China (Post Covid Overseas Visit No 11 - My 15 days in Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Jingxing County & Gubei Water Town Oct 10 > 24 2024) Day 3 - Oct 12 2024 (Beijing)

Badaling Great Wall, Beijing 

Wangfujing Street, Beijing

China World Mall, Beijing 

 

Day 3 Saturday Oct 12 2024 (Beijing) - spent a full day taking public transport (metro, train & cable car) from our hotel to Badaling Great wall (an UNESCO World Heritage site), a major tourist attraction in suburban Beijing followed by a solo evening visit to Wangfujing Street & Guomao CBD area. 

1) Metro train ride from Jiangtai Station > Dongzimen (transit) > Qinghe Railway Station to board a highspeed train to Badaling Great Wall Railway Station  Line 13 

2) Highspeed train ride (50km, Rmb18 = Rm10.80 2nd Class) from Qinghe Railway Station (ETD10.25) > Badaling Great Wall Railway Station (ETA 10.47)

3) Arriving in Badaling Great Wall Railway Station (10.47)

4) Badaling Great Wall Railway Station. 

5) Badaling Cable Car Ticketing Counter - return cable car ride Rmb140 = Rm85 (US$19.50)

6) Badaling Great Wall (Foothill) & Public Bus Terminal / Stop (Drop Off Point). 

7) Badaling Cable Car Front Entrance - long queue of visitors due to the Saturday weekend & post National Day of China celebration (Oct 1-7). 

8) My first glimpse of Badaling Great Wall after exiting the cable car ride ! My last visits to Great Wall of China were in 2010, 2002 & 1997 ! Visitors had to inch their way up to the the upper section of this stretch of Great Wall - too large a crowd, best described in Chinese as "People Mountain People Sea"; packed like a can of sardines ! 

9) Return cable car ride - another long queue up so be patience ! 

10) Return journey - free shuttle bus ride from Badaling Great Wall > Badaling Public Bus Transit Hub. 

11) Bus ride from Badaling Public Bus Transit Hub > 919 Express (Rmb12 = Rm7.20) Public Bus Station (120m) for our return journey back to Deszhengmen Bus Station, Beijing 

12) Arriving in Deszhengmen Bus Station - a 500m walk to the nearest Metro station ie Jishuitan for visitors going to Beijing city centre by Metro ride !  

10) Metro train ride from Jishuitan Station > Jiangtai Station (nearby to our hotel) - thus ended our day trip to Badaling Great Wall - my 4th visit since 1997 (27 years ago) ! 

11) Small Eat - early dinner (18.30) in our favourite restaurant near Jiangtai Metro station; savoured a bowl of beef noodle (Rmb26 = Rm15.60) & Kung Pao chicken (Rmb28 = Rm16.80)

12) My solo evening visit to Wangfujing Street & Guomao CBD area by metro from Jiangtai Station; my wife & 2 of my travel buddies decided to rest in the hotel thus did not join me for this particular visit ! 

13) Wangfujing Street, Beijing - a well known & prosperous shopping street with modern & fashion trends. I took my wife for another evening visit in Wangfujing prior to flying home !

14) Metro train ride from Wangfujing Station > Guomao Station

15) Guomao, Beijing - walkabout & window shopping in China World Mall, China World Trade Centre & a feel of this prosperous CBD & the surrounding area in the evening ! 

16) Return journey - metro train ride from Guomao Station to Jiangtai Station (nearby to my hotel), another productive day for me after the Badaling Great Wall visit !