Forbidden City.
Tiananman Square, Beijing
The Hall of Supreme Harmony was one of the hundreds of buildings in this mini-metropolis. We decided to do the self-guided audio tour...
Forbidden City, Beijing
As you're walking through the UNESCO World Heritage Site, it's easy to forget how massive it is... so we climbed up Jingshan Hill and got a better view.
Forbidden City, Beijing
Donghuamen Night Market was definitely worth seeing - they sold skewers of anything that was once living: snakes, scorpions, pigeons, lamb (the only thing we tried, and it was very good!), starfish, prawns, candied apples. I got the feeling this was more of a Government-sponsored tourist trap rather than anything remotely authentic. Still, it was good fun!
Donghuamen Night Market, Beijing
Another Government-sponsored tourist trap was the Red Theatre, where they have a nightly show about Kung Fu (it's more of a play rather than a martial arts demonstration)
We also went to the Tiandi Theatre acrobatics show... which was definitely worth seeing! We found discount tickets online, called the number, and then someone holding our name on a sign outside the theatre 30 minutes before the show. We saved a ton of money this way, and got great seats.
Donghuamen Night Market, Beijing
Probably the most amazing feats I have seen live before... I have a bunch of photos of each act, but this photo is one of my favourites - not sure why...
Donghuamen Night Market, Beijing
The subway was so clean and efficient... it got us everywhere. As long as you could deal with the mass of people. I turned around while walking through one of the subway hallways to take a photo of this mass...
Subway, Beijing
When in Beijing, you MUST have Peking Duck. Although the food is very affordable (and delicious... WAY better than Cantonese cuisine in my opinion), we dropped a bit of extra cash to check out one of the best roasted duck restaurants. It's off Wangfujing Street - just look for the
giant yellow duck.
Roasted Duck Restaurant, Beijing
We took everyone's advice and headed to Mutianyu to see the Great Wall... we hired a driver named
Simon, who was excellent. We took the chairlift up and looked at our target (it's past the white writing on the hill)
Mutianyu Great Wall, Beijing
2.5 hrs later, we got to the top... and continued past the last restored tower. That's where the wall is un-restored... just a bunch of stones overgrown with vegetation... we went to two more towers in this section before turning back... it was a long way down.
Mutianyu Great Wall, Beijing
We headed back down to the further chairlift, where they have a really fun toboggan ride that takes you to the car park... definitely worth the wait!
Mutianyu Great Wall, Beijing
We would say goodbye to China and head to Singapore (via SQ J) en route to Bali, our second destination.
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