anacapamalibu

Friendly isn't defined as displaying translated signs.

cordial, hospitable, sociable,warm, welcoming...
Maybe I missed something.

anacapamalibu

Foreigners should never feel insecure about their ability to "try" to speak native tongue.
Don't give up! Its a very difficult language and with practice you will achieve success.^

aSiAnRiCk

Thanks so much for the feedbacks guys!

I'm pretty convinced on PEK now, mainly because I've always wanted to visit the Great Wall.

And that leads to my next question. How easy it is to get to the Great Wall from downtown PEK?

Oh yeah .. I'm a somewhat budget minded traveler

sobay_terp

I've done the Great Wall several times on personal and business trips to Beijing. The cheapest method was going to the SW corner of Tianamen Square around 8am any morning. Several tour buses will take you there for about $10 r.t. The only catch is there are multiple stops along the way for the Jade Factory, the Dried Fruit Factory, a wax museum, Ming Tombs etc. Some of the stops are ok and lunch is included. The Great Wall doesn't occur until mid afternoon.

Taiwaned

Hire a taxi for the day. Then you can cram a lot more in the short time you have. That is what we did. The taxi driver will wait for you at the base of the Wall for you. Cost us including buying the guy lunch about $ 100.00 USD for a 10 hour day. (buying lunch is not necessary, we just wanted to cause they guy was great)

We did this just over a year ago.

coolfish1103

PEK is a better choice if you want to see more of the area.
TPE is a better choice if you want to feel warmth from the people.

You might find more English speakers in TPE than PEK, but you might find more English signs in PEK than TPE.

PEK has a newer airport than TPE, and much bigger.
Costs around Beijing should be much cheaper than Taipei.
Walking around in Taipei is much friendlier than Beijing.
US Passport holders needs a VISA to China and is VISA exempted from Taiwan for 30 days.

To be honest... since you only have 2 days, I would recommend Taipei cause Beijing is just too big for you to fit in 2 days (and requires extensive traveling to places). Otherwise, I think Beijing is a better choice.

SQ4000

If you can ‘control’ your enthusiasm, as to how much you want to see, then I would go for PEK. Be prepared for two very long days, I would suggest day one: Forbidden City (with Tiananmem) and the Temple of heaven, you may or may not wish to visit the Olympic stadium. So you could start at the Temple of Heaven, ask the taxi to take you to the North Gate of the Temple of Heaven Park, the actual Temple complex is just a short walk from there. Next, by taxi to Tiananmem Square walk through the Gate of the Heavenly Peace (Tiananmem) to the Forbidden City. At the entrance, hire an audio guide, that will make your tour of the palace more informative/interesting. You might like to exit the Forbidden City via the north gate, just past the royal garden. Get a taxi to the ‘Bird’s nest’. Return to your hotel by taxi and enjoy a Peking duck dinner.

Day two, the Great Wall, there have been any postings in this forum give you the various options how to do it, so make your choice and enjoy.

I think the key to a successful short stay in PEK is the choice of your hotel; my own personal choice is Raffles Beijing Hotel, based on the location and the service I have received personally. The hotel staffs were very helpful during all my stays with them. Some of my colleagues have used the Peninsular Beijing, the services there were excellent as well, but it is a bit further away from Tiananmem Square. The Peking duck restaurant (Quan-Ju-De) is within easy walking distance from either the hotels.

I also enjoyed my visits to TPE, there is certainly more of a feeling of the ‘old China’ (no political debates here please!) the Palace Museum is fabulous (in contrast, the Forbidden City in PEK, which seemed a bit empty! Not surprising really, as all the exhibits came from PEK in 1948). Food is good in TPE, but the ‘Peking duck’ is better in PEK!

Whatever you decide, I hope you will enjoy your trip, and have fun!

(A note for all other members of the forum, please note, what I write in my posts are my OWN PERSONAL experiences and views. You may or may not receive the same service from a particular hotel for whatever the reason. You are entitled to your views, and I am to mine. Please remember we are here to share our experiences and to help other members where we can. The forum is not a place for some to ‘score points’)

aSiAnRiCk

Thank you VERY MUCH for the feedback guys

I have decided with PEK just because every other NW elite agent I talked to kept saying that PEK is not a valid city for a stopover. Also, because I have a better chance to visit TPE versus PEK in the future so might as well take advantage of it.

So I booked my ticket with NW yesterday.

PBI-IAH-MEX CO
MEX-TIJ-NRT AM
NRT-PEK NW
PEK-ICN-CGK KE

CGK-ICN-ATL KE
ATL-PBI DL

All in Y for 60K and under $50 in taxes

I'm going to have 10 hours in MEX, 12 hours in NRT, 15 hours in ICN ... enough time to go and have a quick visit to the cities ... in addition to the 2 1/2 days in PEK.

I'm glad I was able to route it via MEX and still keep PEK as a stopover ... eventhough I was on the phone with the elite agent for two hours

Anyway ... thanks again! ^

allset2travel

Beijing.

snow.leopard

Some further info on your planned excursion to the Great Wall: A great way to explore the GW is the hike on the wall from Jinshanling to Simatai. It avoids the (very) touristy part of the GW at Badaling (where almost all the tour buses will take you...) and takes you to a quieter and more authentic section of the wall. These trips are organized by several youth hostels in Beijing (just google for it...) and they organize all the transport for you. Still this excursion would occupy an entire day of your schedule... I would recommend to fill the other day with Tiananmen/ Forbidden City/ Coal Hill and either Lama + Confucius Temple or Temple of Heaven or Summer Palast.

BTW, Beijing is a much better choice then Taipei though I liked Taipei a lot... ...but love Beijing.

mapu

For the budget traveller there's the option of taking a public bus to the great wall. Bus 919, which leaves Beijing from Deshengmen bus station stops at the Badaling, Juyongguan and Shuiguan sections of the wall.