 |
| Map of Beijing, China |
Airport Bus: CNY24
Airport Express train: CNY25
Metro: CNY28
Hostel (4.5 nights): CNY225 (dorms)
Food: CNY195
Train (high Speed): CNY306 (Beijing>Haerbin)
Entrance fee: CNY60
City bus: CNY6
This is my sixth visit to Beijing, the first was in 1997 ! As I had visited majority of the tourist sites in Beijing in my past visits (1997, 2002, 2009-2011) and for my 5 days in Beijing, I re-visited the Summer Palace, Forbidden City, Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace), Tienanmen Square, Wanfujing etc A privilege for me, now that I am a senior citizen and I paid a 50% concessions for all the entrance tickets to these popular places !
In Beijing, I put up in two different youth hostels. The most interesting one was in an old courtyard home (300 year old) at a hutong area of Old Peking ! In modern Peking, many of the old buildings in hutongs had been demolished in recent years so what a great experience for me to spend a few days here. I believe "Old is Gold" as in Old Peking, this gave me the opportunity to observe the daily lives of the local people in hutongs, sampling food made from old recipes & traditional styles; charming old buildings & public amenities, morning markets etc.
With a Metro city map, I was able to move around the city with much ease, though in some high traffic Metro stations, you could see an unusually large crowd rushing to board the trains, so just be patience ! Whether you like it or not, you just have to face it if you choose to take a Metro in Beijing, frequented by people living in a city with a population of over 22 million.
Beijing welcomes you & me !!!
In Beijing, I put up in two different youth hostels. The most interesting one was in an old courtyard home (300 year old) at a hutong area of Old Peking ! In modern Peking, many of the old buildings in hutongs had been demolished in recent years so what a great experience for me to spend a few days here. I believe "Old is Gold" as in Old Peking, this gave me the opportunity to observe the daily lives of the local people in hutongs, sampling food made from old recipes & traditional styles; charming old buildings & public amenities, morning markets etc.
With a Metro city map, I was able to move around the city with much ease, though in some high traffic Metro stations, you could see an unusually large crowd rushing to board the trains, so just be patience ! Whether you like it or not, you just have to face it if you choose to take a Metro in Beijing, frequented by people living in a city with a population of over 22 million.
Beijing welcomes you & me !!!
1) Beijing International Airport - Terminal 2 (for boarding Air Asia flights)
2) Beijing Train Station, China
3) Beijing Airport Train Express (Dongzhimen - Line 2 > Beijing International Airport Terminal 2 - Air Asia Departure)
 |
| CNY25 per ticket |
3) Tienanmen Square, Beijing, China - a city square in the city centre of Beijing, named after the eponymous Tiananmen Square (Gate of Hevenly Peace) located to its north, which separates it from the Forbidden City, the square contains the Monument to the People's Heroes, the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum of China & the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong.
4) National Museum of China, Beijing
5) China Railway Museum, Beijing
6) Forbidden City, Beijing - a palace complex in Donhcheng District of Beijing at the centre of the imperial City of Beijing; constructed from 1406 to 1420 & was the former Chinese imperial palace & winter residence of the Emperor of China from the Ming & Qing dynasty (1368 - 1912).
 |
| Entrance fee CNY30 (Senior) |
7) Summer Palace (UNESCO), Beijing - a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens & palaces in Beijing, it was an imperial garden in the Qing dynasty inside includes Longevity Hill Kunming Lake & Seventeen Hole Bridge , it covers an area pf 2.9 square kilometers, 3/4 of which is water !
 |
| Entrance fee Y30 (Senior) |
7) Yuanmingyuan or Old Summer Palace, Beijing - originally called the Imperial Gardens or Winter Palace, it was a complex of palaces & gardens in present day Haidan District, Beijing; the Garden was first constructed in 1709 during the reign of the Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it was burned down in 1860 by the Anglo-French Allied Forces !
8) Yuanmingyuan Garden, Beijing
) Exhibits of 12 Zodiac Animal in Yuangmingyuan Park, Beijing - the 12 Chinses Zodiac signs in order are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog & Pig. I was born in the year of Tiger & my wife, Dragon !
9) The ruins of Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace), Beijing
10) Yuanming Yuan Museum, Beijing
12) Old Peking, Beijing
13) Da Zha Lan walking Street, Old Peking
 |
| Da Zha Lan walking street originated in Ming Dynasty (1420) |
 |
Near Qianmen Metro station |
14) Hutongs (Alleys) in Old Peking, Beijing
16) The Founder of First Chinese Cinema Film, Beijing
17) Savoring Beijing Food in Old Peking Street - The food I tasted together with my hostel mate from Nepal !
 |
| CNY 70 for this lunch + rice for 2 |
 |
| CNY 15 for this breakfast for 2 |
 |
| CNY 5 for 2 Old Peking bread |
|
| CNY 15 for a pack of 4 Baoxi |
 |
| CNY22 for a plate of mixed pork offals + rice |
 |
| CNY10 for lamb & Squib (3 pcs) |
18) Beijing Leo Courtyard Hostel
 |
| CNY90 for a dorm bed |
 |
| 300 year old courtyard |
19) Beijing City Central Youth Hostel
 |
| CNY70 for a single bed |
20) Raju Lama, my hostel mate from Nepal; together we roamed the hutongs, Tienanmen & Old Peking for 3 days prior to my departure from Beijing to Kuala Lumpur !
No comments:
Post a Comment