Sunday, November 10, 2024

China (Post Covid Overseas Visit No 11 - My 14 days in Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Jingxing County & Gubei Water Town Oct 10 > 24 2024)

Beijing, China
I Love Tianjin
I Love Shijiazhuang
Jingxing The Impression
I Miss You Very Much
in Gubei Water Town

" The Golden season. Leaves are falling. Autumn is calling. Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons. Nihao, Beijing ! See U soon ! " 

Here is my story on this Oct 2024 visit to Beijing. Autumn is the Golden season (cool & pleasant), visiting China post-National Day Golden Week (Oct 1-7, stress or less stressful you will soon find out when in Beijing or a visit to the Tiananmen Square or the Badaling Great Wall, pictures said a thousand words !), senior citizens in Golden Age (over 70s)'s strong passion in travelling, 15 day visa-free entry to China, never mind this will be my 25th visit to China, my 7th visit to Beijing & 4th to Tianjin; But I have a "noble mission" in this Beijing visit ie my wife's strong interest in re-visiting Beijing as her last visit was in 2002 (more than 2 decades ago), my two travel buddies (Thompson & spouse) first time visit to Beijing, seeing Beijing in the present context post-Covid 19; my last visit to Beijing was in 2015 so a new Beijing outlook awaiting me to see, feel & explore (is China's Beautiful as pictured in her tourism slogan or One man's meat is another man's poison ? But I love to see China under my own lens all these years since my first visit to China in 1997) ! 

China's Tourism Slogan
Beautiful China 

Visiting the city / small town of Shijiazhuang (Zhaozhou Bridge & A Dream of Red Mansion) & Jingxing County (Mt CangYanShan) in Hebei Province, showing up in Gubei Water Town (A red leaf town under the Great Wall), North Beijing - these were our "golden bonus" for this entire 15 day visa free visit to China ! In any free & easy travelling, you win some & you lose some but keep going & move on after each journey (if you are healthy fit & able), always look at the brighter side of things & the world is your oyster, the "taste" in travelling is like the ocean & distinct in flavors like a juicy rock oyster ! 

Anther travel dream fulfilled, just like the moment I stepped into the front Gate of Rongguofu (Rong Mansion), Shijiazhuang to visit A Dream of Red Mansion, a popular tourist site carrying a story relating to a famous Chinese novel I had partially read & digest during my schooling years in 1960s & of course watching a few of the movies & TV plays of A Dream of Red Mansion in the 1980s & 1990s ! KM, I hope after your visit to A Dream of Red Mansion, you see your travelling world in a simple fashion, not so complex as what this famous novel unfold on how true love & basic humanity fail due to old society's patriarchal - feudal structures during the Qing dynasty in the 18th century in China ! 

A Dream of Red Mansion, Shijiazhuang

Weather (Autumn in Beijing & Hebei): 8c > 21c, best time to see fall foliage & observe color change 

Autumn

Total expenses incurred (15 days): Rm3,638 (US$830):
  1. Air Ticket (Cathay Pacific, KLIA > HK > Beijing & return): @Rm1,314 
  2. Hotel (14 nights): @Rm1,125 twin sharing
  3. Travel Insurance: Annual Travel Easy Plan Rm  (pro rata): @Rm80
  4. High speed train (3 rides) :  (Beijing > Tianjin > Shijiazhuang > Beijing): @Rmb333 (Rm203)
  5. High speed train (Qinghe > Badaling): @Rmb18 (Rm11)
  6. Train (Shijiazhuang > Jingxing > Shijiazhuang @Rmb18 (Rm11)
  7. City Metro / Bus: @Rmb200 (Rm122)
  8. Long distance bus (Jingxing > Mt CangYanshan > Jingxing @ Rmb16 (Rm9.80) 
  9. Long distance bus (Beijing > Gubei > Beijing): @Rmb100 (Rm61)
  10. Long distance bus (Beijing > Zhaozhou Bridge > Beijing: @Rmb28 (Rm17)
  11. Long distance bus (Badaling > Beijing): @Rmb14 (Rm9)
  12. E-hailing (DiDi 10 rides, group of 4): @Rmb47 (Rm28)
  13. Cable car (Badaling): Rmb140 (Rm85)
  14. Auto rickshaw: Rmb5 (Rm3)
  15. Food:Rmb715 (Rm436)
  16. Entrance fee (Beijing Garden Expo, Confucius Temple & Yonghe Temple & Gubei Water Town): Rmb206 (Rm125) + FOC (4 entries for seniors 70+)
  17. Medicine: Rmb25 (Rm15)
Currency Exchange: Rm1 = CNY0.606; Rm1 = CNY1.65, US$1 = 4.40


My travel buddies: My wife, Thompson Tham & Spouse 


Travel itinerary: Beijing > Tianjin > Shijiazhuang > Jingxing County > Shijiazhuang > Beijing > Gubei Water Town > Beijing (total approx 1,154km) 

Travel Highlights: 

1) Beijing, China

Beijing Lantern Festival
Garden Expo Park 
The Imperial Ancestral Temple, Beijing 
Nan Chi Zi Street
 & Hutong, Beijing 
Land of Earth, Beijing 
Summer Palace, Beijing
Temple of Confucius, Beijing
Guozijian (Imperial College), Beijing
Bird's Nest National Stadium, Beijing 
The Water Cube
National Aquatic Center, Beijing
 
Wangfujing Pedestrian Street, Beijing
Guomao, Beijing
Temple of Heaven, Beijing
Badaling Great Wall, Beijing

2) Gubei Water Town & Simatai Great Wall, Miyun District, North Beijing, China


Gubei Water Town
Miyun District, Beijing 
Simatai Great Wall
Miyun District, Beijing 

2) Tianjin, China 

Tianjin Italian Style Street
Wudadao Historical Culture
Tourism Area, Tianjin
Century Clock, Tianjin
Jie Fang Bridge, Tianjin 
Tianjin City Waterfront by Night
Qing Prince's Palace, Wudadao, Tianjin
Tianjin Ancient Culture Street 
Tianjin Eye

4) Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China

Zhaozhou Bridge, Zhao County
Shijiazhuang
Liberation Square, Shijiazhuang
Wanlimiao Pedestrian Street
Shijiazhuang
Rongguofu, A Dream of Red Mansion
Shijiazhuang

4) Jingxing County, Hebei, China

People Square, Jingxing County
Hanxin Park, Jingxing 
LongWang Shan Park, Jingxing
CangYanShan, Jingxing

China (Post Covid Overseas Visit No 11 - My 15 days in Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Jingxing County & Gubei Water Town Oct 10 > 24 2024) Day 1 - Oct 10 2024 (Beijing)

Kuala Lumpur International Airport
(KLIA), Sepang, Selangor
Hong Kong International Airport, China
Beijing Capital International Airport, China

Day 1 Thursday Oct 10 2024 (Kuala Lumpur > Hong Kong > Beijing) - woke up early (04.00) & my elder son drove both of us from my Subang Jaya home (04.30) to Kuala Lumpur International Airport to board a Cathay Pacific flight (ETD 08.15) to Beijing (ETA 17.35) via a transit in Hong Kong; as for me, an opportunity to enjoy the in-flight movies & meals or take a power nap during the flight .... 

1) Arriving in Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Sepang, Selangor (05.15) & met up with my travel buddy, Thompson for our luggage check-in, immigration clearance etc 


2) Boarding an airport shuttle bus to KLIA Satellite Terminal A Departure Lounge for our Cathay Pacific flight (departing 08.15) > Hong Kong International Airport (transit) > Beijing Capital International Airport.  


3) On board the Cathay Pacific flight > Hong Kong (transit) 


4) In-flight meal on board the Cathay Pacific flight (Kuala Lumpur > Hong Kong). 


5) Arriving in Hong Kong International Airport for our connecting flight to Beijing (an hour of resting at the Waiting Lounge prior to boarding)


6) Boarding Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong International Airport (transit) > Beijing Capital International Airport  


7) Cathay Pacific flight ready to take off in Hong Kong International Airport; a bird-eye view of the coastline of Chep Lap Kok island & Hong Kong - Zhuhai - Macao Link Bridge (55km long), spectacular view ! 


8) Enjoying my Cathay Pacific in-flight meal (Hong Kong > Beijing) 


9) Arriving in Beijing Capital Airport - sunset & cool evening weather of 18c greeting us, tomorrow night temperature dropped to 8C, day is 22c !  Queuing up for Immigration clearance, security check & luggage collection etc. 

Sunset in Beijing Capital Airport (18,00)

10) Airport shuttle train > Luggage Collection Centre, Beijing Capital International Airport. 


11) Metro train ride from Beijing Capital Express Terminal 3 > SanyuanQiao (transit) > Yingkoudao Station (nearby our hotel); each of us bought a Beijing Transportation Smart Card at a Customer Service Counter in an airport subway station (costs Rmb20 for issuance of a new card, paid an initial Rmb100 to cover our subway rides for our next 3 day use in Beijing) to board our first metro train ride from Airport Terminal 3 > Beijing City Centre (Rmb25 = Rm15) 


12) Hotel check-in 20.00 (PiaoHome Inn, Jiangtai West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing) & a complimentary takeaway breakfast food pack (with words saying Hello, Zhao An, Nie Hao) for each of our group's members ! Can't wait for the next morning to commence my down the memory lane to see a new Beijing after a lapse of 9 years !