W A N D E R L U S T: BEIJING 2019 (Part 3)

PLACES TO SEE IN BEIJING

From Suzhou, we took an overnight bullet train to Beijing and arrived the next morning. The first place we went was 颐和园 (Summer Palace). According to my mum who's an expert in Chinese history, Dowager Cixi ordered to build the Summer's Palace using the funds that the military needed for their battles.

We also went to 圆明园 (Old Summer Palace). It is not as popular albeit it being waaaaaay bigger in size. Case in point: It took us 30 minute just to walk out of the garden lol. My advice is to take the buggy carts that operate until 6pm. 

Btw, don't be fooled by the opening hours. It says that it is open until 8pm but all attractions are closed by 6pm. The 2 hours are for you to find your way out of the garden without the free ride because that's how big the entire garden is.

Unlike the other tourist attractions, this Imperial garden did not receive much restoration after the Anglo-French Force had burn it down (it reportedly took them 3 days to burn down that huge piece of land) and hence the lack of eminence. What a pity because this garden is especially unique with its Western architecture.

Leftover ruins of the 西洋楼 (Xiyang Lou). There used to be a fountain here.

A labyrinth with a tower in the middle.
The emperor used to watch his concubines compete in the maze.

One of the random houses in the garden. The scenery is so beautiful that my eyes hurt.

Swans!

Got up really early the next morning and head to 景山公园 (JingShan Park) for this spectacular overview of the 故宫博物院 (Forbidden City).

景山公园 (JingShan Park) is the also place where Emperor ChongZhen committed suicide. It overlooks 北海公园 (Beihai Park), the largest Chinese garden as well. We didn't go there, sadly.

We then crossed over to the 故宫博物院 (Forbidden City). It was loaded with people as usual and most of the rooms are actually closed off to the public so didn't really take a lot of photos here.

Popularised by the TV show, Yanxi Palace, Yanxi Palace received an overwhelming attention from the public. Then again, it is also the most unique palaces around because it was influenced by Western architectural designs. It was never completed though.

Look at the crowd opposite lol.

We then headed to Tiananmen before going off for dinner.

TAKE NOTE! Do not follow the crowd and enter this building in front of the Forbidden City/opposite Tiananmen Square with Mao ZeDong's photo if you've already visited the Forbidden City prior to this. Because that is simply a one-way entrance into Forbidden City in which you have to take a super long way out. Just don't.

This building is a one-way entrance into the Forbidden City!

Dinner was at this shopping street called 前门 (Qian Men). My family loved this street as compared to 王府井 (Wang Fu Jin Street). The latter is an atas shopping mall mixed with some lower-tier stores – think Orchard Road and expensive Bugis Street combined. 前门 (Qian Men), however, is like Chinatown with decent stores available too. We loved it so much we actually went back on a separate day.

That concluded our night. The next morning was an arduous journey to Great Wall of China. GWC is made up of many parts and the portion we visited was called 慕田峪 (Mu Tian Yu). The journey there from city centre took 2 hours. Yes, 2 freaking hours of public transport. The redeeming factor is that you can pretty much sit for the entire journey. This website is a lifesaver for those who want to get to 慕田峪 (Mu Tian Yu) via public transport.

Otherwise, you could also hire a private driver to ferry you.

Isn't it breathtaking??

慕田峪 (Mu Tian Yu) is not the most popular part of GWC because of its rocky pathway. It's really quite difficult to walk and you probably will need a few hours to climb to the peak (45 minutes if you don't stop for photos) – and that is if you cut short the journey via cable car. 

We definitely stopped for photos.

And we definitely took the cable car haha.

Seriously kudos to the people who not only climbed the GWC but also had a part in building it. No wonder my mum said there were many who perished while constructing it because damn. Idk how they even have the energy to build such a structure after hiking up with the raw materials.

Kudos to this dad too.

Heading up to the peak.

The queue up the peak lololol.

There are people who crossed over the peak into the destroyed portions of GWC. Not the safest.

To be honest, I wouldn't say it was very crowded. Yes there was a queue but that only happened in the afternoon and it was because the stairs up the peak was very steep so people took their time to go up and down. If you reach the peak before 1pm, you probably don't need to queue. Also, I went on their National Holiday and you know how China is well-known for their massive migration everywhere during a holiday so I was expecting a lot worse. 

I don't know if it's because by then I was used to facing million of people every day lol. 

Was quite sick on the last day so I didn't take many photos. We went to the Temple of Heaven and I tell you, this is the place where I truly understood how big China is.

The thing is, there was a counter taking note of the number of visitors going in and out. By the time we reached the Temple of Heaven, the attraction has sold 20k tickets out of which 6k had checked out. Which means there was still a grand total of 14k people inside.

But the place was so huge that I didn't feel like I was amongst 14k people! Yes it was crowded but I wouldn't think I was in a can of 14k sardines.

In fact, when Emperor Qian Long was in his 70s, his subjects suggested to build a side door that is a shortcut to the temple because he was aging and the place is too goddamn big. Afraid that his descendants misuse the shortcut, Emperor Qian Long made a decree that only emperors above the age of 70 would be pardoned to use the side door so as to show proper respect to the gods they would be worshipping.

Who knew that Emperor Qian Long would be the only one to ever use the door because none of his descendants made it passed 70 lol.

PLACES TO EAT IN BEIJING

My dad really wanted to eat Beijing Roasted Duck in Beijing and through my online research and Dian Ping's recommendation, 四季民福 (Si Ji Min Fu) came up top. According to the reviews, this restaurant is supposedly better than the internationally famed 全聚德 (Quanjude Roast Duck). I can't compare because I've not tried the latter but 四季民福 (Si Ji Min Fu)'s duck is definitely top notch. They roast the duck on order in a traditional oven. Super good.

I also recommend this sausage called 玉米狗场. We bought it as a quick lunch at GWC and it turns out to be damn good. The insides of the sausage is packed with corns and I'm a sucker for corns so... PERFECT COMBINATION FOR ME. It's easily available at any supermarket or convenience store and my family liked it so much that we bought tons of it back home haha.

This is how the packaging looks like if you're wondering.

Last but not least, I highly recommend this random stall we found when we headed back to the nearest town from 慕田峪 (Mu Tian Yu).

Opps sorry for the bad quality photo haha.

I don't know how to describe the directions there because we really just stumbled upon it but if you took the bus to 慕田峪 (Mu Tian Yu), it's about 10 minutes walk from that bus stop. I recommend the 牛津凉皮 (bowl on the left). It's dry noodles drenched with satay-like sauce, full of peanut flavour. Supppppeeeeer good (actually everything with 沙茶酱 was delicious). But take note that it's cold noodles so don't expect it to be piping hot. There are other noodles with soup so order that if you prefer something hot.

It's the window on the left :D

Just look for this salon called 艺术烫染沙龙 (Yi Shu Tang Rang Sha Long). Walk through the door and you'll see another door on your left.

And that's the end of my China trip! Click for part 1 where I kickstarted the entire trip with Shanghai coupled with general survival tips and part 2 for my time in Suzhou. 

Till next time :D

W A N D E R L U S T : AUSTRALIA

Hey guys, it's been a long time since I posted something here but now that I'm back, thought I should start with my biggest highlight in the months I've been gone: SYDNEY AUSTRALIAAAAAAAA!

I love Sydney. As HH termed it, it's one of the place she doesn't mind migrating to. I wholeheartedly agree. The lifestyle is quite similar to Singapore as compared to many other countries so assimilation will be a breeze. And they have greaaat food and super friendly people (although you might meet some racist people from time to time) so that's always a plus point. Other than that, we had an awesome time in Sydney. but I'll let the photos do the talking.

DAY 1, FRIDAY

My roommate for the rest of the trip lol

Topped up $20 but the train fare from airport cost us $16 so we immediately went straight to low balance on our first ride lol.

Took some time to do settle into our accommodation and did some grocery shopping for our dinner. And then it was a 5km walk to our dessert place called Cow and the Moon which is supposedly the best gelato on earth.

Meatball pasta with buttered mushrooms (at the back)

DAY 2, SATURDAY

Went to the local flea markets the next day. It was so much fun just walking around and absorbing the local atmosphere even though we didn't buy anything cause it was all expensive. I kid you not, they sell real vintage items which can easily cost $50. But we had a great time chilling at a mini field and eating food from the flea market.

TAKE MY MONEY, TAKE MY MONEYYYYYY!

The rest of the day was spent on food and more food.

Emperor's Cream Puff at Chinatown. This bomb is so lit and cheap!!

I don't care what you say but Golden Gaytime has got to be the BEST ice cream everrrr. Please try it!!

Ended the day with home baked beef but it was so legit!

DAY 3, SUNDAY

Woke up early to go to – yup you guessed it – church. We went to Hillsong at Alexandria. Their service was so similar to ours (pretty sure we copied their service programme format and stuff) but like 10x better.

But first, breakfast. Avocado, tomatoes and scrambled eggs on toast

This is like the slogan for Hillsong Church

If you're near the area, you HAVE to visit The Grounds! It's kinda like a flea market for food but super aesthetically pleasing. I'm talking about an outdoor floral themed wedding kinda vibe. I literally felt like I was having a wedding lunch.

SUPER GOOD. I WISHED I CAN GET FOOD AT THIS STANDARD IN SG.

DAY 5, MONDAY

Aka shopping day. We headed to Bourke Street bakery to fill our tummies before we kickstart some serious spending spree.

I recommend the ginger tart and the spiced tart

If you're looking to shop, Crown street is the place to go. They cater both mid end and streetwear albeit the prices are not exactly pocket friendly. I mean, there are sales here and there so you can get branded stuff here that's cheaper than in Singapore but you definitely won't get anything below $20. \

Oh unless you're visiting Salvation Army

Another shopping heaven would be Bondi beach. I know it sounds counter intuitive but they really do have rows and rows of stores selling mid end apparels. 

Even if you're uninterested in shopping, do drop by Bondi because they have an amazing beach view there!

A private pool in the middle of the ocean. Yup #whynot

We embarked on the Bondi boardwalk and although it took quite some time to complete the journey, the walk was so serene and beautiful that I can't help but to love the experience. There were a few people who used the track to jog. What a view to exercise to!

Me trying to creep to the edge of the cliff to take a photo

May or may not had a mini seizure trying to get to this pose. Did not help that there were heavy gusts of wind.

Other random sightings at Bondi: Doughnut Time. They have the pretties doughnuts but they're so sweet they might just be the cause of diabetes. My advice: Buy to share. 

Also, people actually paint wall murals instead of printing a poster to hang. Talk about #effort.

DAY 6, TUESDAY

I don't seem like the type, but I actually do enjoy nature a lot! Besides Bondi beach, Blue Mountains is definitely another go-to place for me. In fact, I would definitely want to hike again if I ever have the chance to come back here.

Started with a photo taking point of The Three Sisters at Evan's lookout. But this is nothing compared to the trek through the Canyon.

And so it begins. Be prepared to feast your eyes.

Jurassic Park or what???

It was about a 4 hour hike but I would gladly do it all over again. I feel like there was so many things to see but my eyes couldn't take everything in because it was so overwhelming! This took trekking from what I am used in in Singapore to a whole new level because it's not only beautiful, it was so cooling! It was as if I was hiking in an air-conditioned room. Bliss, I tell you.

And that's it! The rest of the trip was spent at Hillsong conference. It was such a wonderful experience and it deserves a standalone post – if I ever get around doing one. I shall end off with this very appropriate song: