Winter in China - Beijing and Harbin and a bunch of flights on TG, CA & SQ
Jan 16, 2012, 6:18 am
#16
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Exploring Beijing - The Forbidden Palace
The Forbidden Palace was a 15 minute walk from our second hotel in Beijing, the Novotel Beijing Peace. It's also easily accessible via the Beijing Subway. We made a quick detour to check out Tiananmen Square which is located opposite the north entrance before heading into the Forbidden Palace. To better control traffic by trying to force the crowd in one direction, there is only one entrance on the north side with the exit on the south side.
I was amazed by the number of people visiting the Forbidden Palace. There must have been at least a couple of thousand but the crowd did thinned out once we got deeper into the palace grounds.
Read more »
The Forbidden Palace was a 15 minute walk from our second hotel in Beijing, the Novotel Beijing Peace. It's also easily accessible via the Beijing Subway. We made a quick detour to check out Tiananmen Square which is located opposite the north entrance before heading into the Forbidden Palace. To better control traffic by trying to force the crowd in one direction, there is only one entrance on the north side with the exit on the south side.
I was amazed by the number of people visiting the Forbidden Palace. There must have been at least a couple of thousand but the crowd did thinned out once we got deeper into the palace grounds.
Read more »
Last edited by calvinoeh; Feb 2, 2012 at 11:56 pm
Jan 16, 2012, 6:20 am
#17
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It was close to 0C when we were in Beijing. The weather was pleasant though with the sun being out.
Will definitely post more on the food in Harbin in upcoming posts..
Jan 16, 2012, 9:39 am
#18
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Excellent! I wish I could travel like you!
Jan 16, 2012, 11:18 am
#19
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Thanks for posting.
I have a trip to China coming up for myself in May and wanted some alternatives to the Wall at Balang (SP).
The G hotel looked funky too.
I have a trip to China coming up for myself in May and wanted some alternatives to the Wall at Balang (SP).
The G hotel looked funky too.
Jan 16, 2012, 10:41 pm
#20
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We made a quick detour to check out Tiananmen Square which is located opposite the north entrance before heading into the Forbidden Palace. To better control traffic by trying to force the crowd in one direction, there is only one entrance on the north side with the exit on the south side.
-Tiananmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) is the gate with the Mao portrait, and effectively serves as the south entrance to the Forbidden City
-Tiananmen Square is directly across the street (south) from Tiananmen and stretches down to Qianmen
Jan 17, 2012, 6:22 am
#21
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Thanks for the clarification and correction. I screwed up on that one..
Jan 18, 2012, 6:54 am
#22
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Exploring Beijing - Temple of Heaven
Temple of Heaven was the last major attraction we visited while we were in Beijing. From our hotel in Wangfujing, it is an easy 15 minute subway ride away. The closest stop is Tiantandongmen. We arrived around shortly after breakfast around 10 am and as usual, there was already a crowd at the entrance but the line for tickets wasn't too long.
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Temple of Heaven was the last major attraction we visited while we were in Beijing. From our hotel in Wangfujing, it is an easy 15 minute subway ride away. The closest stop is Tiantandongmen. We arrived around shortly after breakfast around 10 am and as usual, there was already a crowd at the entrance but the line for tickets wasn't too long.
Read more »
Last edited by calvinoeh; Feb 2, 2012 at 11:56 pm
Jan 19, 2012, 4:00 pm
#24
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Jan 20, 2012, 2:49 am
#25
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Jan 20, 2012, 2:58 am
#26
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Novotel Beijing Peace
Since the mistake rate for Hotel G was only available for our first night in Beijing, we moved to Novotel Beijing Peace for the rest of our time in Beijing. I chose the hotel primarily for its ideal location right by Wangfujing (wish we had booked at the Hilton though but it costs 3 time mores) giving us easy access to shopping, restaurants, subway and the Forbidden Palace.
We arrived early at the hotel at ten in the morning but the only rooms available at that time were smoking rooms which we declined. There was no mention of my Aclub Platinum status during check-in and had my request for upgrade rejected citing that the hotel as operating at full capacity. I wasn't having any expectation for any upgrades since it wasn't per the Aclub rules and hearing about similar experiences both on flyertalk and tripadvisor.
Read more..
Since the mistake rate for Hotel G was only available for our first night in Beijing, we moved to Novotel Beijing Peace for the rest of our time in Beijing. I chose the hotel primarily for its ideal location right by Wangfujing (wish we had booked at the Hilton though but it costs 3 time mores) giving us easy access to shopping, restaurants, subway and the Forbidden Palace.
We arrived early at the hotel at ten in the morning but the only rooms available at that time were smoking rooms which we declined. There was no mention of my Aclub Platinum status during check-in and had my request for upgrade rejected citing that the hotel as operating at full capacity. I wasn't having any expectation for any upgrades since it wasn't per the Aclub rules and hearing about similar experiences both on flyertalk and tripadvisor.
Read more..
Jan 21, 2012, 4:01 pm
#27
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Food in Beijing
here's just so much good food in Beijing albeit on the more oily and salty side of things! Food options range from cheap street food to high end fine dining. One of the major highlights definitely was the hunt for the best Beijing Roast Duck that we tried at three different restaurants.
Other highlights included the street food at Wangfujing street. There is actually two spots for this with the one on the main street looking much cleaner and organized although at a slightly higher price. We were also adventurous enough to try some scorpions, beetles and starfish. Let's just say it's just a one time experience.
Read more...
here's just so much good food in Beijing albeit on the more oily and salty side of things! Food options range from cheap street food to high end fine dining. One of the major highlights definitely was the hunt for the best Beijing Roast Duck that we tried at three different restaurants.
Other highlights included the street food at Wangfujing street. There is actually two spots for this with the one on the main street looking much cleaner and organized although at a slightly higher price. We were also adventurous enough to try some scorpions, beetles and starfish. Let's just say it's just a one time experience.
Read more...
Jan 23, 2012, 10:08 am
#28
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IMO, Quan Ju De is overrated. It's only good when you're on a business trip and somebody else is paying for you to be in a private room. One of the best duck meals I've had is actually in one of the Hyatt hotels.
Jan 23, 2012, 6:19 pm
#29
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Bearing in mind the subjective nature of this debate, Made in China is also my favorite.